Carbon Fiber Design Guide
The purpose of this design guide is to provide general information and specifications on graphite (carbon fiber) composite materials and some guidelines for designing lightweight high performance products with graphite composites. If you have more specific questions, please contact our engineers at Performance Composites, and they will gladly assist you.
| Graphite Composite (aerospace grade) | Graphite Composite (commercial grade) | Fiberglass Composite | Aluminum 6061 T-6 | Steel, Mild | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost $/LB | $20-$250+ | $5-$20 | $1.50-$3.00 | $3 | $.30 |
| Strength (psi) | 90,000–200,000 | 50,000–90,000 | 20,000-35,000 | 35,000 | 60,000 |
| Stiffness (psi) | 10 x 106 - 50 x 106 | 8 x 106 - 10 x 106 | 1 x 106 - 1.5 x 106 | 10 x 106 | 30 x 106 |
| Density (lb/in3) | .050 | .050 | .055 | .10 | .30 |
| Specific Strength | 1.8 x 106 - 4 x 106 | 1 x 106 - 1.8 x 106 | 363,640-636,360 | 350,000 | 200,000 |
| Specific Stiffness | 200 x 106 -1,000 x 106 | 160 x 106 -200 x 106 | 18 x 106 -27 x 106 | 100 x 106 | 100 x 106 |
| CTE (in/in-F) | -1 x 10-6 – 1 x 10-6 | 1 x 10-6 – 2 x 10-6 | 6 x 10-6 – 8 x 10-6 | 13 x 10-6 | 7 x 10-6 |
| Graphite Composite (aerospace grade) | |
|---|---|
| Cost $/LB | $20-$250+ |
| Strength (psi) | 90,000–200,000 |
| Stiffness (psi) | 10 x 106 - 50 x 106 |
| Density (lb/in3) | .050 |
| Specific Strength | 1.8 x 106 - 4 x 106 |
| Specific Stiffness | 200 x 106 -1,000 x 106 |
| CTE (in/in-F) | -1 x 10-6 – 1 x 10-6 |
| Graphite Composite (commercial grade) | |
| Cost $/LB | $5-$20 |
| Strength (psi) | 50,000–90,000 |
| Stiffness (psi) | 8 x 106 - 10 x 106 |
| Density (lb/in3) | .050 |
| Specific Strength | 1 x 106 - 1.8 x 106 |
| Specific Stiffness | 160 x 106 -200 x 106 |
| CTE (in/in-F) | 1 x 10-6 – 2 x 10-6 |
| Fiberglass Composite | |
| Cost $/LB | $1.50-$3.00 |
| Strength (psi) | 20,000-35,000 |
| Stiffness (psi) | 1 x 106 - 1.5 x 106 |
| Density (lb/in3) | .055 |
| Specific Strength | 363,640-636,360 |
| Specific Stiffness | 18 x 106 -27 x 106 |
| CTE (in/in-F) | 6 x 10-6 – 8 x 10-6 |
| Aluminum 6061 T-6 | |
| Cost $/LB | $3 |
| Strength (psi) | 35,000 |
| Stiffness (psi) | 10 x 106 |
| Density (lb/in3) | .10 |
| Specific Strength | 350,000 |
| Specific Stiffness | 100 x 106 |
| CTE (in/in-F) | 13 x 10-6 |
| Steel, Mild | |
| Cost $/LB | $.30 |
| Strength (psi) | 60,000 |
| Stiffness (psi) | 30 x 106 |
| Density (lb/in3) | .30 |
| Specific Strength | 200,000 |
| Specific Stiffness | 100 x 106 |
| CTE (in/in-F) | 7 x 10-6 |