<p>During the mineral beneficiation process, a substantial amount of tailing waste will be produced and transported as a slurry form to the tailing pond for storage. The rheological behaviour of tailings is of critical importance for the safe management of tailing slurry transport systems and the long-term stability of tailing ponds. Previous studies relevant to the rheological behaviour of metal tailing slurry have not fully considered the particle concentration and shear strain rate conditions of tailing slurry during the transport and storage state. A unified rheological model for evaluating metal tailing slurries of different particle concentrations is still lacking. This study investigated the natural sedimentation characteristics and rheological behaviours of five typical metal tailing slurries, including calcium, barium, magnesium, iron, and lead tailings. The possible particle concentration and shear strain rate changing ranges of typical metal tailing slurries during the transport and storage state were discussed first. Results show that the particle concentration remains at 20–70% for a long time, and shear strain rates are within 0–60&#xa0;s⁻¹. The rheological behaviours within this particle concentration and shear strain rate range were analyzed using a new combination test method. Then, a new piecewise rheological model applicable to typical metal tailing slurries across varying particle concentrations has been proposed. The model parameters can be either measured directly or estimated with minimal effort, providing a practical tool for predicting slurry behaviour during tailing transport and storage, offering valuable technical support for improving the stability of tailing ponds.</p>