Carbon fibre is one of 32 materials in this atlas, grouped under advanced: history, structure, measured properties, process routes, uses, safety and market — not a product catalogue.
Scores compare Carbon fibre with the rest of the atlas on strength, heat, fire behaviour, insulation, workability and circularity. They are editorial, not certificates.
Seven chapters follow. Fire and insulation claims name test families (Euroclass, ASTM E84, ISO 5660, KS F) rather than inventing a single safety number.
Deep introduction
Deep dive: Carbon fibre
Carbon fibre (C (turbostratic graphite)) is a family of grades whose density ~1.8 g/cm³ fibre, heat band sublimes; resin burns, and fire letter fibre A1-ish; CFRP follows the matrix.
What “the material” actually is
Carbon fibre is sold as grades, not as a single substance. Chemistry C (turbostratic graphite), density ~1.8 g/cm³ fibre, heat band sublimes; resin burns.
This atlas treats Carbon fibre as a system: mill route, coatings, tests and the cavity it sits in.
Heat, fire and insulation
Conductivity note: high along fibre; low through-thickness in composites. Insulation score 24/100 is relative to 32 entries — metals lose, VIPs and aerogels win.
Fire letter in editorial use: fibre A1-ish; CFRP follows the matrix. Do not equate A1 with “safe in a blaze” or E with “illegal”. Assemblies decide.
How it is made and used
Origin: Edison carbon filament; Shindo/Watt 1960s PAN, Japan / UK / US. The process chapter follows feedstock → conversion → forming → finish → install.
Uses span buildings to defence / safety. Pairings matter: graphene.
Market and circularity
Producers below are landmarks, not an endorsement ranking. Prices are bands, not live quotes.
Circularity mark 26/100. Ask which scrap, which certificate, which year.
Related atlas
Around Carbon fibre
Related atlas entries, a short glossary, and three threads that keep Carbon fibre honest.
See also
⬡GrapheneThe 2-D cousin in the same carbon family.
Decision walkthrough on Carbon fibre: fire 50, insulation 24, and one fact already on file — not a code stamp.
Read the fire-performance mark — Fire on this hub is 50/100 — teaching comparison among atlas materials.
Read the insulation mark — Insulation is 24/100 — heat-flow story, not the same question as flame.
Sit one published fact beside them — Quick fact on file: Precursor: PAN (mostly).
Sustainability is not a fire skip — A high sustainability mark does not replace fire protection in a real assembly.
Not a building-code rating — Named tests, thickness and build-up still decide compliance — this page is literacy only.
On Carbon fibre, fire 50 and insulation 24 answer different jobs; Precursor: PAN (mostly) grounds one real detail.
Editorial atlas marks. Not a code certificate or product approval.
Thermal mark or safety fact first?
Second lab decision on Carbon fibre: heat-resistance 70 beside published thermal fact Conductivity — literacy, not a code stamp.
Read the heat-resistance mark — Heat resistance on this hub is 70/100 — a thermal story, different from the fire/insulation pair.
Sit one thermal fact beside it — Properties chapter lists Conductivity among published thermal rows.
Heat resistance is not a fire skip — A high thermal mark does not replace named fire tests in a real assembly.
Still not a building-code rating — Thickness, build-up and named tests decide compliance — this page teaches axes only.
On Carbon fibre, heat 70 and Conductivity are a second thermal/safety reading after fire vs insulation.
Editorial atlas marks. Not a code certificate or product approval.
Heat line to keep
A decision from printed marks. Not a building permit.
Frequently asked questions
Is Carbon fibre non-combustible?
Declared reaction class in this atlas: fibre A1-ish; CFRP follows the matrix. Assemblies still need resistance tests.
Does Carbon fibre insulate?
Thermal mark 24/100 versus the atlas. Conductivity note: high along fibre; low through-thickness in composites.
What is the density band?
~1.8 g/cm³ fibre
How is it made?
Origin story: Edison carbon filament; Shindo/Watt 1960s PAN (Japan / UK / US).
Can it be recycled?
Circularity mark 26/100 — editorial, route-specific.
Typical melting or failure heat?
sublimes; resin burns
What should it be paired with?
graphene: The 2-D cousin in the same carbon family.
Where is it specified?
Buildings, transport, energy and consumer goods — see the uses chapter.
Is the fire-performance score a building-code rating?
No. It is an editorial 0–100 teaching mark among materials in this atlas. A real wall or garment needs a named product test, thickness and assembly. This page is not a lab stamp.
When should I read insulation instead of fire?
Use the insulation pick when the question is heat flow — lining, loft, or a cold-bridge — and the fire pick when the question is how the same material behaves in flame. Both numbers already sit on this hub; they answer different jobs.
Does a high sustainability score mean I can skip fire protection?
No. Sustainability here is a relative atlas mark (growth, reuse, embodied story). Bamboo and timber can still char like wood. Fire protection stays a separate specification.
Why is bamboo missing in some languages?
A language URL is published only when the seven chapters are real prose in that language. Bamboo exists in English, Korean, Japanese, Chinese and Spanish. French, German, Portuguese and Russian stay withheld — earlier machine drafts leaked English, so those URLs are not opened.
Icons
Boeing 787
United States · 2009–
Boeing 787 is a reference point in the public image of Carbon fibre.
McLaren MP4/1
United Kingdom · 1981
McLaren MP4/1 is a reference point in the public image of Carbon fibre.
Toray T300
Japan · 1970s–
Toray T300 is a reference point in the public image of Carbon fibre.
4
Trek Madone CF
United States · 2000s
Trek Madone CF is a reference point in the public image of Carbon fibre.
A380 wing bits
Europe · 2000s
A380 wing bits is a reference point in the public image of Carbon fibre.
Golf shaft
Japan / US · 1970s–
Golf shaft is a reference point in the public image of Carbon fibre.
Pressure vessel COPV
Global · 1990s–
Pressure vessel COPV is a reference point in the public image of Carbon fibre.
Wind-blade spar
Europe · 2000s–
Wind-blade spar is a reference point in the public image of Carbon fibre.
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