Background and methods: Fibre-reinforced composites with good strength and ductility as bone repair biomaterials have been attracting increasing attention in biomedical applications. In the present study, a novel ternary composite was prepared using carbon fibre (CF) to reinforce a nano-hydroxyapatite/polyamide66 composite (HA/PA). The interface and mechanical strength of the ternary composite (CF/HA/PA) were characterised. In addition, to assess the cytocompatibility, the composite was co-cultured with MG-63 cells, and the cell morphology, MTT, and ALP were tested. Results: The results indicated that CFs were uniformly distributed in the HA/PA matrix with random orientation and that the CFs bonded well to the HA/PA matrix. The reinforced ternary composite exhibited a compressive strength of 116-212 MPa, a bending strength of 89-138 MPa, a tensile strength of 109-181 MPa, with the breaking elongation ratio of 6.2-9.1%, and a tensile modulus of 2.9-5.8 GPa, with the values varying with increasing CF content from 5 to 20 (mass fraction). The MG-63 cells of normal phenotype were well extended and spread onto the ternary composite surface. In addition, its proliferation and differentiation on the composite surface were significantly increased with time, indicating that the incorporation of CFs into HA/PA had little negative effects on MG-63 cells. Conclusions: The incorporation of CFs into a HA/PA66 composite improved the strength and ductility and introduced no negative effects on the cytocompatibility. Hence, the CF/HA/PA ternary composite has potential to be used as a bone repair materials and in fixation devices. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.