Structural Soils
Structural Soils is a UK ground investigation company (founded 1964, RSK Group subsidiary) providing geotechnical, geoenvironmental, drilling, laboratory testing and geologging services to transport, nuclear, water, rail and international clients from seven UK offices with 33 drilling rigs and four UKAS-accredited laboratories.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1964
- HeadquartersBristol, United Kingdom
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Structural Soils does
Structural Soils is a UK multidisciplinary ground investigation company, established in 1964 and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of RSK Group since 2007. The company provides end-to-end geotechnical and geoenvironmental services to public-sector infrastructure clients and regulated industries — transport (National Highways, Transport Scotland), nuclear (EDF Energy, Horizon Nuclear Power, Magnox), water utilities (Thames Water, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, United Utilities), rail (Network Rail via RISQS framework) and international science projects (CERN). Its operating base comprises 250 staff across seven UK offices (Bristol, Castleford, Coventry, Glasgow, Hemel Hempstead, Wigan, Plymouth), 33 in-house drilling rigs spanning rotary, sonic, cable percussion and window sampling configurations, and four UKAS-accredited geotechnical testing laboratories (Bristol, Castleford, Hemel Hempstead, Tunbridge Wells and the Falkland Islands).
The service portfolio covers nine integrated lines: Geotechnical consultancy, Geoenvironmental assessment, Geologging (downhole geophysical tools plus CoreScan3 digital core scanning at 200+ megapixel resolution), Drilling, Data Management (AGS format output), Soil/Rock/Material Testing including a dedicated RED contaminated sample laboratory, Monitoring (gas, groundwater, inclinometer, telemetry), In Situ Testing (CBR, plate load, thermal resistivity), and Geotechnical Equipment Hire with next-day UK-wide delivery. Self-delivery is positioned as a differentiator, with the company claiming minimal subcontractor reliance on contracts such as the £16M A66 upgrade (over 15,000 shifts, 10km+ of drilling logged, zero major incidents). Certifications include ISO 9001/14001/45001, Achilles UVDB Verify 100% scores for eight consecutive years, RISQS five-star audited supplier status, BDA trade membership, FORS Bronze and Environment Agency waste carrier licensing.
Revenue is generated through three primary streams: project-based fees for ground investigation contracts (ranging from £100k to £16M per project), usage-based weekly hire of specialist geotechnical equipment (£100-£500 per item per week), and per-test fees for UKAS-accredited laboratory work. Customers are acquired through competitive tendering for major infrastructure projects, long-term framework agreements with utilities and public-sector bodies, and direct technical engagement via a sales-led motion. The company is private, does not disclose revenue, and has no external funding rounds; growth is funded internally and through its RSK Group parent.
Structural Soils firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Structural Soils
- Legal name
- Structural Soils Limited
- Website
- https://soils.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1964
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Structural Soils is a UK ground investigation company (founded 1964, RSK Group subsidiary) providing geotechnical, geoenvironmental, drilling, laboratory testing and geologging services to transport, nuclear, water, rail and international clients from seven UK offices with 33 drilling rigs and four UKAS-accredited laboratories.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Structural Soils industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Ground Investigation Services
- NAICS
- Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360), Site Preparation Contractors (23891)
- SIC
- Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Geotechnical Investigation & Site Characterization (Boreholes, In-situ Testing, Lab Testing) (IMAFAOAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Geotechnical Design, Engineering & Consulting (Analysis, Design, Peer Review) (IMAFAOAK), Geotechnical Instrumentation & Monitoring (Settlement, Inclinometers, Piezometers) (IMAFAOAH), Geotechnical Site Investigation & Engineering Geology (Borings, Lab Testing) (EUAHAFAE)
Keywords
Where Structural Soils is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bristol
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices8 records
Markets served
Structural Soils business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Ground Investigation Services: Project-based fees for geotechnical and geoenvironmental ground investigations for clients across multiple sectors including transport, nuclear, water, rail, and property. Services include drilling, sampling, laboratory testing, reporting, and consultancy.
- Geotechnical Equipment Hire: Weekly rental of specialist geotechnical equipment including hand shear vane, cone penetrometers, dynamic cone penetrometers, borehole vane, piston sampler, and other testing equipment with next-day UK-wide delivery
- Laboratory Testing Services: UKAS-accredited soil, rock, aggregate and material testing services with fees per test based on test type complexity ranging from classification tests to advanced triaxial testing
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Geotechnical Equipment Weekly Hire Rates |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Structural Soils product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Structural Soils is a multidisciplinary ground investigation company delivering integrated geotechnical and geoenvironmental services including drilling, sampling, geologging, in-situ testing, UKAS-accredited laboratory testing, monitoring, and geotechnical reporting. The company also rents out specialist geotechnical equipment and provides CoreScan3 digital core scanning as an add-on service. Services are delivered through 33 in-house drilling rigs, four UKAS-accredited laboratories, and 250 staff across seven UK offices.
Product overview
Structural Soils is a multidisciplinary ground investigation company offering an integrated portfolio of geotechnical and geoenvironmental services. Its core offering comprises nine in-house service lines — Geotechnical Services, Geoenvironmental Services, Geologging Services, Drilling Services, Data Management, Soil/Rock/Material Testing, Monitoring Services, In Situ Testing, and Geotechnical Equipment Hire — supplemented by a CoreScan3 digital core scanning add-on. The services are designed to function as a complete end-to-end ground investigation package: drilling crews obtain samples in the field, geologging and in-situ testing provide subsurface characterisation, UKAS-accredited laboratories perform physical and mechanical testing, monitoring covers post-investigation environmental and geotechnical parameters, data management delivers results in standardised AGS digital format, and specialist equipment can be hired separately for client use. The company also draws on sister companies within the RSK Group for supplementary services such as geophysics, chemical testing, archaeology, and ecology.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Geotechnical Services Ground investigation consultancy covering bearing capacity, foundation settlement, pile foundations, pavement design, soakaway drainage, slope stability analysis, earthworks, and geotechnical instrumentation. Provides desk studies, factual and interpretive reports, and coal mining risk assessments for infrastructure and construction projects.
- Geoenvironmental Services Preliminary risk assessments, intrusive ground investigations using low-disturbance techniques, geoenvironmental laboratory testing, generic quantitative risk assessment (GQRA), remediation validation, and waste assessments using HazWasteOnline for contaminated land and environmental projects.
- Drilling Services In-house fleet of rotary, sonic, cable percussion and window sampling rigs covering dual sonic-rotary drilling, conventional rotary drilling with wireline coring, cable percussive drilling, window sampling, dynamic probing, and concrete coring for diverse ground conditions and difficult access environments.
- Geologging Services Downhole geophysical logging, packer testing, high-pressure dilatometer testing, and CoreScan3 digital core scanning for rock cores, including optical and acoustic televiewer, formation density, PS logger, magnetic resonance, and impeller flowmeter tools.
- Soil, Rock and Material Testing UKAS-accredited geotechnical and materials testing in Bristol, Castleford and Hemel Hempstead laboratories covering soil classification, compaction, consolidation, permeability, shear strength, triaxial testing, rock tests, aggregate tests, and unbound mixtures. Includes a dedicated Contaminated Sample (RED) Laboratory for asbestos and hydrocarbon-contaminated samples.
- Monitoring Services Geoenvironmental and geotechnical monitoring including gas and groundwater monitoring, low-flow sampling, flux box surveys, GPS borehole surveying, permeability testing, inclinometer and extensometer monitoring, and remote datalogger and telemetry systems with SMS/email trigger notifications.
- In Situ Testing Nationwide in situ testing including California bearing ratio (CBR), density testing, lightweight deflectometer, plate load test, soakaway/infiltration testing, thermal and electrical resistivity, and WAC/UKWIR pipeline selection testing.
- Data Management Contract data management, large contract operations, and data visualisation services, with deliverables in AGS format (version 4.1.1), .xlsx, and .csv formats.
- Geotechnical Equipment Hire Hire service for specialist geotechnical equipment across the UK with next-day delivery, including hand shear vane, soil assessment cone penetrometer, dip meters, TRL dynamic cone penetrometer, borehole vane, piston sampler, Torvane, Schmidt hammer, Clegg Hammer, and six-wheel all-terrain vehicles.
- CoreScan3 Digital Core Scanning Service Advanced digital core scanning service using CoreScan3 system capturing 360-degree and planar images of rock cores at over 200 megapixels resolution, including structural analysis, stereographic projections, mechanical parameter logs (RQD, core recovery), and immediate preliminary image access.
Quantifiable outcome
- Zero major incidents on A66 project covering 30 weeks with over 15,000 shifts
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Structural Soils
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Structural Soils technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature6 records
Structural Soils partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, major and supporting.
- RSK GroupflagshipRSK Group acquired Structural Soils in 2007, making it part of one of the UK's leading environmental, engineering and technical services businesses. Structural Soils leverages RSK's integrated capabilities offering archaeology, ecology, geophysics, chemical testing and other supplementary ground investigation services through sister companies.
- EnvirolabcoreEnvirolab is a sister company providing contamination laboratory testing services. Structural Soils has a great working relationship with Envirolab which tests for an extensive range of contaminants. Samples can be submitted for stand-alone testing and results are provided in HazWasteOnline format.
- RSK RadiologicalcoreSister company providing radiological services. Structural Soils partnered with RSK Radiological to become the first UK ground investigation contractor to embrace and roll out behavioural safety training to all employees on nuclear sites.
- AtkinsRéalis and WSP Joint VenturemajorTechnical advisers for Transport Scotland's A83 Rest And Be Thankful project. Structural Soils is working closely with this JV alongside Transport Scotland to deliver geotechnical information for the project.
- JB Site InvestigationssupportingRSK sister company supporting the A83 Rest And Be Thankful ground investigation project with supplementary services.
- CANsupportingRSK sister company supporting the A83 Rest And Be Thankful ground investigation project with supplementary services.
- RSK GeosciencessupportingRSK sister company supporting the A83 Rest And Be Thankful ground investigation project with geosciences expertise.
- Central AlliancesupportingRSK sister company supporting the A83 Rest And Be Thankful ground investigation project with supplementary services.
- Drilling SuppliessupportingRSK sister company supporting the A83 Rest And Be Thankful ground investigation project with drilling supplies.
- ADASsupportingRSK sister company supporting the A83 Rest And Be Thankful ground investigation project with environmental and agricultural services.
- RSK BiocensussupportingRSK sister company supporting the A83 Rest And Be Thankful ground investigation project with ecological and biodiversity services.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Structural Soils competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Soil Engineering: UK-based geotechnical and geoenvironmental ground investigation contractor offering drilling, sampling, laboratory testing and reporting services — directly comparable in service portfolio, customer base (UK infrastructure and property developers) and scale to Structural Soils.
- BAM Ritchies: Ground engineering division of Royal BAM Group providing drilling, grouting, piling and geotechnical services across the UK — directly comparable end-to-end ground investigation and foundation delivery capability to major UK infrastructure clients.
- Geotechnical Engineering Ltd: UK-based ground investigation contractor offering cable percussion, rotary and dynamic probing drilling with in-house UKAS-accredited laboratories — directly comparable services, customer mix and equipment fleet to Structural Soils.
Broad incumbents
- Fugro: Global geotechnical, geophysical and site characterisation services firm with extensive offshore and onshore capability. Overlaps directly with Structural Soils on ground investigation but operates at much larger scale and with a global, offshore-heavy footprint.
- Keller Group: International geotechnical and foundation engineering contractor with UK operations covering piling, ground improvement and ground investigation — overlaps on the foundation-engineering side and on UK infrastructure customers.
- AtkinsRéalis: Global engineering services firm that acts as technical adviser on major UK transport projects (e.g. A83 alongside WSP) and integrates ground investigation into larger design-and-deliver contracts — overlaps on customer base and high-value UK infrastructure tenders.
- WSP: Global engineering consultancy active as technical adviser on UK transport and infrastructure programmes; competes with Structural Soils on integrated ground investigation plus design packages for clients like National Highways and Transport Scotland.
- Arcadis: Global design and engineering consultancy with significant UK ground engineering and environmental capabilities — competes on tier-1 UK infrastructure tenders that bundle investigation with design and project management.
Others
- RSK Group: Parent company of Structural Soils and a major UK integrated environmental and engineering services group; comparable as a portfolio benchmark for Structural Soils' market positioning, though Structural Soils represents only one specialist subsidiary within RSK.
Emerging players
- Geotechnical Observations: UK specialist in geotechnical and structural instrumentation and monitoring — overlapping niche focus with Structural Soils' monitoring and instrumentation services and a relevant peer for cross-sell into infrastructure asset-management clients.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Structural Soils social profiles
Digital presenceStructural Soils compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance15 records
Structural Soils financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Structural Soils leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Structural Soils funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Structural Soils M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Structural Soils
What does Structural Soils do?
Structural Soils is a multidisciplinary ground investigation company delivering integrated geotechnical and geoenvironmental services including drilling, sampling, geologging, in-situ testing, UKAS-accredited laboratory testing, monitoring, and geotechnical reporting. The company also rents out specialist geotechnical equipment and provides CoreScan3 digital core scanning as an add-on service. Services are delivered through 33 in-house drilling rigs, four UKAS-accredited laboratories, and 250 staff across seven UK offices.
Is Structural Soils a public or private company?
Structural Soils is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Structural Soils founded?
Structural Soils was founded in 1964. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Structural Soils based?
Structural Soils is headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Structural Soils make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Ground Investigation Services are the primary driver. The others are geotechnical Equipment Hire and laboratory Testing Services.
Who are Structural Soils's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Soil Engineering, BAM Ritchies and Geotechnical Engineering Ltd. Broad incumbents are Fugro, Keller Group, AtkinsRéalis, WSP and Arcadis. RSK Group is listed as an others. Geotechnical Observations is listed as an emerging player.
Does Structural Soils have an API?
No public API is recorded for Structural Soils.
What industry is Structural Soils in?
Structural Soils's product category is Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Ground Investigation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAFAOAG, Geotechnical Investigation & Site Characterization (Boreholes, In-situ Testing, Lab Testing), with a secondary code of IMAFAOAK, Geotechnical Design, Engineering & Consulting (Analysis, Design, Peer Review). Its NAICS code is 541360 and its SIC code is 1600.