SIZING AGENT-COATED CARBON FIBER

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sizing agent-coated carbon fiber for producing a carbon fiber composite material which exhibits excellent tensile modulus of elasticity and tensile strength of a perforated plate, and to provide a method for producing the same.SOLUTION: In a carbon fiber, when a single fiber apparent stress is 15.3 GPa in a fragmentation method of a single fiber composite of the carbon fiber, the number of fiber breaks is 2.0 pieces/mm or more, and when the single fiber apparent stress is 12.2 GPa, the number of fiber breaks is 1.3 pieces/mm or less. Preferably, a sizing agent-coated carbon fiber is obtained by applying a sizing agent containing an epoxy compound to the carbon fiber. In the sizing agent-coated carbon fiber, when a single fiber diameter of the carbon fiber is 4.5 μm or less, and a single fiber apparent stress is 10.0 GPa, the number of fiber breaks is 0.8 pieces/mm or less, and an average tearable distance is 300-710 mm, and the sizing agent-coated carbon fiber is substantially twistless.