1879
Edison filament
Carbonised bamboo in lamps — not structural CF.
Milestones in order. This is history, not a weekly activity grid.
- Edison filament
- Union Carbide rayon
- Shindo PAN
- Watt RAE
- Rolls-Royce Hyfil
- Sports & F1
- Toray T300
- 787 Dreamliner
- BMW i3 / i8
- Recycling pyrolysis
Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
Strength96
Heat resistance70
Fire performance50
Insulation24
Workability30
Circularity26
LessMore
Last reviewed Sources & creditsMedia creditsMethodology
Quick answers
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
heat 70 · fire 50
Carbon fibre did not arrive as a finished commodity. Edison carbon filament; Shindo/Watt 1960s PAN around Japan / UK / US still explains who makes it and which tests it sits in.
Ten dated points, five eras and three milestones below are the spine — not a complete industrial history.
Where it began
Edison carbon filament; Shindo/Watt 1960s PANJapan / UK / US
Timeline
1879Edison filament
Carbonised bamboo in lamps — not structural CF.
1958Union Carbide rayon
Early high-modulus experiments.
1961Shindo PAN
Japanese PAN-based fibre patent lineage.
1963Watt RAE
UK polyacrylonitrile route at RAE Farnborough.
1969Rolls-Royce Hyfil
Fan-blade setback taught toughness.
1970sSports & F1
Black plastic as status.
1980sToray T300
The workhorse tow.
2009787 Dreamliner
Primary aero structure at scale.
2010sBMW i3 / i8
Auto CF with a cost lesson.
2020sRecycling pyrolysis
Fibre recovery still downcycles modulus.
The eras
1961
Shindo PAN
Japanese PAN-based fibre patent lineage.
1969
Rolls-Royce Hyfil
Fan-blade setback taught toughness.
1980s
Toray T300
The workhorse tow.
2010s
BMW i3 / i8
Auto CF with a cost lesson.
Milestones
Watt RAE
1963UK polyacrylonitrile route at RAE Farnborough.
Toray T300
1980sThe workhorse tow.
Recycling pyrolysis
2020sFibre recovery still downcycles modulus.
Knowing this timeline is how to read a mill certificate without treating Carbon fibre as timeless.
Keep exploring
More in Advanced solids
⬡
Graphene
A one-atom carbon sheet — Nobel-era physics, composites hype, and a few honest electronics and barrier uses.
Overall 50 ☁️Aerogel
A nanoscale silica sponge — among the lowest solid λ values, fragile unless blanketed, and A1 when purely inorganic.
Overall 60 🩺Nitinol
Near-equiatomic Ni–Ti that remembers shape and super-elasticates — stents, orthodontics and actuators.
Overall 48 ☀️Perovskite (PV)
ABX3 halide crystals that jumped laboratory solar efficiency — still fighting humidity, lead and lifetime.
Overall 26