This study examines parameters which are believed to control the strength of triaxially braided carbon/epoxy composites under planar biaxial loading. Past studies have shown that the stiffness of these materials is readily determined and that consideration of a maximum fiber-direction strain has great utility in correlating failure. While the maximum fiber-direction strain is relatively constant over a wide range of biaxial stress states for these materials, it is lower than that found for similar laminated specimens. Many mechanisms, including textile processes and yarn undulation, undoubtedly contribute to the degraded properties. Their effects alone, however, do not adequately explain the low fiber-direction ultimate strains. Large planar variations in strain have experimentally been shown to exist. Local extreme fiber-direction failure strains may then be much closer to that found for laminates than was previously believed. One- and two-dimensional analytical models are used to study this behavior based on compliance changes resulting from discrete yarn bundles. It is hoped that an increased understanding of the complex strain response of braided composites will allow better failure prediction and an increased understanding of failure mechanisms.