Direct numerical simulations of radiation heat-transfer have enabled the validation of a semi-analytical model for the effective radiative conductivity of two-dimensional carbonfiber preforms. The effective conductivity is shown to be a function of three parameters: the local temperature, the extinction coefficient, and the sample thickness. The integration of the proposed model in state-of-the-art ablation tools is relatively simple because only the effective conductivity needs to be modified (the formulation of the energy equation is not modified). This fundamental study has been applied to ablation. In the ablation zone of low-density carbon-resin composites, the matrix is removed and the carbon fibers lie unprotected. The effective radiative conductivity is found to be about twice as large when the matrix is removed. Although the ablation zone is very thin, its presence is shown to slightly modify the internal temperature profile.