Abstract <p>This paper presents the comparative analysis of the Love-type wave propagation in different fibre-reinforced composites (FRC), including Carbon, Glass, Kevlar, Basalt, and Natural fibres. The study of wave propagation is presented in FRM over a pre-stressed orthotropic half-space. The objective of this paper is to investigate the influence of fibre reinforcement, layer thickness, flawed coupling, and initial stress on surface wave propagation in a layered composite system with imperfect bonding. The dispersion relation is obtained analytically by applying the boundary conditions. It is observed that the phase velocity increases with increasing imperfection parameter, and a reduction is noted with increasing thickness. The reinforcement parameter also contributes to a rise in phase velocity, while variations in initial stress exhibit no significant influence on the phase velocity behaviour. Such an understanding of wave propagation aids in the selection of material in different fields of aerospace, marine, defense, automotive, and Civil engineering industries. Moreover, this work establishes the role of Love-type wave and is instrumental for non-destructive techniques (NDT) and structural health monitoring. The comparative framework bridges the theoretical modelling with practical application to enhance the design, efficiency, and reliability of the advanced composites.</p>