It has a surface temperature of 5180 K.[11] For most of its existence, Delta Coronae Borealis was a blue-white main sequence star of spectral type B before it ran out of hydrogen fuel in its core.

Its luminosity and spectrum suggest it has just crossed the Hertzsprung gap, having finished burning core hydrogen and just begun burning hydrogen in its shell.

It is a strong source of X-rays due to its hot corona.

In 1989, it was noticed that the brightness of δ Coronae Borealis is not constant.

Approximately every 45 days, its brightness changes sinusoidally between 4.57 and 4.69, too small to be noticed without close monitoring.