Railroad rail, also known as the railroad track or railway track, is the main part of a railroad. Its function is to provide a continuous, smooth, and least resistance rolling surface for the trains to move forward. Most modern railways use continuous welded track (CWR) to make trains travel faster with less friction. The railroad rail is bearing great pressure when trains pass by. The pressure is transferred to the sleeper, ballast, and underlying subgrade. Railway fasteners keep rails in their place to make a safe running. Railroad rails are applied in high-speed tracks, light transport, heavy load tracks, trams, subways, factories, mining tracks, hauling tracks in forested areas, and other industrial fields. In the electrified railway or automatic block section, the rail can also be used as a track circuit.
Chemical Composition of Rails
The strength, abrasion resistance, and impact resistance of the rail, to a certain extent, depending on the material of the rail. In addition to iron, the chemical composition also contains carbon, manganese, silicon, sulfur, and phosphorus. Increasing the content of carbon, manganese, and silicon can improve the strength, hardness, and toughness of the rail. But too high a carbon content will reduce its plasticity and impact toughness. Proper chemical composition is the guarantee of rail quality.
Railroad Rail Dimensions and Weight
Rails are generally classified by weight over a standard length. Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States use pounds per yard. China, Australia, and mainland Europe use kilograms per meter. Normally, the heavier rail supports greater axle loads and higher train speeds.
Railroad rail dimensions define the specification of the rail profile ( cross-section ). The “I-beam” section is composed of the head, height, web, and base.
Common Rail Sizes and Weight
| Region | Size | Weight kg/m | Dimension | |||
| Head (mm) | Height (mm) | Base (mm) | Web (mm) | |||
| Europe | 50E1 | 50.37 | 65 | 153 | 134 | 15.5 |
| 54E1 | 54.77 | 70 | 159 | 140 | 16 | |
| 55E1 | 56.03 | 62 | 155 | 134 | 19 | |
| 60E1 | 60.21 | 72 | 172 | 150 | 16.5 | |
| American | ASCE25 | 12.4 (25 lb/yd) | 38.1 | 69.85 | 69.85 | 7.54 |
| ASCE30 | 14.9 (30 lb/yd) | 42.86 | 79.38 | 79.38 | 8.33 | |
| ASCE60 | 29.8 (60 lb/yd) | 60.32 | 107.95 | 107.95 | 12.3 | |
| ASCE85 | 42.2 (85 lb/yd) | 65.09 | 131.76 | 131.76 | 14.29 | |
| 175LBS | 86.8 (175 lb/yd) | 109.86 | 152.4 | 152.4 | 38.1 | |
| Australian | 47 | 47 (94.7 lb/yd) | 141.3 | 127 | 70 | 14.3 |
| 50 | 50 (100.8 lb/yd) | 154 | 127 | 70 | 15 | |
| 53 | 53 (106.8 lb/yd) | 157.1 | 146 | 70 | 14.7 | |
| 60 | 60 (121.0 lb/yd) | 170 | 146 | 70 | 16.5 | |
| 68 | 68 (137.1 lb/yd) | 186 | 152 | 73.4 | 17.5 | |
International Rail Standards
Each country in the world has its standards for the production of rails, and the classification methods are not the same. In China, railroad rail is typed into light rail, heavy rail, and crane rail according to the weight of kg per meter. We have Chinese GB Standard Rails and QU Crane Rails for sale. We also have a large inventory of other types of rails to meet your requirements. Such as our hot sale products ASCE Rail, 115RE Rail, UIC60 Rail, DIN536 rail, Crane Rail, and Used Rail.
AGICO products fully cover the range of international rail standards
Chinese Standard
Defined standards for light rail, heavy rail and crane rail for railways in China. The light rail is less than or equal to 30kg/m. The heavy rail is more than 30kg/m.
European Standard
The European rail standard specifies that the technical conditions are applicable to the high-speed railway.
British Standard
British Standards (BS) are the standards produced by the BSI group.
BS11 organized specifications and Sections of flat-bottom railway rails.
American Standard
The American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) formulates the standard of rails used in the American railway.
Australian Standard
As a part of the series of track line materials standards, organized by Australia National Standards Commission.
Japanese Standard
The Japanese rail standard system consists of ordinary rail, rail end-hardened rail and railhead-hardened steel rail.
Indian Standard
Specification for crane rail sections by the Bureau of Indian Standards.
South African Standard
Standard: ISCR
Size: 50, 60, 70, 80, 100, 120
Material: 55Q/U71Mn
Length: 9-12m
Railroad Rail Supplier
AGICO is one of the biggest railroad track suppliers in China. We only provide high-quality railroad rails for sale. The railroad rail manufactured by AGICO has sufficient tensile strength, good wear resistance, high peel resistance and fatigue resistance, and good weldability. AGICO Railroad rail for sale has strict inspection before delivering to customers including chemical composition test, tensile strength test, hardness test, and drop weight test.
China is the world’s largest railroad rail producer, accounting for about half of the world’s output. As a leading company in China, AGICO has been in the import and export business for more than 15 years. Our team is a quick response and always ready for providing solutions for customers. Until now, we have served customers from the USA, the UK, Spain, Thailand, India, Brazil, Belgium, and so on. If you don’t quite familiar with how to buy railroad tracks, don’t hesitate to contact us.
