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: 2%.
Electrical / thermal conductivity	7/10 — High — electrically conductive with moderate axial thermal conductivity typical of PAN carbon.
Specific tensile strength	9/10 — 9/10 \| 2737.4 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

AerospaceIndustryFilament WindingInfusionPrepregRTMWeaving