Al–C, Al–Fe and Al–Fe–C composite materials have been prepared by high-energy ball milling technique. The electrochemical measurements demonstrated that the Al–Fe–C composites have greatly improved electrochemical performances in comparison with Al, Al–C and Al–Fe anode. For example, Al71Fe9C20 can deliver the reversible capacity of 436mAhg−1 at first cycle and 255mAhg−1 at 15th cycle. This improved electrochemical performance could be attributed to the alloying formation of Al with Fe and the buffering effect by the graphite matrix. This suggests that the Al–Fe–C composite has a potential possibility to be developed as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries.