The characteristics of the four standard floor impact sources (impact ball, bang machine, tapping machine, modified tapping machine) and a human impact source (jumping children) were investigated. First, the mechanical impedance of each source were evaluated. Then, the impact force exposure level of each source were measured. The results showed that fundamental frequency and impedance produced by the impact ball are the most similar to those of the human impact source. The frequency characteristics of the impact ball were most similar to those of jumping children. Consequently, the impact ball more accurately reproduces human impact compared to the other standard impact sources. Therefore, the impact ball should be considered as the reliable impactor in evaluating floor impact noise.