The leaves are needle-like, moderately flattened, 1.5–2.5 centimeters long and 2–3 millimeters wide by 1 millimeters thick, glossy dark green with a patch of greenish-white stomata near the tip above, and with two greenish-white bands of stomata below.

The cones are glaucous green with a pink or violet tinge, maturing brown, 10–20 centimeters long and 4 centimeters broad, with about 150–200 scales, each scale with a short bract (not visible on the closed cone) and two winged seeds; they disintegrate when mature to release the seeds.

[2] Abies numidica grows in a high-altitude Mediterranean climate at 1,800–2,004 meters (and rarely down to 1,220 meters) with an annual precipitation of 1,500–2,000 milliliters, the great majority of which falls as winter snow; the summers are warm and very dry.

It is closely related to Abies pinsapo (Spanish fir), which occurs further west in the Rif mountains of Morocco and in southern Spain.

[2] Algerian fir, Abies numidica, is occasionally grown as an ornamental tree in parks and larger gardens.