CF
HexTow® AS4D-PC/3K 3K
Hexcel ? Aerospace Standard
Manufacturer page / TDSDescription
HexTow® AS4D-PC/3K carbon fiber is a continuous PAN-based fiber available in 3,000 (3K) filament count tows. This fiber has been surface treated and is sized to improve its composite compatibility, handling characteristics, and structural properties. It is suggested for weaving applications into polycarbonate resins.
Comparative overview
Carbon fiber — High-strength standard-modulus carbon
Strengths: Higher tensile strength and strain than baseline carbon while retaining mature standard-modulus processing.
When to use: Select for pressure vessels, pultrusion, industrial structures and sporting goods requiring strength with controlled cost.
Key tradeoffs: Less stiff than IM/HM grades; conductive and more expensive than baseline large-tow carbon.
Qualitative ratings (1–10 scale)
| Relative cost | 8/10 — High — aerospace/high-performance PAN carbon with controlled precursor, surface treatment and sizing. |
|---|---|
| EM transparency | 1/10 — Very poor — electrically conductive; causes reflection/attenuation rather than RF transparency. |
| Temperature / fire resistance | 6/10 — Good — non-melting but oxidation in air and the matrix system cap fire/hot-service performance. |
| Impact / penetration resistance | 7/10 — High — higher strain and tensile strength than HM/UHM carbon improve impact response, but delamination and brittle fiber fracture remain. Stored TDS elongation: 1.8%. |
| Electrical / thermal conductivity | 7/10 — High — electrically conductive with moderate axial thermal conductivity typical of PAN carbon. |
| Specific tensile strength | 8/10 — 8/10 | 2562.0 kN·m/kg | Product TDS |
| Atmospheric durability | 9/10 — Excellent — carbon fiber is intrinsically resistant to UV, moisture and salt exposure; long-term laminate durability is usually governed by sizing, matrix, galvanic coupling and interfaces rather than the fiber. |
| Sustainability (CO₂e) | 5/10 — 19.85 kg CO₂e/kg fiber — High emissions — data quality: High |
Technical properties
| Tensile strength | 4586.0 MPa |
|---|---|
| Tensile modulus | 242.0 GPa |
| Density | 1.79 g/cm³ |
| Filament diameter | 6.9 µm |
Applications and processing
AerospaceWeaving (polycarbonate resins)