The impact behavior of innovative wood based sandwich structures with plywood core and skins made either of aluminum or of fiber reinforced polymer (carbon, glass, or flax composite skins) was investigated numerically. The wood based sandwich structures were subjected to low-velocity/low-energy impacts. An explicit nonlinear numerical model based on volume elements with a cohesive layer was developed. A plastic wood law already implemented in LS-DYNA was used in association with composite type damage criteria. Comparisons with experiments in terms of layer deformations and overall contact laws during impact showed satisfactory results.