An object of the present invention is to develop a technique for providing a novel metal matrix composite capable of stably suppressing problems of conventional composites formed with a reinforcing material and a matrix material, such as a metal, the problems being, for example, inferior mechanical properties such as tensile and bending strengths to those of single-phase materials, such as a metal, coarser surface roughness due to, for example, chipping and wear of a cutting edge caused by fall-off of a reinforcing material or collision of a blade with a hard reinforcing material during precision shaping machining, and inferior workability. There is provided a metal-coated metal matrix composite formed by compounding a matrix material, such as a pure metal, and a reinforcing material, such as ceramic, wherein the reinforcing material is a porous molded body and regular unevenness is provided on the surfaces of the molded body, and thereby the metal-coated metal matrix composite has, on the surfaces thereof, a metal coating layer comprising the unevenness and being continuously integrated with the matrix material forming the composite; and the metal coating layer has a thickness of 0.5 mm to 5 mm, and the unevenness has a height difference of 0.1 mm or more and the height difference is within a range of 50% or less of the thickness of the metal coating layer, and the shape of the unevenness is periodic.

A method of forming a metal matrix composite component includes positioning a preform including an electrically non-conductive fibrous material in a shaping tool. The fibrous material is pre-coated. The method includes flowing a molten metal comprising zinc into the shaping tool so that at least a portion of the preform is enveloped by the molten metal to form the metal matrix composite component; and cooling the metal matrix composite component.