In this work we conducted a quasi-static tensile test, a high temperature tensile test and a dynamic tensile test on Q235B steel, the most widely used in steel structures in China, using a multi-functional material testing machine and a split Hopkinson tension bar (SHTB) and, based on the test data obtained, fitted three frequently used material models, i.e. the Cowper-Symonds model, the Johnson-Cook model and the Zerilli-Armstrong model, in LS-DYNA. We then verified their validity by conducting Taylor impact tests. The results showed that Q235B steel was temperature and strain-rate sensitive, that the Cowper-Symonds model was applicable in low velocity impact simulations, that the Johnson-Cook model was suitable for simulations with a wider range of strain-rates, and that the Zerilli-Armstrong model was not recommendable for low velocity impact simulation.