AbstractThe properties of chemical vapour deposited diamond are reviewed and many properties are shown to approach or equal those for natural diamond. The manufacture of solid diamond fibres via chemical vapour deposition on various wire and ceramic cores and the production of hollow diamond fibres by removal of the cores is described. The potential values of Young's modulus of continuous and discontinuous diamond fibres, calculated using the rule of mixtures, are predicted to be substantially higher than for current commercial SiC fibres. Corresponding increases in compressive stiffness are expected, with significant increases in specific buckling loads for hollow fibres. Hollow fibres may also allow the use of sensors in smart structures. The factors affecting the cost of diamond fibres are discussed. It is concluded that chemical vapour deposited diamond fibres offer for the first time the possibility of exploiting the properties of diamond on a large scale via diamond fibre composites.MST/2098