Advances in automotive and aircraft sectors lead to production of very high speed vehicles. The amount of energy that a vehicle absorbs during collision is a concern to ensure safer and more reliable vehicles. The FRP composite structural members dissipate huge amount of energy during collision and improves the vehicle crashworthiness. Thin walled FRP composite cylindrical shells are used as energy absorbers and absorb large amount of impact energy during collision. The energy absorbing capability of thin walled composite shells is quantified by specific energy absorption (SEA), the energy absorbed per unit mass of crushed material. The SEA of composite shells depends on the way in which the tube material is crushed (axially or laterally). Progressive deformation and stable collapse significantly reduce the forces experienced by the passengers in the event of sudden collision. This paper investigates the influence of fibre orientation and stacking sequence on the SEA of six-ply, 0°/90° Glass/Polyester composite cylindrical shells under axial and lateral compression. The crushing resistance and SEA vary with proportion of axial (0°) and hoop (90°) fibre content and stacking sequence in the tubes. The energy absorption capability under lateral crushing is compared with that of axial compression. © 2015. MechAero Foundation for Technical Research&Education Excellence.