Abstract: Propagation characteristics of the shock waves induced by nanosecond laser in material were investigated by ultrafast time-resolved optical diagnosis and studied based on the basic theories of the reflection and refraction of spherical waves across a planar interface. The evolution processes of time-resolved optical images of shock waves propagation in material and plasmas expansion in air were obtained. Moreover, the reflection and refraction waves would be yielded when the generated shock waves arrived at the surface of the sample. Meanwhile, it was found that the intensity of the reflection and the refraction waves at the interface was determined by the incident angle of the shock wave, and the velocity of shock wave propagating in material was different for different shock waves.