Objective To analyze the compressive strength and fracture mode between four kinds of dental zirconia CAD/CAM ceramic materials by Hertzian contact test. Methods Four CAD/CAM ceramic materials including Cercon smart, Lava, Porcera, and CEREC 3 were selected. Six zirconia sectioned flat specimens were prepared in each group. The critical load and fracture load as well as the fracture mode for each specimen were analyzed with digital image correlation (DIC) technique. Results It was found that cracks were initiated at the middle level of the veneer below the contact zone and propagating along an arc curve into the core/veneer interface, which eventually caused the debonding of the core/veneer layers. For the four ceramic systems, there were no significant differences in the critical load（P＞0.05）, while there were significant differences in the fracture load（P＜0.05）. Conclusions The compressive strength of the four zirconia CAD/CAM ceramic materials could substantially meet the clinic requirement for oral functions regarding the maximum occlusal load. Crack initiation and complete fracture only occurred in the veneer, which indicated that the strength of the veneer should be further reinforced.