What is carbon fibre?

Carbon fibre is a reinforcement of very thin, almost pure carbon filaments aligned along the fibre axis. Bundled and set in a polymer matrix, it forms carbon fibre reinforced polymer, or CFRP, a material prized for its strength and stiffness at low weight.

What is carbon fibre used for?

It is used in aerospace structures, wind turbine blades, automotive lightweighting, hydrogen pressure vessels, EV battery enclosures and sporting goods, anywhere reducing weight without losing strength adds value.

What is the difference between carbon fibre and CFRP?

Carbon fibre is the reinforcement itself. CFRP is the finished composite, the carbon fibre combined with a polymer matrix that binds the filaments and transfers load between them.

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Advanced carbon material

Carbon Fiber

The workhorse of advanced composites. Carbon fibre turns almost pure carbon into filaments thinner than a human hair, then bundles, weaves and sets them in resin to build structures that are strong, stiff and remarkably light.

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1.6g/cc

Density

About 5× lighter than steel

230GPa

Tensile modulus

Standard-modulus PAN grade

7µm

Filament diameter

Typically 5 to 10 microns

92%

Carbon content

Near-pure, axis-aligned carbon

What is carbon fiber

Carbon fibre is a reinforcement made from filaments roughly 5 to 10 microns across, almost entirely carbon aligned along the fibre axis. The filaments are bundled into tows, woven or laid into fabrics, and set in a polymer matrix to form carbon fibre reinforced polymer, or CFRP. Most carbon fibre is spun from a PAN (polyacrylonitrile) precursor, with a smaller share from pitch, then oxidised and carbonised at high temperature to drive off everything that is not carbon. The result combines very high stiffness and strength with low weight, which is why it has become the default material wherever mass matters.

Material properties

What makes carbon fiber exceptional

High specific strengthVery high strength for its weight

High specific stiffnessHigh modulus relative to density

Low densityAround 1.6 g/cc, far lighter than metals

Fatigue resistanceEndures repeated loading cycles

Corrosion resistanceDoes not rust or corrode

Low thermal expansionHolds dimensions across temperature swings

Electrical conductivityConducts, unlike glass fibre

Tailorable layupProperties tuned by fibre orientation

Design flexibilityFormed into complex shapes

Market outlook

A market scaling fast

Global carbon fibre demand is around 170,000 tonnes a year, and the market remains valued at about $5.63 billion, driven by aerospace, wind energy, hydrogen storage and automotive lightweighting.

$5.63B

Global carbon fibre market

170k t

Annual demand

Application sectors tracked