Screw piles

A screw pile is a galvanised steel screw driven into the ground by machine until it reaches the depth and resistance the job needs. The structure bolts to a cap on the top. Nothing is dug out and no concrete is poured.

Compared with concrete

Comparison	Screw piles	Concrete base
Time on site	One day, normally	Several days, plus return visits
Ready to build on	Straight away	After curing. Full design strength is benchmarked at 28 days³
Digging and muck away	None	Trenches or pads, spoil, a skip
Weather	Any weather	Pours stop in frost and heavy rain
Embodied carbon	Around 50 to 60% less²	Cement is around 8% of global CO2 emissions¹
Removal	Screws unwind and can be reused	Broken out and disposed of

Carbon

Cement production is around 8% of global CO2 emissions.¹
Published comparisons put a screw pile base at 50 to 60% less embodied carbon than an equivalent concrete base.²
Screws can be removed and reused.

Strength

The load transfers through the thread into undisturbed ground.
Capacity is tonnes per screw, depending on screw size and ground.
Every screw is pull tested in the ground it's going into. You keep the results.

Lifespan

Hot dip galvanised steel.
Coating life is measured in decades and depends on coating thickness and soil chemistry.⁴
10-year written guarantee.

When concrete is better

Habitable extensions going through building control.
Retaining walls and structures.
Heavy point loads on made-up or tipped ground.
We do concrete as well. If it's the right answer for the job, we say so.

Sources

Chatham House, Making Concrete Change: Innovation in Low-carbon Cement and Concrete (2018).
Published installer comparisons, including the UK's largest ground screw networks.
Standard UK practice: structural concrete's specified compressive strength is verified at 28 days (BS EN 206 convention).
American Galvanizers Association, Galvanized Steel Performance in Soil.

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