the purpose of the study was to compare the impact behavior of laminate and sandwich panels and to determine the effect of protective surface layers on the impact response. test materials used in the study were glassfiber/vinylester laminates and glassfiber/vinylester/pvc-core sandwich structures. polypropylene and polyurethane were used as a protective surface layer. according to the test results, the impact responses of solid laminate panels and sandwich panels differ considerably. the impact resistance of solid laminates was significantly improved by protective surface layers the effect of the protective layer on the impact resistance of sandwich panels was small. the contact force and the dynamic response predicted with the finite element analysis program were in good agreement with the experimental results for solid laminate panels predicted impact force histories for sandwich panels were satisfactory, but significant disagreement existed in the strain histories