Ferroelectric ceramic specimens 2–10 mm thick were impact loaded in uniaxial strain to a stress of 1.6 GPa. Material velocity‐time wave profiles were measured using a laser interferometer system. Specimen states studied were unpoled, poled and shorted, and poled with a high resistive load (E?2 kV/mm). The results show clearly the effect of the specimen electrical state on the mechanical response. Evolution of the mechanical wave was studied by measuring profiles for several different thicknesses with the same electrical state. For poled specimens, simultaneous measurements were made of the depolarization current during the impact loading. Measured wave speed of the first detectable disturbance was sonic in some but not all cases. Measurements of Hugoniot states for unpoled material were also obtained.