Retaining wall products are as diverse as the applications themselves. Whether for transportation infrastructure, commercial, or residential projects, retaining walls offer an engineered and aesthetically pleasing solution for maximizing use of right-of-ways and building sites while providing erosion control and slope stability. In response to a request from Structural Engineer, a number of companies provided the following information about their products. Company web addresses are provided for immediate access to additional information.

The Association for Metallically Stabilized Earth (AMSE) (www.amsewalls.org) represents suppliers of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) structures using steel reinforcements. AMSE members use steel strip, bar mat, or welded wire mesh reinforcements with precast concrete or wire facing. 

Boulderscape, Inc., (www.boulderscape.com) installs sculpted geological and architectural shotcrete wall finishes over almost all types of retaining and non-retaining walls. According to the company, its wall finishes are more cost effective than most wall facades in the industry and withstand extreme high and low temperatures.

According to Carthage Mills (www.carthagemills.com), its GX Geogrid features advanced weaving techniques and coating that help it achieve efficient, long-term design strengths and optimal segmental retaining wall (SRW) block connection values with nearly every major block system. 

CMI Sheetpiling (www.cmisheetpiling.com) introduced two industrial-grade synthetic sheet piling options. According to the company, ShoreGuard GG-75 and GG-95 profiles are the largest fiber reinforced polymer composite sheet piling products in the world.

The ReCon "Big Block" Wall System provides the look, size, and durability of massive, natural stone and is available through CONTECH Earth Stabilization Solutions, Inc. (www.contech-cpi.com/ess). The ReCon system permits walls as high as 12 feet without geogrid reinforcement and significantly taller walls by incorporating geogrid, setback, or tiers.

EarthTec (www.earthteccorp.com), a subsidiary of GeoStructures, designs and supplies a range of steel- and geosynthetic-based MSE structures, primarily for use in transportation infrastructure and commercial development projects. Its 5-foot x 10-foot precast concrete panel MSE system features ribbed steel strips that can be positioned to avoid obstructions.

According to Foresight Products, LLC (www.earthanchor.com), when constructing a segmental retaining wall and excavation for the required grid length is not possible or practical, the Manta Ray earth anchor system may be the solution. Manta Ray tieback anchors are driven into the soil with no excavation. They can also be installed through old walls, under foundations, and around trees or other landscaping. 

Hanes Geo Components’ (www.hanesgeo.com) TerraCell cellular confinement system used in conjunction with TerraGrid geogrids can provide an engineered green solution to projects, according to the company. TerraCell retaining walls are versatile, cost effective, easy to install, as well as an esthetically pleasing alternative to concrete walls.

Hilfiker Retaining Walls (www.hilfiker.com) produces a full line of retaining wall systems, including welded wire walls, ArtWeld gabions, Trinity walls, gabion-faced MSE walls, welded wire steepened slope, reinforced soil embankment, Eureka reinforced soil, and Spiralnail.

JET Filter’s (www.jetfiltersystem.com) flush-mount system is installed and maintained from the waterside of a new or existing seawall or retaining wall to relieve hydrostatic pressure on almost any wall design. Failure to provide proper weep-hole relief can result in water being trapped behind walls. 

Keystone Retaining Wall Systems, Inc.’s (www.keystonewalls.com) new Keystone 133Elite with the Hewnstone face combines great looks with an increased efficiency for large wall applications, according to the company. Its 8-inch x 24-inch face dimension creates a larger-scale look, aesthetically matching the larger wall look and feel.

LOCK+LOAD Retaining Walls, Inc.’s (www.lock-load.com) modular cantilever design comprises self-anchoring components that allow for consistent compaction of the backfill so that paving, fences, and barriers can be constructed adjacent to the wall face.

Millenia Wall Solutions (www.milleniawalls.com) says its 100-percent recycled, polymer segmental retaining walls feature patented Structural Cell Technology that replaces conventional retaining wall blocks with lightweight units consisting of a confinement cell secured to a rigid frame.

The National Concrete Masonry Association’s (www.ncma.org) SRWall v4.0 segmental retaining wall software includes features such as internal compound stability analysis, rectangular distribution update for seismic analysis, addition of vertical components, analysis of real geometry in broken back slopes, and influence of offset surcharges.

The Neel Company (www.neelco.com) offers the T-WALL Retaining Wall System, an all-concrete system with no separate soil reinforcements to attach. The units consist of a monolithic precast face and perpendicular stem.

ReCon Wall Systems, Inc. (www.reconwalls.com), provides a wide range of large-scale (1,000 to 3,000 pounds each), wet-cast retaining wall blocks. Tall, unreinforced gravity walls (ranging from 10 to 16 feet) can be the answer for a "cut wall" in close proximity to property lines, existing utilities, or trees, according to the company. 

Redi-Rock (www.redi-rock.com) has developed its product line with attention to natural hardscapes and has, thus, developed a system that it says looks so natural that many mistake it for quarried stone. Redi-Rock’s retaining walls use blocks weighing more than 1 ton each.

RisiStone Systems’ (www.risistone.com) SienaStone combines the stability of large modular units with a popular natural rock-like appearance. Under ideal conditions, SienaStone retaining walls can be built to a maximum height of 6 feet in excellent soil conditions with no loading, or higher with the use of the 37-inch units where available.

Stone Strong Systems (www.stonestrong.com) is the largest fully engineered precast retaining wall block available on the market today. Based on a main block with a 24-square-foot face weighing 6,000 pounds, the patented void and lifting/alignment loops allow for an internal drainage system within the wall and help align the blocks during installation.

The Sleeve-It System is a recent addition to Strata Systems’ (www.geogrid.com) full line of polymeric geogrid products. Sleeve-It is a foundation system that uses cantilever technology for anchoring perimeter fences and guards to mortarless block retaining walls. According to the company, Sleeve-It adds as much as 3 feet of buildable real estate along the entire length of a segmental retaining wall when compared with a retrofitted fence.

T&B Structural Systems (www.tbssus.com) provides fast, flexible, engineered embankment retention with MSE retaining walls in a variety of facing and soil reinforcing options. Its permanent or temporary welded wire wall systems consist of wire mesh facing, soil reinforcement, and compacted indigenous fill. The wire wall face can be left exposed, be vegetated, or designed and constructed with hardware that allows fascia attachment.

The Reinforced Earth Company (www.reinforcedearth.com) says that using its pre-manufactured wall components, a crew of four and an equipment operator can complete 750 to 1,000 square feet of wall per shift, including backfill placement and compaction. Galvanized steel reinforcing strips are placed and bolted to the face panels.

Truline (www.truline.us) offers a hybrid, cast-in-place wall system that combines the strength of concrete with the benefits of vinyl. Concrete can be poured into the cells to create a wall with additional strength and the weather-ability of vinyl, or it can be filled with gravel or sand, depending on the engineering specifications desired. The walls contain more than 94 percent recycled materials.

VERSA-LOK’s (www.versa-lok.com) new VERSA-Green Plantable Retaining Wall combines the durability and strength of a VERSA-LOK segmental retaining wall with the beauty of a hanging garden. Plantings in each wall unit grow to conceal the courses above or hang down to cover the wall below. VERSA-Green is a modified version of VERSA-LOK’s Square Foot segmental retaining wall system.