A study has been made of the damage caused by impact and compression in 8-mm-diameter polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) spheres over a wide range of velocity and loading. Over 1000 single impact and 200 compression tests were conducted, with the form and mechanisms of damage being observed closely. Static indentation on PMMA material has also been carried out, with results found to be highly comparable with the literature. Five distinct forms of impact damage are described, with each one dominant over a certain range of velocity. This material has responded in a largely brittle-elastic manner on impact, in accordance with the known high strain rate properties of PMMA. In contrast, plastic deformation dominates in the static compression and indentation test. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.