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The surface state of the reinforcements for composites plays an important role in the fabrication process and in determining the properties of metal-matrix composites. This article explores the effect of a reinforcement coating on the fabrication process and the properties of metal-matrix composites. For a carbon-fiber-reinforced aluminum composite system, it is difficult to obtain a uniform distribution of the carbon fibers in the aluminum matrix and to control the fabrication process parameters because of poor wettability. For example, the fabrication pressure must be set properly, otherwise a higher pressure will cause fiber fracture, whilst a lower pressure will cause holes in the matrix. When coating the fibers with SiC by a polycarbosilane solution process, the wettability between the fibers and the aluminum is improved. Consequently, the fabrication process can be controlled easily and the properties of the composites improved substantially. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A.