[2] It flows past Rairangpur and heads north to about Saraikela[3] and then east, entering the Subarnarekha in northwestern Jamshedpur.

[1] For about 9 kilometres (6 mi) below the junction with the Karanjia, the Kharkai forms the boundary between Odisha and Jharkhand State.

[1] After entering Jharkhand, its tributaries include the Torlo and Ili Gara on the left.

[1] Its last major tributary is the Sanjai,[4] entering from the left, 17 kilometres (11 mi) above its mouth.

[4] Iron ore is mined in the mountains of the headwaters of the Kharkai, and there is a steel plant at Jamshedpur.