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The strain rate dependence of thermoplastics and thermosets in the range 10-3–10 2 s− 1 is still unclear due to experimental difficulties. This interval cannot be fully treated using a quasistatic-based electromechanical machine nor a high-speed test relying on the Kolsky bar method. This paper presents a uniaxial compression test set-up to cover the aforementioned range providing robust stress–strain measurements up to 100 s− 1. This set-up is assessed at room temperature with a semi-crystalline polymer (SCP) polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) KT880-NT and a toughened thermoset epoxy PR520. High-speed 3D stereo digital image correlation (DIC) and an infra-red camera are used for data acquisition. The macroscopical true stress–strain curves demonstrate the importance of the thermal softening effect taking place in this range, accompanied with a temperature rise. In terms of characterization, an advanced …