A porous material comprising vapor grown carbon fiber in an amount of 10 to 90 mass %, fiber filaments of the carbon fiber forming a three-dimensional network and having a diameter of 1 to 1,000 nm, an aspect ratio of 5 to 15,000, a specific surface area (by BET method) of 2 to 2,000 m.sup.2/g, and the ratio of the intensity of the peak at 1,360 cm.sup.-1 in a Raman scattering spectrum of the carbon fiber to that of the peak at 1,580 cm.sup.-1 in the spectrum(I.sub.1360/I.sub.1580) is 0.1 to 2.0, wherein the porosity of the porous material (V/V.sub.0) is 0.50 to 0.99 and a specific surface area is 5 to 1,000 m.sup.2/g; and a production method and use thereof. The vapor grow carbon fiber impregnated in the porous material of the present invention does not contain aggregates and a three-dimensional network is formed between the fiber filaments, wherein length of each of the fiber filaments is maintained. Therefore, the vapor grown carbon fiber enables to readily produce a composite material (porous material), in which even a small amount of addition of vapor grown carbon fiber can exhibit sufficient effect.