Analytical solutions for the dynamic cylindrical cavity expansion in a com-pressible elastic-plastic cylinder with a finite radius are developed by taking into account of the effect of lateral free boundary, which are different from the traditional cavity expan-sion models for targets with infinite dimensions. The finite cylindrical cavity expansion process begins with an elastic-plastic stage followed by a plastic stage. The elastic-plastic stage ends and the plastic stage starts when the plastic wave front reaches the lateral free boundary. Approximate solutions of radial stress on cavity wall are derived by using the Von-Mise yield criterion and Forrestal’s similarity transformation method. The effects of the lateral free boundary and finite radius on the radial stress on the cavity wall are discussed, and comparisons are also conducted with the finite cylindrical cavity expansion in incompressible elastic-plastic materials. Numerical results show that the lateral free boundary has significant influence on the cavity expansion process and the radial stress on the cavity wall of metal cylinder with a finite radius.