What type of steel is used in rail tracks?
Jan 21, 2026
Steel rail is a hot-rolled steel profile with a standardized cross-section consisting of the rail head, web, and base, designed to guide wheels, bear repeated vertical and lateral loads, and transmit stresses safely into sleepers and the track foundation. It is the primary load-bearing element of railway track systems and industrial rail systems, and its material selection directly determines safety, wear resistance, and service life. Modern rail tracks rely on specially engineered rail steels rather than ordinary structural steel.
What type of steel is used in rail tracks?
Rail tracks are mainly manufactured from high-carbon, high-manganese carbon steel or low-alloy steel, designed to achieve high strength, good toughness, and excellent wear resistance. The most widely used grades include U71Mn and U75V in GB standards, R260 and R350HT in EN standards, and 900A in AREMA standards. These steels contain controlled levels of carbon to improve hardness and manganese to enhance strength and fatigue resistance, while trace alloying elements such as vanadium or chromium may be added for further performance improvement in heavy-duty applications.
Typical rail steel grades under major international standards:
| Standard System | Steel Grade | Metallurgical Type | Typical Application |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB (China) | U71Mn | High-carbon Mn steel | Passenger and freight mixed traffic |
| GB (China) | U75V | Carbon-Mn steel with vanadium | Heavy haul and crane rails |
| EN 13674-1 (Europe) | R260 | Carbon pearlitic steel | Conventional railway lines |
| EN 13674-1 (Europe) | R350HT | Heat-treated pearlitic steel | Heavy haul and high-speed lines |
| AREMA (USA) | 900A | High-strength carbon steel | North American freight corridors |
| JIS (Japan) | JIS E1101 | Carbon–manganese steel | Mainline railway networks |
As a professional rail fastener supplier, GNEE RAIL can provide different standard steel rail such as GB,American, BS, UIC, DIN, JIS, Australian and South Africa which used in railway lines, cranes and coal mining.
Chinese Standard steel Rail
| Classification | Height(mm) | Head (mm) | Bottom (mm) | Thick(mm) | Weight (kg/m) | |
| Light Rail | 8 KG/M | 65 | 25 | 54 | 7 | 8.42 |
| 9 KG/M | 63.5 | 32.1 | 63.5 | 5.9 | 8.94 | |
| 12 KG/M | 69.85 | 38.1 | 69.85 | 7.54 | 12.2 | |
| 15 KG/M | 79.37 | 42.86 | 79.37 | 8.33 | 15.2 | |
| 18 KG/M | 80 | 40 | 80 | 10 | 18.06 | |
| 22 KG/M | 93.66 | 50.8 | 93.66 | 10.72 | 22.3 | |
| 24 KG/M | 107 | 51 | 90 | 10.9 | 24.46 | |
| 30 KG/M | 107.95 | 60.33 | 107.95 | 12.3 | 30.1 | |
| Heavy Rail | 38 KG/M | 134 | 68 | 114 | 13 | 38.733 |
| 43 KG/M | 140 | 70 | 114 | 14.5 | 44.653 | |
| 45 KG/M | 145 | 67 | 126 | 14.5 | 45.546 | |
| 50 KG/M | 152 | 70 | 132 | 15.5 | 51.514 | |
| 60 KG/M | 176 | 73 | 150 | 16.5 | 60.64 | |
| Crane Rail | QU 70 | 120 | 70 | 120 | 28 | 52.8 |
| QU 80 | 130 | 80 | 130 | 32 | 63.69 | |
| QU 100 | 150 | 100 | 150 | 38 | 88.96 | |
| QU 120 | 170 | 120 | 170 | 44 | 118.1 | |
JIS E 1103/1101 Standard Steel Rail
| Standard: JIS E 1103/1101 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | Dimension(mm) | Weight (kg/m) |
Length(m) | |||
| Head | Height | Bottom | Thickness | |||
| JIS 15KG | 42.86 | 79.37 | 79.37 | 8.33 | 15.2 | 9-10 |
| JIS 22KG | 50.8 | 93.66 | 93.66 | 10.72 | 22.3 | 9-10 |
| JIS 30A | 60.33 | 107.95 | 107.95 | 12.3 | 30.1 | 9-10 |
| JIS 37A | 62.71 | 122.24 | 122.24 | 13.49 | 37.2 | 10-25 |
| JIS 50N | 65 | 153 | 127 | 15 | 50.4 | 10-25 |
| CR 73 | 100 | 135 | 140 | 32 | 73.3 | 10-12 |
| CR 100 | 120 | 150 | 155 | 39 | 100.2 | 10-12 |
Australian 1085 Standard Steel Rail
| Standard: AS 1085 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | Dimension(mm) | Weight (kg/m) |
Length(m) | |||
| Head | Height | Bottom | Thickness | |||
| 31KG | 63.5 | 117.5 | 108 | 11.5 | 31.5 | 8-25 |
| 47KG | 70 | 141.3 | 127 | 14.3 | 46.5 | |
| 50KG | 70 | 154 | 127 | 15 | 50.8 | |
| 60KG | 70 | 170 | 146 | 16.5 | 61 | |
| 68KG | 73.4 | 186 | 152 | 17.5 | 67.6 | |
| 73KG | 70 | 157 | 146 | 32 | 73.63 | |
| 86KG | 102 | 102 | 165 | 84.11 | 85.5 | |
| 89KG | 102 | 114 | 178 | 51 | 89.81 | |
DIN 13674-1-2003 Standard Steel Rail
| Standard：DIN 536 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | Dimension(mm) | Weight (kg/m) |
Length(m) | |||
| Head | Height | Bottom | Thickness | |||
| A55 | 55 | 65 | 150 | 31 | 31.8 | 10-12 |
| A55 | 65 | 75 | 175 | 38 | 43.1 | |
| A75 | 75 | 85 | 200 | 45 | 56.2 | |
| A100 | 100 | 95 | 200 | 60 | 74.3 | |
| A120 | 120 | 105 | 200 | 72 | 100 | |
Why Are High-Carbon and Alloyed Steels Necessary for Rail Tracks?
At the wheel–rail interface, contact stresses are extremely high and repeated continuously, which can cause surface wear, plastic deformation, and rolling contact fatigue if the steel is not sufficiently hard and strong. High carbon content increases hardness and wear resistance, while manganese improves strength and hardenability, allowing the rail head to maintain structural integrity after controlled cooling or head-hardening treatment. In higher-grade rails, micro-alloying elements such as vanadium may be added to refine grain structure and improve fatigue performance.
For heavily loaded freight lines and crane runways, rails must also resist strong impact loads and lateral forces. In such cases, GNEE RAIL DIN536 crane rails (A65–A150) and QU crane rails (QU70–QU120) are commonly manufactured from U71Mn or U75V steel, providing higher hardness and longer service life compared with standard railway rails. For railway mainlines, GNEE RAIL supplies grades such as U71Mn, U75V, R260, R350HT, and 900A, ensuring compatibility with different axle loads, traffic density, and maintenance strategies.
| Grade | Standard / Region | Typical Composition (wt%) |
| R260 | EN 13674-1 (Europe) | C: 0.67–0.80, Mn: 0.90–1.20, Si: ≤0.50 |
| R350HT | EN 13674-1 (Europe) | C: 0.75–0.85, Mn: 0.80–1.20, Cr: 0.20–0.50 |
| Grade 260 | AREMA (North America) | C: ~0.77, Mn: ~1.0–1.2, Si: ~0.2 |
| Grade 350 | AREMA + Mill Specs (USA/Canada) | C: 0.78–0.83, Mn: 0.90–1.20, Cr: 0.2–0.6, + V/Nb (microalloyed) |
| BH Rail (Bainitic) | JIS E 1101 (Japan), adopted in EU/India | C: 0.65–0.80, Mn: 1.0–1.4, Cr/Mo/Ni (optional, mill-specific) |
| U71Mn | GB/T 2585 (China) | C: 0.65–0.77, Mn: 1.10–1.40, Si: 0.15–0.35 |
| U75V | GB/T 2585 (China) | C: 0.67–0.77, Mn: 0.70–1.00, V: 0.04–0.12 |
Selecting the correct rail steel involves not only choosing a grade but also matching it with profile type, fastening stiffness, and environmental conditions. GNEE RAIL supports projects with professional rail selection based on axle load, wheel pressure, traffic frequency, and operating environment, supplying rails that comply with GB, EN, UIC, DIN, AREMA/ASCE, JIS, and AS standards. In addition to standard products, GNEE RAIL offers customized rail solutions, including special chemical composition control and controlled cooling processes to optimize hardness–toughness balance for demanding service conditions.
