It has fibrous or stringy bark on the trunk and larger branches, smooth bark above, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of eleven or more, white flowers and conical or pair-shaped fruit.Eucalyptus fastigata is typically a tall, straight tree that grows to a height of 45–60 m (148–197 ft) but does not form a lignotuber.

[2][3][4][5][6] Eucalyptus regnans is similar to E. fastigata but has rough bark only at the base of the trunk, smaller buds and fruit, and a wider distribution in Victoria.

[4] Eucalyptus fastigata was first formally described in 1897 by Henry Deane and Joseph Maiden in Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales.

[7] The specific epithet is from the Latin word (fastigatus) meaning "bring to a point" or "sharpen".

[8] Brown barrel grows in tall open forest in valleys and on slopes between the Ebor district on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales to the Errinundra Plateau in far north-eastern Victoria.