For those of us that do not work in the construction industry, someone saying that they have just got a large consignment of tubular piles could be treated as a rather embarrassing metaphor. Those in the know will tell you that piling forms an essential part of deep foundation construction and our cityscapes and skylines would not look the same without it.

Deep foundations do exactly what they say on the tin. They are used when a project requires deeper foundations than a normal structure and this can be because the ground is soft or uneven, the structure is bearing an excessive load or weight or the structure is very tall. Deep foundations are driven into the earth using piling of which there are many types, depending on what structure the foundations are for.

Tubular piling refers to a large cylindrical tube which is used in offshore developments, large scale construction and projects taking huge loads such as highway construction. The cylindrical tube is hollow and made through the process of rolled and welded tube. This is a specific process where sheeted metal is rolled and then welded to certain specifications. The tube is then driven into the earth and filled with concrete to create the deep foundations.

Rolled and welded tube is not just used in tubular piling, it is also used in many other applications such as oil and offshore production, petro-chemical and water authorities. It is often coated according to the environmental specification of the particular project's surroundings. Piling contractors who are hired to pile drive the deep foundations are also a major purchaser of rolled and welded tubing.

With certain foundations the tubular pile is removed after the pile driving process and the concrete has set. The tubular piling is in place to protect the pre-stressed concrete and often contain pile joints as the whole intact objects can often be extremely difficult to transport and store. Other types of piling comes traditionally in the form of timber or wood however as water and oxygen cause wood to rot they are not suitable in modern day construction.

Timber piling can certainly not withstand the heavy weights that are used in large scale construction. For this concrete piling is used where once again the deep foundations are driven into the ground at strategic points and the foundations of the building are built up around the piling. Without deep foundations our constructions and buildings would not look the way that they do. Piling is the essential element of deep foundations that enables us to develop.