ForMatter/Materials/composite/Carbon Fiber (T700, in epoxy)
mat_carbon_fiber_t700

Carbon Fiber (T700, in epoxy)

polymer-matrix composite, oriented continuous fiber · CFRP, T700 carbon, Toray T700S, carbon-fiber composite, carbon-fibre composite
highlast updated 2026-04-26
metallic 0.00
hue shift +0°

Filaments of pure carbon (5–10 µm thick, thinner than human hair) woven into cloth and bonded with epoxy resin. Stiffer than steel for a fraction of the weight. Bicycle frames, race-car bodies, aircraft skins, drone arms. The visible weave is the giveaway.

Toray T700S — high-strength PAN-based carbon fiber (4900 MPa tensile, 230 GPa modulus per filament). In a unidirectional epoxy laminate at 60% fiber volume fraction, lamina properties approach 2200 MPa tensile and 135 GPa modulus along the fiber. Quasi-isotropic stack-ups (0/45/90) give balanced in-plane stiffness at the cost of axial strength.

mechanical

  • fiber_tensile_strength_mpa4900
  • fiber_modulus_gpa230
  • lamina_tensile_strength_mpa_uni2200
  • lamina_modulus_gpa_uni135
  • density_kg_m31600
source: Toray T700S datasheet; ACP Composites engineering data

thermal

  • service_max_c150
  • thermal_conductivity_w_mk_in_plane7
source: Toray T700S datasheet

Sustainability

  • embodied carbon kg co2e per kg24.0
  • sourceEditorial estimate from ICE / Granta CES EduPack class databases — industry mean, with cradle-to-gate boundary unless otherwise noted. Embodied carbon for any specific product depends on supplier mix, recycled content, and energy grid; verify against a primary source before using these numbers in a sustainability claim.
  • recyclabilitylow — thermoset matrix resists separation; pyrolysis recovers fiber at degraded length / strength
  • biodegradableFalse
  • certifications—
visual
characteristic black weave (twill 2/2 most common), glossy when wet-finished, matte when bagged-only
tactile
very smooth, slightly cooler than fiberglass, surprisingly light
weight perception
very light
acoustic
tap produces a high, dry knock — no ring, no thud, just a brief crack

PBR starter values

Principled BSDF defaults derived from the sphere fibrous finish. Reasonable seed for Blender, Substance, Keyshot, Rhino — tune per material.

# finish:      fibrous
albedo        #1a1a1f
metallic      0.00
roughness     0.30
ior           1.45
transmission  0.00
clearcoat     0.70
sheen         0.10
anisotropic   0.70
copy as JSON 
{
  "albedo": "#1a1a1f",
  "metallic": 0.0,
  "roughness": 0.3,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "transmission": 0.0,
  "clearcoat": 0.7,
  "sheen": 0.1,
  "anisotropic": 0.7
}
Blender 4.x Python 
# Blender 4.x — Principled BSDF
# Carbon Fiber (T700, in epoxy) · finish: fibrous
import bpy
mat = bpy.data.materials.new(name="mat_carbon_fiber_t700")
mat.use_nodes = True
bsdf = mat.node_tree.nodes["Principled BSDF"]
bsdf.inputs["Base Color"].default_value         = (0.0103, 0.0103, 0.0137, 1.0)
bsdf.inputs["Metallic"].default_value           = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Roughness"].default_value          = 0.300
bsdf.inputs["IOR"].default_value                = 1.450
bsdf.inputs["Transmission Weight"].default_value = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Coat Weight"].default_value        = 0.700
bsdf.inputs["Sheen Weight"].default_value       = 0.100
bsdf.inputs["Anisotropic"].default_value        = 0.700
KeyShot Python (lux) 
# KeyShot 11+ — lux Python API, Generic material
# Carbon Fiber (T700, in epoxy) · finish: fibrous
# Run from Window → Scripting Console
import lux
mat = lux.createMaterial(name="mat_carbon_fiber_t700", materialType="Generic")
mat.setProperty("diffuse",      (26, 26, 31))   # 8-bit sRGB
mat.setProperty("metallic",     0.000)
mat.setProperty("roughness",    0.300)
mat.setProperty("indexOfRefraction", 1.450)
mat.setProperty("transparency", 0.000)
mat.setProperty("coatingWeight", 0.700)
Substance pbrMetalRough 
{
  "_format": "Substance Designer / Painter \u2014 pbrMetalRough constants",
  "_about": "Carbon Fiber (T700, in epoxy) \u00b7 finish: fibrous",
  "baseColor": {
    "r": 0.0103,
    "g": 0.0103,
    "b": 0.0137
  },
  "metallic": 0.0,
  "roughness": 0.3,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "opacity": 1.0,
  "anisotropyLevel": 0.7,
  "_notes": "Channels listed are the standard Substance pbrMetalRough output. Drop into a Uniform Color node per channel, or as the constant input on a layered stack."
}
glTF 2.0 Metallic-Roughness 
{
  "asset": {
    "version": "2.0",
    "generator": "ForMatter"
  },
  "materials": [
    {
      "name": "mat_carbon_fiber_t700",
      "pbrMetallicRoughness": {
        "baseColorFactor": [
          0.0103,
          0.0103,
          0.0137,
          1.0
        ],
        "metallicFactor": 0.0,
        "roughnessFactor": 0.3
      },
      "extensions": {
        "KHR_materials_ior": {
          "ior": 1.45
        },
        "KHR_materials_clearcoat": {
          "clearcoatFactor": 0.7
        },
        "KHR_materials_sheen": {
          "sheenColorFactor": [
            1.0,
            1.0,
            1.0
          ],
          "sheenRoughnessFactor": 0.1
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}
USD Preview Surface 
# USD Preview Surface — UsdShade.MaterialLook prim attributes
# Carbon Fiber (T700, in epoxy) · finish: fibrous
def Material "mat_carbon_fiber_t700" {
    token outputs:surface.connect = </mat_carbon_fiber_t700/PreviewSurface.outputs:surface>

    def Shader "PreviewSurface" {
        uniform token info:id = "UsdPreviewSurface"
        color3f inputs:diffuseColor = (0.0103, 0.0103, 0.0137)
        float   inputs:metallic     = 0.000
        float   inputs:roughness    = 0.300
        float   inputs:ior          = 1.450
        float   inputs:opacity      = 1.000
        float   inputs:clearcoat    = 0.700
        token   outputs:surface
    }
}
↓ download glTF material
ProcessCarbon-Fiber Layup · CNC Milling · Adhesive Bonding · Water-Jet Cutting
Used inBicycle frame · Drone Chassis · Eyewear Frame
Substitutes
Fiberglass (E-Glass, in epoxy or polyester)
Aluminum 6061

Citations