The previous Part 1 of this paper deals with the bearing capacity of piles penetrating through clay into sand. In the present Part 2 the case of piles penetrating into a sand stratum overlying clay is discussed. As the pile points approach the sand–clay interface, the piles may fail by punching through the sand into the underlying clay. Test results on instrumented model piles and field data are analysed to estimate the punching resistance of piles in layered soils.