As an intrinsic requirement for digital image correlation (DIC)to be applicable, the images must exhibit a speckle pattern of sufficient unique features. Researchers have incorporated X-ray phase contrast imaging (PCI) and DIC (XDIC) and conducted studies on materials with natural internal features as speckles. This study is the first attempt to explore the applicability and standards of XDIC to be applied on materials that are transparent under X-ray PCI, mainly polymers, by deliberately embedding particles into the sample. The goal is to generate a high-quality speckle while maintaining the least influence on the material’s properties. Iron oxide (FeO), tungsten carbide (WC), and platinum (Pt) are embedded into Sylgard® epoxy at various weight ratios, and the Sylgard® samples are loaded with a Kolsky compression bar paired with high-speed X-ray PCI. The speckle quality of the PCI images is assessed using a mean intensity gradient based approach, as well as intensity distribution analysis. DIC is applied to the images to measure the displacement field in the loading direction, and the results are analyzed. The engineering stress-strain relationship is generated from the Kolsky bar apparatus, and the results are compared to find the influence of the added particles.<div><br></div><div>The results indicate thatthe addition of particles does not significantly alter the base polymer’s properties, and the theoretical deviation error can be as low as less than 0.01 pixels. Disregarding the limited applicability to embed into polymer samples, platinum produces the best speckle. WC particle is the superior choice of material to embed for its good speckle quality, ease of embedding, and good availability. Lower weight ratios are shown to be preferential. This study also emphasizes the importance of sample design when applying XDIC to materials with embedded particles. It is preferential for best accuracy to design the region of interest to be away from the surfaces of the samples and be located near the back of the sample with respect to the impact surface.<br></div>