In this work, the efficiency of laser generation of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) in ceramic materials is reported to be wavelength dependent. A pulsed Nd:YAG laser operating at wavelengths of 1064 or 532 nm was used to generate SAWs on ceramic (silicon nitride and silicon carbide) and metal substrates. It was observed that 1064 nm radiation is more efficient than 532 nm radiation for SAW generation on ceramics, whereas the opposite is the case for metals. While the wavelength dependence of SAW generation efficiency in metals is due to stronger optical absorption at the shorter wavelength, the dependence for the ceramics is attributed to a longer absorption length at the longer wavelength. ©1997 American Institute of Physics.