Standard 25-μm-thick polyvinilydene fluoride (PVDF) piezoelectric gauges and new 450-μm-thick P(VDF 70%, TrFE 30%) piezoelectric copolymer have been used to record shock profiles at the back face of metallic targets irradiated by laser pulses of 2.5 and 0.6 ns duration at a 1.06 μm wavelength. The records are fully explained with simplified space–time diagram analysis. The pressure profile applied at the front face of the target has been determined from these records combined with numerical simulations of wave propagation through the target. A numerical code describing the interaction of laser with matter (FILM) has also been used for computing the applied pressure. Both methods lead to very close results. The peak pressure dependence on incident laser intensity is determined up to 30 GPa at 1012 W/cm2.