King Sheet Piling (KSP®)

The award-winning King Sheet Piling (KSP®) retaining wall system typically saves 35% to 40% of the steel used in a standard wall, whilst delivering marked productivity, environmental and sustainability benefits. It can be up to 4 times faster to install.

What Does KSP Offer?

KSP is a simple, radical innovation that revolutionises 120 years of sheet piling practice. It uses sheet piles more efficiently to yield typical steel savings of 35% to 40% in standard cantilever walls, whilst guaranteeing dramatic productivity, environmental and sustainability benefits.

How Does KSP Work?

Many sheet pile walls are sized for driveability, using heavier sections than required structurally for the wall. KSP harnesses the surplus structural capacity by 'thinking laterally' to use pairs of Z section piles as "kings" with lighter, shorter Z piles or "intermediates" spanning horizontally between them. For further details, including options for water cut-offs, see the Technical page.

What is KSP’s Track Record?

To date KSP has delivered:

  • Multi-million pound savings for Contractor and Client
  • De-risked critical programmes on two major projects worth a combined £1.2 billion
  • Substantial sustainability, constructability and environmental benefits
After 25 km of KSP on the M25 motorway DBFO initial widening, KSP has since been used on over 23 schemes across the National Highways (formerly Highways England) network. KSP walls are now the solution of choice where sheet pile walls are considered and are a familiar sight across the nation’s roads. KSP walls have also yielded substantial savings on Network Rail projects.

See Case Studies.

Back to top

Contact Us

To use KSP on your project, see Guidance to Users updated 15 July 2021 & new Permit to Use.

Latest News

October 2025: This year marked completion of all KSP walls on the M25 Junction 10 Upgrade and on motorways across the Southern and Midlands sections of the National Highways network as part of the Smart Motorway Alliance programme.

November 2024: Installation of KSP walls is currently well advanced or completed on the M25 Junction 10 Upgrade and on motorways across the Southern and Midlands sections of the National Highways network as part of the Smart Motorway Alliance programme. KSP also helped make valuable savings on major temporary works on parts of Balfour Beatty Vinci’s Midlands section of HS2.

May 2023: KSP walls are due to start shortly for slope stabilisation on both rail and highway applications, taking advantage of the important benefit that KSP facilitates groundwater flow.

2022: Saw completion of further KSP walls on the M1, M45 and M56 motorways.

31 August 2021: Correct Link to Technical Guidance Download reinstated (inadvertently re-directed in website upgrade of 28 July 2021).

Read more news