What are the different types of rail pads
Sep 23, 2025
A rail pad, also called rail rubber plate, is designed between the rail tie plate and foot of the rail, made by an elastic polyurethane mat, which is interposed between steel rails and tie sleepers to protect the sleeper top from wearing and impacting. Its defined stiffness is used to increase the elasticity of the superstructure of the ballast and reduce shock and vibration in the rail system.
GNEE RAIL possesses a production line for rail pads comprising 130 sets of equipment, covering the entire process from injection molding, rubber mixing, vulcanization, and molding to testing. We have the most professional rail pad R&D, design, production, and testing engineers in China, with an annual production capacity of up to 2 million units. Additionally, high-speed railway rail pads are our specialty products, including elastic rubber pads and leveling shims.
Elastic rubber plates for High-speed Railways
Height adjustment pads for High-speed Railways
Rail pads for Normal Railways
We have developed a series of high-performance elastic rail pads to meet the stiffness requirements of various application fields-from tram tracks to standard gauge railways and heavy-haul railways. These are particularly suitable for E-type rail fastening systems and SKL-type rail fastening systems, and are made from materials such as HDPE, EVA, and rubber.
HDPE
| No. | Technical Parameter | Unit | Technical Requirement | Value |
| 1 | Density | g/cm3 | 0.95-0.98 | 0.95 |
| 2 | Tensile Strength | Mpa | ≥19 | 19 |
| 3 | Elongation | % | >80 | 150 |
| 4 | Melting Point | ℃ | 170-190 | 190 |
| 5 | Insulation Resistance | Ω | ≥1×1010 | 3.5 ×1010 |
| 6 | Hardness | A | ≥98 | 98(A) |
EVA: Polyethylene 80%, Vinyl Acetate 20%
| No. | Technical Parameter | Unit | Technical Requirement | Value |
| 1 | Density | g/cm3 | 0.95-0.98 | 0.95 |
| 2 | Tensile Strength | Mpa | ≥15 | 16 |
| 3 | Elongation | % | >500 | 550 |
| 4 | Melting Point | ℃ | 170-190 | 170 |
| 5 | Insulation Resistance | Ω | ≥1×1010 | 5.0 ×1010 |
| 6 | Hardness | A | ≥90 | 92(A) |
Rubber
| No. | Technical Parameter | Unit | Value |
| 1 | Stiffness | KN | 90-130 |
| 2 | Hardness Shore A | ℃ | 72-80degree |
| 3 | Electronic Resistance | Ω | ≥ 106 |
| 4 | Tensile Strength before Aging | Mpa | ≥12.5 |
| 5 | Elongation before Aging | % | ≥250 |
