Styled by Raymond Loewy,[1][2] it was one of International Harvester's "letter series", replacing the Farmall F-20.

[3] The H is equipped with a 4-cylinder in-line overhead valve with a 152-cubic-inch (2,490-cubic-centimetre) displacement and a 6-volt, positive ground electrical system with generator, (when so ordered or retrofitted).

Early distillate and kerosene models started on gasoline and switched to their regular fuels once they were warmed up.

[4][5] The H was the smaller of the two prominent row crop tractors produced by IH from the late 1930s to the early 1950s, along with the Farmall M and its variants, yet could still use the same implements.

[6] As with the other letter-series IH tractors, the H used a modular design that allowed assemblies to be removed and replaced as units.

Functional variants were the hiboy HV for high crops,with 30.25 inches (76.8 cm) of clearance, the W-4 with standard tread, the I-4 for industrial use, and the O-4 for orchard use.

[18] Comparable products to the H include the John Deere B, Case SC, Massey 101 Junior, and the Minneapolis-Moline RTU.