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PEEK CF30 | 30% Carbon Fiber Reinforced PEEK

What is PEEK CF30 (CA30)?

The PEEK CF30 material also called PEEK CA30 is a type of PEEK material with the highest strength while maintaining light weight.Making it a suitable to replace meta.Its load-bearing strength and dimensional stability at high temperatures are superior to those of unfilled PEEK, PEEK GF30 Bearing grade, and ESD grade. It's mechanical strength is higher than PEEK GF30, and it also has excellent wear resistance. PEEK CF30 delivers excellent tribological performance across a wide PV range, offering self-lubrication and low counterface wear. However, it should be noted that due to the high content of carbon fibers, it is no longer an insulating material.

PEEK CF30 have many form to meet the different processing method.

PEEK CF30 pellets

PEEK CF30 pellets can be used for injection,compression molding and extrusion.This form is suitable for big quntity production.

PEEK CF30 Rods

PEEK CF30 rods are optimized for CNC turning of high-rigidity cylindrical components.

PEEK CF30 Sheet

PEEK CF30 sheets are optimized for CNC milling of Outstanding dimension stability components

PEEK CF30 performance

PEEK CF30 (30% carbon fiber reinforced polyetheretherketone) is based on the high-temperature resistance (melting point 343℃, continuous use 260℃), chemical resistance and self-lubrication properties of PEEK matrix.

By adding carbon fibers, the bending modulus is increased to 23 GPa, the tensile strength reaches 260 MPa, while the material gains a low thermal expansion coefficient CTE (5–6 ppm/K, close to aluminum), a higher thermal conductivity of 0.95 W/m·K, and a low friction coefficient (0.15–0.25), making it the preferred choice for high rigidity, lightweight, precise dimensional stability and sliding and wear-resistant applications.

However, this comes at the cost of sacrificing the insulation, impact toughness and light color appearance of pure PEEK.

Download PEEK CF30 (CA30) data sheet

PEEK CF30 Mechanical Data sheet

Mechanical strength	Value	Test Standard
Tensile Strength,break,23°C	260 MPa	ISO 527
Tensile Elongation Break, 23℃	1.7 %	ISO 527
Flexural Strength Break, 23℃	380 MPa	ISO 178
Flexural Modulus ,23℃	23 GPa	ISO 178
Compressive Strength,23℃	300MPa	ISO 604
Izod Impact Strength Notched	9kJ/m²	ISO 180/A
Izod Impact Strength Unnotched	45kJ/m²	ISO 180/U

PEEK CF30 Electrical performance

Electrical Performance	Value	Test Standard
Volume Resistivity	10^5 Ω·cm	IEC 60093

PEEK CF30 Thermal properties

Thermal properties	Value	Test Standard
Special Heat Capacity,23℃	1.8kJ/(kg·K)	DSC
Coefficient of Thermal Expansion,Along flow below Tg	5ppm/K	ISO 11359
Coefficient of Thermal Expansion,Along flow above Tg	6ppm/K	ISO 11359
Heat Deflection Temperature(HDT)	336℃	ISO 75
Thermal Conductivity	0.95W/(m·K)	ISO 604

The Advantages Of PEEK CF30?

1. High stiffness + Lightweight

The 30% carbon fiber has increased the tensile modulus of PEEK from approximately 4 GPa of the pure material to 23GPa, while maintaining a density of only 1.4. Compared to metals, it is not an "equal stiffness substitution", but rather "sufficient stiffness + significant weight reduction" - it is the specialty of drone brackets, aerospace substructures, and robotic arm end pieces.

2. Low CTE, the most valued advantage for precision parts

The flow direction CTE can reach 5–6 ppm/K, at the same level as aluminum. For parts that "change in temperature but do not change in size", such as semiconductor wafer clamps, measurement fixtures, and thermal cycling valve seats, CF30 is much more stable than pure PEEK (approximately 45 ppm/K).

3. Heat conductivity

Pure PEEK has low Thermal Conductivity (0.29 W/m·K), and friction heat tends to accumulate at the contact surface. CF30's Thermal Conductivity along the fiber direction is increased by 3 times(0.95 W/m·K) , allowing friction heat and local hotspots to dissipate more quickly - this makes it less prone to thermal softening under high-speed sliding, dry operation, and alternating loads, benefiting its PV limit and fatigue life.

5. Wear-resistant + Self-lubricating

Carbon fiber can form a transfer film on the friction surface, reducing the friction coefficient to the range of 0.15–0.25. Compared to glass fiber grades, it is significantly milder in abrasive wear on stainless steel and steel pairs - this is the most underestimated aspect of CF30 when used as bearings, bushings, and gears.

6. High temperature resistance + Chemical resistance

Long-term 260℃, short-term 300℃, melting point 343℃, resistant to oil, most solvents, steam, and high-pressure sterilization. Please note: This is brought by the PEEK matrix, and CF30 is not "immune" to strong oxidizing acids due to this, PEEK matrix itself is still a weakness in concentrated nitric acid/concentrated sulfuric acid.

PEEK GF30 vs Unfilled PEEK vs PEEK CF30

Property	Unfilled PEEK	PEEK GF30	PEEK CF30
Flexural modulus (ISO 178)	4.1GPa	11.3GPa	23GPa
Tensile strength (ISO 527)	100 MPa	175 MPa	260MPa
HDT at 1.8 MPa	152 °C	315 °C	336°C
CTE along flow(below Tg)	45 ppm/K	18 ppm/K	5 ppm/K
CTE along flow(Over Tg)	120 ppm/K	18 ppm/K	6 ppm/K
Elongation at break	45%	2.7%	1.7%
Density	1.30 g/cm³	1.51 g/cm³	1.4 g/cm³
Thermal Conductivity	0.29W/(m·K)	0.32W/(m·K）	0.95W/(m·K）

This table only compares the most common PEEK material grades. If you need to examine the specific properties and differences of other materials, such as electrostatic dissipation PEEK specifically designed for ESD protection and HPV bearing-grade PEEK, you can refer to our PEEK material selection guide.

PEEK CF30 Application

Leveraging its high stiffness (Flexural modulus 23 GPa), lightweight nature (density 1.4 g/cm³), low CTE (5–6 ppm/K in the flow direction), continuous service temperature of 260°C, and excellent self-lubricating wear resistance, PEEK CF30 is widely used in semiconductor equipment (wafer carriers, ESD fixtures, test jigs), aerospace and UAVs (secondary structural brackets, rotor bushings, satellite structural components), precision machinery and automation (high-accuracy fixtures, sliding bearings, gears, robotic joints), friction and fluid-handling components (bushings, seal rings, valve seats, oil-free piston rings), and medical and industrial equipment (surgical instrument structures, sterilization fixtures, pump and valve wear parts) — making it the most competitive engineered-material choice wherever high temperature, electrostatic discharge control, lightweight construction, and precise dimensional stability are required simultaneously.

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PEEK Wear-resistant bearing sleeve

When PEEK CF30 is not suitable for you?

PEEK CF30 has a volume resistivity of approximately 10⁵ Ω·cm, classifying it as a conductive / ESD-controllable grade. For applications requiring high electrical insulation, PEEK GF30 (volume resistivity >10¹⁶ Ω·cm) is recommended — its flexural modulus of 11–13 GPa is approximately half that of CF30, but still far higher than unfilled PEEK.

For applications demanding high toughness — such as snap-fit structures, interference-fit assemblies, cryogenic service, or dynamic loading — unfilled natural PEEK is the better choice, with an elongation at break exceeding 45%, excellent low-temperature toughness (retained even at -196°C), and fatigue resistance superior to fiber-reinforced grades.

PEEK CF30 is relatively costly. Where budget control is required but stiffness and strength above those of unfilled PEEK are still needed, PEEK GF30 offers a cost-effective alternative — typically 30–50% lower in cost than CF30, with absolute strength and modulus approximately 60–70% of CF30 values.

PEEK CF30 delivers excellent tribological performance across a wide PV range, offering self-lubrication and low counterface wear. However, under high-PV extreme service conditions, Bearing grade PEEK (glass fiber + PTFE + graphite) provides a higher limiting PV value and superior wear resistance, making it the recommended choice for heavy-duty sliding components. For a detailed wear comparison between the two, see: PEEK CF30 vs Bearing grade PEEK.