Piling and foundations
Last updated 14 Nov 2026
A kelly bar is the telescopic steel drill rod of a rotary piling rig: it passes through the rig's rotary drive and transmits torque and downward force (crowd) to the auger or drilling bucket at its end.
Kelly bars are made of nested sections that extend to reach depth. Friction kelly bars suit soft ground; interlocking kelly bars transmit crowd force for harder strata and rock.
The kelly length and the rig's torque together limit the depth and diameter a rig can drill. That is one reason contractors match each rig to the piles on a job.
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