Type Of Screw Piles
If you’re not 100% sure which screw pile is your best bet, Blade Pile has you covered.
We’re breaking down the different types of screw piles, what the conditions call for, and how to find the right one for your project.
What’s a Screw Pile?
Let’s start off with the basics. A screw pile is a long, cylindrical steel pipe made to give solid support to residential buildings or commercial infrastructure.
Mechanically twisted into the ground, the helical design ensures amazing load-bearing capacity, making them perfect for soft, sandy, or rocky soil.
Typically, these are chosen over concrete piling because of their smaller environmental impact, quick install, and versatile nature.
Advanced Techniques in Helical Pier Installation
Now you’ve chosen your supplier—which type of screw pile should you pick? Below, our pile manufacturers break it down into different uses to help you choose the perfect foundation solution.
1. Blade Pile Screw Piles
Blade Pile screw piles offer an advanced alternative to standard helical piles, featuring a refined design that enhances load capacity and stability. Their quick, low-disturbance installation reduces project timelines and environmental impact.
Best For: Residential, commercial, and infrastructure projects. Ideal for eco-friendly builds requiring efficient, strong, and reusable foundation solutions.
2. Helical Screw Piles (Standard Screw Piles)
Helical piles are the most commonly used type of screw piles, featuring a central shaft with one or more helical plates (blades) attached. The plates allow the pile to be screwed into the soil with ease.
3. Grouted Screw Piles
Grouted screw piles have a grout column added around the shaft to provide enhanced stability and load-bearing capacity. This feature ensures additional lateral support and resistance in weaker soil conditions.
- Used For: High-load applications or projects in loose soils, where extra strength and durability are critical.
4. Open Shaft Screw Piles
These piles have hollow shafts that can be filled with concrete after installation, significantly increasing their strength and capacity to withstand heavy loads.
- Used For: Bridge construction and other heavy infrastructure projects where robust foundations are essential.
5. Solid Shaft Screw Piles
Made from solid steel shafts, these screw piles are designed for smaller, lighter structures. Their compact design makes them easy to install and cost-effective for simpler applications.
- Used For: Shallow applications such as decks, fences, and signage.
6. Multi-Helix Screw Piles
These piles feature multiple helical plates, increasing their load-bearing capacity. They’re particularly effective for projects that require deeper foundations in soft soils.
- Used For: Projects requiring high load-bearing capacity and deeper penetration.
7. Underwater Screw Piles
Specially designed for marine environments, these screw piles are constructed with corrosion-resistant materials such as galvanised or epoxy-coated steel to withstand constant exposure to water.
- Used For: Marine structures like docks, piers, and jetties.
7. Micro Screw Piles
These are small-diameter screw piles designed for tight or restricted spaces. Their compact size allows for installation in areas with limited access, making them ideal for retrofitting.
- Used For: Underpinning existing foundations, stabilising small structures, or urban projects with space constraints.
8. Rock Screw Piles
Built with reinforced tips and heavy-duty shafts, these screw piles are designed to penetrate rocky or hard soil conditions effectively.
- Used For: Mining, industrial applications, or projects requiring strong foundations in challenging ground conditions.
Which Screw Pile Type Is Right for You?
Now we’ve detailed the different types of screw piles—which one should you pick?
Residential
Building a house? You’ll most likely need a Blade Pile that’s reliable and cost-effective.
Blade Piles are the most popular choice for home foundations, decks and extensions.
Because they’re so versatile, they’re perfect for lightweight applications.
Mini pile screws are also great for smaller or retrofitting projects in residential settings.
Commercial/Industrial
For larger-scale commercial or industrial applications, it’s important to choose types of screw piles that can handle heavier loads.
In this case, round shaft or high-capacity Blade Piles are your go-to’s, as these types of screw piles are ready to handle the weight of larger buildings.
Marine & Coastal
If jetties, piers or coastal boardwalks are more your wheelhouse, Blade Piles should be your pick.
Commonly used for their corrosion resistance and ability to handle varying soil conditions underwater, these are your best bet.
Alternatively, grab tension anchors to stabilise structures in areas prone to shifting.
Tricky Soil
When compact clay and rocky terrain cause havoc, square shaft screw piles are great for resisting high torque during installation.
If the soil is particularly loose or soft, consider grouted helical piles, which use grout to expand the surface area of the pile, giving you extra load-bearing capacity.
The Right Distributor
Quality and expertise matter, and as Australia’s largest end-to-end screw piling manufacturer and installer, we deliver reliability, precision, and performance—making us the team you can trust. How?
The Blade Pile system is faster, more precise, and gives greater load-bearing strength than standard methods like bored piers or traditional screw piles.
We’re also fully compliant with all Australian regulations, ISO certified, and our piles are removable, reusable and recyclable.
Understanding Types of Screw Piles
It might seem like too much, but knowing the ins and outs of screw pile types is essential for making informed choices on-site.
For one, it ensures you’ve chosen the proper foundation solution for your project.
For example, using the wrong kind of screw pile type underwater could lead to premature corrosion and unwanted shifting—a costly mistake.
Speaking of costs, you can optimise them by not ‘over-engineering’, mainly by using tools that are too heavy or more expensive than needed.
Hand in hand, you’ll enhance structural stability and durability by using the correct type of screw pile for your project.
Contact
Blade Pile
NSW Master Distributor – Solid Metal Piling
41 Topham Road, Smeaton Grange NSW 2567
TAS Master Distributor – Channel Earthmoving
Contact our team
In his capacity as National Manager, Josh spearheads Blade Pile Group’s business development and growth into new markets.
Since joining the organisation in 2018, Josh has brought a diverse knowledge base and bank of experience in construction, business management, logistics and team leadership to the Blade Pile Group.
