Single piece sabot is a vital part in single stage gas guns for impact testing in aerospace industries. Depending on the type of projectile used the design of sabot varies to accommodate the testing equipment. The velocity of the projectile exiting the barrel is dependent on the material and shape of the sabot used. The material selected for the design of sabot is rigid polyurethane foam, due to their low elastic modulus and low density. Two samples of rigid PU foam is taken and tests are performed to get their exact material properties. These properties are incorporated in numerical simulation to determine the best fit for practical use. Since the PU foams has a wide range of porosity which plays a prominent role in deciding the exit velocity and accuracy of the projectile coming out of the barrel. By optimisation, to the best suitable material sample can be determined. © 2017 Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.