Carbon fiber reinforced silicon carbide matrix composites were fabricated by the vapor silicon infiltration process. The density and the open porosity of the composite infiltrated at 1973 K were 2.25 g/cm(3) and similar to 6%, respectively. The flexural strength of the composite at ambient conditions was 300 MPa. When the infiltration temperature decreased, the density and flexural strength of the composite also decreased. However, the resulting composite materials exhibited non-brittle fracture behavior.