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Ferrous
Rail Scrap
Grade: 205Medium-High Tier
Railroad rails, minimum 24 inches long, free of attachments
Market Price EstimateUpdated Daily
$395/ MT
+8 (2.1%)vs yesterday
Verified specifications & market data
Chemical Composition
Elemental breakdown by percentage weight.
Standard composition limits
Values represent maximum allowed percentage unless otherwise noted.
Physical Properties
Material form, density, and contamination specifications.
Used, worn, or obsolete railroad rails from track dismantling and infrastructure projects; substantial solid pieces suitable for remelt in steel mills
Acceptable Inclusions
- Surface rust and oxidation (inherent to rail age)
- Light weathering and discoloration
- Paint coating (structural protection)
- Mill scale (light oxide layer)
Prohibited Materials
- Rail spikes, fasteners, fishplates (MUST be removed)
- Copper or brass attachments (bearing plates, etc.)
- Stainless steel components (mixing with rail)
- Non-ferrous metals >0.5% each
- Radioactive materials
- PCB or hazardous electronics
- Asbestos materials
- Mercury components
- Heavy oil/grease contamination >1%
Quality Assurance
Testing protocols, sampling methods, and acceptance criteria.
Sampling Protocol
frequencyRandom selection from different rail sections
maximumQuantity20–30 samples per truck
minimumQuantity1–1.5 tonnes or 10–15 rail samples
notesSolid rail material; uniform composition reduces sampling requirement
percentage5–7% of lot
Acceptance Limits
all Criteria Must Passcriteria must be met; attachment-free especially critical
attachment Statusattachments; completely clean
carbon ContentC 0.60–0.80%
copper LimitCu <0.10%
iron ContentFe ≥97.5%
length Minimumsegments ≥24 inches
manganese RangeMn 0.50–1.10%
phosphorus SulfurP <0.05%, S <0.04%
visual Contaminants<1% non-ferrous visible; no fasteners
Weight Tolerance
notesSolid rail material; weight consistent with dimensions
variance±2% acceptable from purchase order weight
Required Test Methods
Visual Inspection
Purpose
- Detect fasteners, fishplates, attachments
- confirm free of contamination
Acceptance Criteria
- Pass: ZERO fasteners/fishplates visible
- no hazmat
- clean appearance
Procedure
- 100% visual scan of rail samples
- inspect ends, joints, profile
Attachment Verification
CRITICAL
Purpose
- Verify all fasteners/fishplates removed
Acceptance Criteria
- Pass: No spikes, fishplates, bearing plates, sensors present
Procedure
- Physical inspection of rail ends, joints, entire surface
XRF Spectrometry
Purpose
- Verify Fe ≥97.5%, C 0.60–0.80%, Mn 0.50–1.10%, Cu <0.10%
Acceptance Criteria
- Pass: Carbon in range (critical for rail grade)
- Fe/Mn/Cu within spec
Combustion Analysis
Purpose
- Precise carbon measurement (0.6–0.8% range critical)
Acceptance Criteria
- Pass: Carbon 0.6–0.8% verified
- sulfur <0.04%, phosphorus <0.05%
Procedure
- Test on samples if carbon near specification boundaries
Length Verification
Purpose
- Confirm minimum 24-inch (610mm) length requirement
Acceptance Criteria
- Pass: All rail segments ≥24 inches
- no undersized pieces
Procedure
- Measure representative samples
- confirm specification