AbstractThe tensile properties and fracture behavior of poly‐(para‐phenylene‐2,6‐benzobisoxazole), poly‐(para‐phenylene terephthalamide), co‐poly‐(para‐phenylene‐3,4′‐oxydiphenylene terephthalamide), polyarylate, polyethylene, and poly(lactic acid) high‐performance polymeric fibers have been investigated. The Weibull statistical distributions of the tensile strength were also characterized. The results clearly show that for various types of high‐performance polymer fibers, the Weibull modulus decreases with an increase in the tensile modulus, the tensile strength, and inverse of the failure strain. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013