Abstract: The hardness matching characteristic between wheel steel and U71Mn hot rolling rail were investigated using a rolling testing apparatus. In addition, the friction, wear and surface damage behavior of different hardness wheel and U71Mn rail were analyzed in detail. The results show that the hardness of wheel had no obvious effect on rolling friction coefficient of wheel/rail. With the increasing hardness of wheel specimen, the wear volume of wheel decreased and the wear volume of rail specimen linearly increased. Furthermore, total wear volume of wheel/rail specimens firstly decreased and then increased. When the hardness of rail/wheel specimens was identical, total wear volume of wheel/rail reached a minimum. The wheel hardness had an effect on the surface damage morphology of wheel/rail specimens. When the wheel hardness was low, the pitting damage was dominating for the wheel specimen. With the increase of wheel hardness, dominating damage of wheel specimen was large bulk spalling. The primary damage mechanism of rail specimen was surface spalling.