STEEL PRESSED PILINGS

Ideal usage:
• When less movement of the home's foundation is preferred
• When deeper pilings are needed

Description:
Like concrete pilings, steel pilings are pushed into the ground. Steel pilings are usually only 3 inches in diameter, versus 6 inches for concrete pilings. In contrast to concrete pilings, which have a rough surface, steel pilings have a smooth surface. Because of the differences in diameter and surface texture, driving a steel piling into the ground takes less than 1/5th as much pressure as driving a concrete piling. As a result, the installation process for steel pilings often (but not always) results in much less movement during the installation process than the movement that occurs with concrete pilings. Unless a piling hits rock, a steel piling will always go deeper than a concrete piling, for a given amount of pressure.

Steel pilings cause less movement during installation than concrete pilings and typically go deeper than concrete pilings, so why not always use steel pilings?
· The first reason is cost. Steel pilings can cost twice as much as concrete pilings. If soils are suitable for concrete pilings, why spend the extra money on steel?
· The second reason has to do with corrosion. Some soils will eat up steel over time. For example, nobody would suggest using steel pilings in Galveston, where the ground water is salty.