The barrel was of monobloc type, with semi-automatic vertical sliding breech block and small muzzle brake.
To give the crew some protection from firearms and shell fragments, the gun was equipped with a 5 mm thick shield, with a folding lower plate.
The Bofors gun saw combat for the first time in Spanish Civil War, where it could easily pierce the armor of contemporary light tanks.
Bofors guns were also employed in World War II by Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Yugoslavia and USSR, but there are no detailed reports of their use.
When it was introduced, the Bofors 37 mm anti-tank gun was an effective weapon and an international success, able to deal with contemporary tanks.
Its performance, light weight and high rate of fire made it a popular anti-tank weapon in the pre-war Europe.