The principle of soil nailing consists of installing rod-shaped reinforcing elements (soil nails) into the in-situ ground in order to increase the tensile and shear strength of the soil. This creates a monolithic composite structure formed by the existing ground, whose load-bearing behavior is comparable to that of a gravity retaining wall subjected to external forces.

Typical applications include the stabilization of terrain offsets, slope cuttings and excavations, as well as the reinforcement of existing slopes and embankments. A special application is the use as rock nails.