Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) composites containing carbon fibers (CFs) with or without surface treatment were prepared via melt mixing. The mechanical properties of the PVDF/CF composites were then studied to explore the relations between the short-range and long-range structures of CFs and the properties of the composites. The results showed that the presence of CFs had a reinforcement effect on the PVDF and the Nielsen model was used to describe the concentration effect of CFs, especially at the lower concentration levels. The short-range aspect ratio structure and the long-range orientation structure of the CFs are the two most important structures that affected the final properties of the composites. The effective aspect ratio and orientation degree of the CFs in the PVDF matrix can be evaluated by the Halpin-Tsai and the Krenchel-COX models, which agree well with the experimental observations. After surface treatment, the CFs show stronger reinforcement effect due to reduced interfacial tension and increased interfacial area between two phases (C) 2012 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.