Carbon fibres are renowned for their high strength-to-weight and high stiffness-to-weight ratios. However, due to their high cost they are primarily restricted for use in high technology applications such as high performance vehicles, aerospace, and sporting goods.

There are two common grades of carbon fibre, Type I and Type II. Type I is high modulus while type II is high strength. The higher moduli fibres generally show lower strengths and vice versa.