Afrocarpus falcatus is an evergreen tree that can grow up to 30 meters tall with a trunk diameter of up to 2 meters. It has a conical crown with horizontal to drooping branches. The bark is grey-brown and rough. The leaves are needle-like, about 2 cm long, and arranged spirally on the branches. The male and female cones are separate and appear on the same tree. The female cones are green when young and turn brown when mature. The seeds are about 1 cm long and have a fleshy red aril.