Composite materials, specifically ceramic-polymer composites and metal-polymer composites have received increased interest in a number of engineering applications, from impact protection, microelectronics to tribology. The characteristics of Nd:YAG laser ablation of a B4C:polysiloxane mixture have been studied with the use of time-integrated spectroscopy, laser surface profiling and microscopic analysis. The removal process for a variety of pulse widths and pulse energies have been interpreted using Beer-Lambert analysis. The spectroscopy results show no discernible B4C contribution to the plasma emissions. The polymer on its own and the composite mixture produced mostly a thermal background emission spectrum. These results are supported by high speed imaging. The polymer material acts as a binder matrix in the system and is instantly dissociated by the laser irradiation. In general, the ablation of this composite material can be attributed mainly to a thermal process. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.