Steel sheet piles are long structural sections with a vertical interlocking system that create a continuous wall. The walls are often used to retain either soil or water. The ability of a sheet pile section to perform is dependent upon its geometry and the soils it is driven into. The pile transfers pressure from the high side of the wall to the soil in front of the wall.

In piling, hot rolled steel sheet pile and cold-formed steel sheet pile are two primary methods of manufacturing sheet piles. While there are differences between these two methods, the most important distinction is the interlock. Since hot-rolled steel sheet piling is produced from steel at high temperatures, the interlock tends to be tighter than its cold-formed steel sheet pile counterpart. Normally, looser interlocks are not recommended in extremely hard driving conditions or for walls requiring low permeability. Otherwise, the two types of sections perform similarly.