Bromus carinatus is a perennial bunchgrass growing in clumps 0.5 to 1.5 metres (1+1⁄2 to 5 feet) tall, with many narrow leaves up to 40 centimetres (15+1⁄2 inches) long.

The inflorescence is a spreading or drooping array of flat spikelets longer than they are wide.

It is native to western North America from Alaska to northern Mexico, where it can be found in many types of habitat.

It is known in parts of the American midwest and eastern North America as an introduced species.

This grass is used for control of erosion and revegetation of damaged land, as well as a highly palatable forage for livestock; however, it has the capacity to become a noxious weed in agricultural settings.