The monopiles foundation concept is often employed as the foundation for offshore wind turbine converters. These piles are highly subjected to lateral loads and overturning moments due to wind and wave forces. Typically monopiles with diameters of 4 to 6 m and embedded pile lengths of 15 to 30 m are necessary. In current practice these piles are normally designed by use of the p-y curve method although the method is developed and verified for small-diameter, slender piles. In the present paper a review of the existing p-y curve formulations for piles in sand is presented. Based on numerical and experimental studies presented in the literature, advances and limitations of the current p-y curve formulations are outlined. The review focuses on the design of monopile foundations for offshore wind turbine converters.