The elastic and inelastic properties of a chemical vapor infiltrated (CVI) SiC matrix reinforced with either plain-woven carbon fibers (C/SiC) or SIC fibers (SiC/SiC) have been investigated, It has been investigated whether the mechanics of a plain weave can be described using the theory of a cross-ply laminate, because it enables a simple mechanics approach to the nonlinear mechanical behavior. The influences of interphase, fiber anisotropy, and porosity are included. The approach results in a reduction of the composite system to a fiber/matrix system with an interface. The tensile behavior is described by five damage stages. C/SiC can be modeled using one damage stage and a constant damage parameter. The tensile behavior of SiC/SiC undergoes four damage stages, Stiffness reduction due to transverse cracks in the transverse bundles is very different from cross-ply behavior. Compressive failure is initiated by interlaminar cracks between the fiber bundles. The crack path is dictated by the bundle waviness. For SiC/SiC, the compressive behavior is mostly linear to failure. C/SiC exhibits initial nonlinear behavior because of residual crack openings, Above the point where the cracks close, the compressive behavior is linear. Global compressive failure is characterized by a major crack oriented at a certain angle to the axial loading. In shear, the matrix cracks orientate in the principal tensile stress direction (i,e., 45 degrees to the fiber direction) with very high crack densities before failure, but only SiC/SiC shows significant degradation in shear modulus, Hysteresis is observed during unloading/reloading sequences and increasing permanent strain.