Impact damage of laminated B 4 C ceramic samples was investigated using four types of aluminum sheets -without holes and with 25 4-, 8-, and 25-mm-diameter holes -at joining ratios of 100, 94, 76, and 45%. Four 1-mm-thick B 4 C ceramics plates were laminated using three aluminum sheets of the same type and joined at 700°C in vacuum. In impact damage tests using spherical SUJ-2 projectile with a diameter of 4 mm with a velocity of approximately 300 ms À1 , bulk B 4 C showed a large conical crack and significant fractures; the conical crack in the laminated samples was smaller than that of the bulk B 4 C. However, the conical cracks of the laminated B 4 C with the joining ratio 45 to 96% were of the same size, irrespective of the joining ratios. The total load and induced pressure area on the rear side of laminated samples were smaller than that observed for bulk B 4 C, and total load and induced pressure area were similar for laminated samples with high and low joining ratios. The maximum pressure on the rear face of laminated B 4 C samples was higher than that observed for bulk B 4 C and increased with decreasing joining ratio of laminate interlayer.