The paper presents the results of compression tests for carbon-epoxy composites in order to assess the amount of energy absorbed depending on the process velocity and content of axial fibres. To prepare specimens with a diameter of 20 mm and a height of 34 mm, two types of prepreg (UD 200 g/m2 and woven 160 g/m2) were used. Specimens were subjected to compression under various speed conditions (static, dynamic and SHPB tests). The calculated SEA values show a 50-60% decrease with increasing process velocity depending on the type of specimens architecture. The highest energy values are absorbed by the specimens with the highest share of axial fibres in the sample.