1. Product introduction

A helical pile — also called a screw pile or ground screw — is a steel shaft with one or more spiral bearing plates welded near the tip. Rotated into the ground, the helix pulls the pile downward the way a wood screw pulls into timber, until it reaches a soil layer strong enough to carry the design load. Because the helix generates both compression and uplift capacity, the pile works for pushing down and pulling up — which is what makes it useful for foundations and anchors alike.

The idea is not new — Alexander Mitchell screwed the first documented piles into the Thames mud for a lighthouse in 1838, and several 19th-century lighthouses still stand on their original piles. What changed in the last decades is the hardware: hydraulic drive heads now turn a pile with tens of kilonewton-metres of torque, so a small excavator installs one in minutes.

CHANGE helical piles are made from structural steel to ASTM A500 Grade C or S355, welded to CSA-standard quality, then hot-dip galvanized to ASTM A123 / EN ISO 1461 with 70–120 µm of zinc. The standard square-shaft series follows the industry torque-to-capacity correlation — capacity Q = Kt × T, with Kt ≈ 10 ft⁻¹ for square shaft — so the installation torque tells you the pile’s capacity in real time, the same method used in ICC-ES AC358 design.

2. Applications

Deck, garden room, shed and carport foundations. Fence and gate posts. Solar panel racks and ground-mounted arrays. Greenhouses and farm shelters. Boardwalks and walkways. Signage and lighting poles. EV charger pedestals. Temporary structures — the pile unscrews and reuses elsewhere. Underpinning and foundation stabilization for existing buildings.

3. Specifications

Note: — Capacity reference — industry-standard square-shaft ratings (Kt = 10 ft⁻¹):

Final capacity depends on soil conditions, embedment depth and helix configuration — a geotechnical check before ordering is the normal practice. We also manufacture round-pipe series with Kt ≈ 7–9 ft⁻¹ for soft soils and high lateral loads.

4. Key features

• No excavation, no concrete, no curing — the pile carries load the moment installation stops.
• Torque-to-capacity verification — capacity is confirmed in real time from the installation torque reading.
• Hot-dip galvanized, 50–100 year design life in typical soils.
• Works in clay, sand, gravel and frozen ground — all-season installation.
• Removable and re-usable — unscrew, relocate, rebuild.
• Extendable with extension sections for weak or deep soils.
• Clean site — no spoil, no mud, no vibration; ideal next to existing structures.
• Custom shaft, length, helix count and brackets to match your loads.

5. How to install

Step 1 — Survey: Check for underground utilities, note the soil type and frost depth, then mark each pile position from the layout.

Step 2 — Pre-drill: Only in very hard, frozen or stony ground — drill a small pilot hole slightly smaller than the shaft to guide the pile.

Step 3 — Drive: Rotate the pile in with an excavator-mounted or handheld drive head, keeping it vertical. Watch the torque gauge — capacity comes from the final torque, not the depth.

Step 4 — Level: Stop at the target torque, then trim the top or use an adjustable head to set the exact finished elevation.

Step 5 — Connect: Bolt on the bracket, flange or post base and mount your beam or structure — it is load-bearing immediately, no waiting.

Step 6 — Verify: Keep the torque log for the record; where required, run a static load test to confirm the design.