Revetments are onshore structures with the principal function of protecting the shoreline from erosion. Revetment structures are flexible and typically consist of armor rock or cast concrete blocks. Revetments rest on the surface being protected and depend on it for support. They are relatively light structures and are well suited to locations free of heavy wave attack. Properly designed and constructed revetments are long life structures and require little maintenance. Almost all concrete armor units revetment rely on their interlocking design for stability. Voids within the revetment permit quick drainage over the surface of the slope and hence reduces wave run-up. However, it has been observed in recent years by the DID that when revetments are built on sandy shorelines, the fronting beach gradually reduces in width.  Figures 4 through 7 illustrate some of the revetments built by the DID since 1987. 

In 1987, the DID produced the simplified armour unit ‘H’ or SAUH as an experimental concrete revetment for escarpment and bund protection. Light but well interlocked, the SAUH performed well on the weak soils of the Selangor coastline. At Sungai Burung, SAUH was used in combination with mangrove re-planting in what was arguably the first attempt at combining a biological component with a structural coastal protection measure.