The load-transfer method is an efficient and practical tool for the analysis of single piles. Load-settlement behaviour analyses of piles are getting more and more important, compared to solely bearing capacity analyses. This tendency is reflected in the European standard for geotechnics Euro-code 7. The axial load-transfer or 't-z' method describes the pile shaft and pile tip local resistance mobilization as a function of the pile axial displacement at the corresponding depth. It represents a

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... ery straightforward and practical method for isolated piles. The load-transfer curves can be defined in different ways from different soil parameters and they are based on theory and on experience. The estimation of the ultimate value of the friction and the tip resistance depends mostly on regional ground properties and on local practice. The load-transfer method is thus an intermediate tool between fundamental soil mechanics and empirical approaches. Results from a static pile load test can be very erratic and seemingly uncorrelated. With a load-transfer curve, a best fit through the data points can be created and an estimate of required geotechnical parameters can be obtained. A simple spreadsheet can be used to assess the test results. This paper describes how to create a model for basic geotechnical and structural parameters that will match the acquired data from a pile load test.