Available textbooks, handbooks, various publications and papers give widely different approaches for design of raft foundations. These approaches make their own assumptions and deal with ideal raft, symmetrical in shape and loading. In actual practice rafts are rarely so. A structural designer engaged in the design of raft foundations finds it hard to select the method that can be carried out within the time and cost available for design and give adequate safety and economy. This book covers complete design of raft foundations including piled rafts, starting from their need, type, all the approaches suggested so far in published literature, effect of assumptions made and values of variables selected, on the design values of stresses and brings out the limitations of these approaches using actually constructed rafts. Results of studies carried out by the author are summarised and final recommendations given. Solved examples are included for each of the methods recommended. Comprehensive treatment of the subject makes the book helpful to the design engineers, engineering teachers, students and even those who are engaged in further research.