Abstract: The anti-explosion performance of three kinds of honeycomb sandwich panels was simulated and analyzed using finite element method ABAQUS/Explicit to further understand their deformation mechanism under strong explosion load. The out-of-plane compression performances of three kinds of core layer structures, namely circular hole honeycomb, hexagonal honeycomb and hexagonal array circular tubes, were compared. The deformation process of sandwich panels under explosion load was analyzed. The results show that for the three core layers with the same relative density, the hexagonal array circular tubes are the easiest to crush and have the lowest plateau stress under quasi-static compression, and the honeycomb with circular hole has the highest plateau stress. Under the explosion load, the sandwich panel with hexagonal array circular tubes has the smallest deflection of back plate with the same structural parameters, and its anti-explosion performance is the best. The influence of parameters on the anti-explosion performance of circular tube sandwich panel was analyzed. Combined with the mechanism of load transfer and compression deformation of the core, the anti-explosion mechanism of the sandwich panel was clarified, and it is pointed out that the total energy absorption cannot directly reflect the anti-explosion performance of sandwich panels.