How are railway spikes manufactured
Sep 30, 2025
The production of railway spikes is a carefully controlled process, designed to ensure that each spike possesses sufficient strength, wear resistance, and pull-out performance for safe railway operation.
1. Material Selection:
High-quality carbon steel or alloy steel-such as 35#, 40Mn, or 45# steel-is typically used. These materials offer excellent hardness and toughness, enabling the spikes to withstand the impacts and vibrations generated by passing trains.
| Specification | Material | Surface | Standard |
| 5/8*6 '' | A3,Q235, 45#,55#, etc | According to customer needs. | According to customer's drawings or samples. |
| 9/16*5-1/2 '' | |||
| 3/8''*3-1/2 '' | |||
| 1/2*3-1/2 | |||
| Other kinds |
| Type | Ss5, Ss 8, Ss25, Ss36, UIC864-1 Series, etc |
| Raw material | Q235, 35 steel, 45steel, 40Mn2, 20 Mn Si |
| Grade | 4.6, 4.8, 5.6, 8.8 |
| Surface | plain(oiled), black paint, color paint, zinc, HDG, etc |
2. Cutting and Forming:
The production process begins by cutting steel rods into billets that match the intended spike length. The billets are then shaped into the spike body and head through hot forging or cold forging. For Dog Spikes, forging forms the characteristic cap-shaped "dog head," ensuring good rail clamping during installation. For Screw Spikes, threads are processed onto the shank using mechanical rolling or cold heading, providing strong engagement with wooden sleepers and high pull-out resistance.
3. Heat Treatment:
Spikes are typically quenched and tempered to enhance surface hardness and overall toughness, ensuring they do not bend or break under long-term service conditions.
4. Surface Finishing:
After forming and heat treatment, spikes undergo grinding, polishing, or anti-corrosion surface treatment to improve durability and resistance to rust.
5. Quality Inspection:
Each spike is rigorously tested for dimensional accuracy, hardness, tensile strength, and pull-out resistance to ensure compliance with railway standards.
GNEE RAIL specialized in manufacturing and supplying railway products, including railway fishplates, railway fastening system, and related fastening parts for railroad construction. If you need any railroad products, please contact with us.
