Abstract—This paper presents the behaviour of empty and foam-filled aluminium tubes under axial and oblique impact loading. The influence of filler density and geometrical parameters on the energy absorption response was investigated by employing a finite element (FE) code, LS-DYNA. Main trends in the experimental results are well reproduced by the FE results. The critical effective point for the foam-filled tubes has been identified. Significant influence of thickness, bottom diameter, filler density and load angle has been observed on the critical effective point and hence the specific energy absorption (SEA). These factors can be effectively used as controlled parameters in achieving lower critical effective point and hence higher SEA of foam-filled tubes. The information established in this study is envisaged to facilitate the future development of thin-walled tubes for impact applications.