- Carbon fibers (CF) are fibers about 5–10 micrometers in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms.

´To produce a carbon fiber, the carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber as the crystal alignment gives the fiber high strength-to-volume ratio (making it strong for its size). Several thousand carbon fibers are bundled together to form a tow, which may be used by itself or woven into a fabric.

 - Properties of carbon fibers: high stiffness, high tensile strength, low weight, high chemical resistance, high-temperature tolerance and low thermal expansion.

Carbon fibers are usually combined with other materials to form a composite. When combined with a plastic resin and wound or molded it forms to a carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer which has a very high strength-to-weight ratio, and is extremely rigid although somewhat brittle. However, carbon fibers are also composited with other materials, such as with graphite to form carbon-carbon composites, which have a very high heat tolerance.

Carbon fibers are very popular in aerospace, civil engineering, military, and motorsports, along with other competition sports.

 - The global demand for carbon fiber composites was valued at roughly US$18.6 billion by 2015 with an annual growth rate of 7% or more. Strongest demands come from aircraft & aerospace, wind energy, Medical Devices, Electronics, Textiles, and fabrics, as well as from the automotive industry with optimized resin systems.      

碳纤维（CF）是直径为5 – 10微米的纤维，主要有碳原子构成。

要生成碳纤维，碳原子首先要结合成晶体，这些晶体平行于碳纤维的长轴排列。这些晶体链使得碳纤维获得较高值的强度与体积比（体积大时强度亦大）。数以千计的碳纤维被捆绑在一起形成丝束，这种丝束可以单独使用，也可以编织成织物。碳纤维属性：高刚度，高抗拉强度，低重量，高耐化学性，高耐温性，地热膨胀性。

碳纤维通常与其他材料组合以形成复合材料。当与塑料树脂组合并绕圈或模制时，可形成具有高强度重量比的碳纤维增强聚合物，一定程度上较脆，但是具有极高刚度。然而，碳纤维与其他材料复合，例如石墨，则可以形成具有极高耐热性的碳 - 碳复合材料。

碳纤维在航空航天，土木工程，军事，赛车及其他竞技运动中都非常受欢迎。

到2015年，全球对碳纤维复合材料的需求量约为186亿美元，年增长率为7％以上。最强烈的需求来自飞机和航空航天，风能，医疗设备，电子，纺织和面料，以及来自汽车行业的优化树脂系统。