Abstract: The applicability and economy of CFRP cables were investigated through a series of cable-stayed bridges with a span range from 600m to 1400m. The internal forces, deformations, wind resistant ability, elasto-plastic buckling strength and dynamic characteristics are studied among the bridges with different spans.The results show that CFRP cables are superior to steel cables in design of main girder of cable-stayed bridges because they can offer the girder more lateral stiffness with better efficiency. The range of the safety factor of CFRP cables is 2.5~3.5, in which the strength and stiffness design of the bridge are rational. Besides, the economy is a significant factor for the applicability of CFRP cables in cable-stayed bridges with span below 1000m.