Brittle materials, such as ceramics, intermetallics, and graphites, are increasingly being used in the fabrication of lightweight components. This article focuses on the design methodologies and characterization of certain material properties. It describes the fundamental concepts and models associated with performing time-independent and time-dependent reliability analyses for brittle materials exhibiting scatter in ultimate strength. The article discusses the two-parameter and three-parameter Weibull distribution for representing the underlying probability density function for tensile strength. It reviews life prediction reliability models used for predicting the life of a component with complex geometry and loading. The article outlines reliability algorithms and presents several applications to illustrate the utilization of these reliability algorithms in structural applications.