[4] The leaves are needle-like, flattened, 3–6 cm (1+1⁄8–2+3⁄8 in) long and 2 millimetres (3⁄32 in) wide by 0.5 mm thick, glossy dark green above,[4] with two green-white bands of stomata below, and slightly notched at the tip.

[5][6][7] The species was first described by Scottish botanical explorer David Douglas, who in 1830 brought its seeds back to Britain;[4] in 1831 he described specimens he had collected along the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest.

[3] The coastal variety of grand fir grows in temperate rainforest environments along the Pacific coast from southwest British Columbia to Northern California, with the inland variety growing in montane conifer forests of eastern Washington, the Idaho Panhandle, and far western Montana.

[4] A number of defoliating insects threaten the tree; in the late 20th century, western spruce budworm epidemics killed sizable populations of grand fir in the eastern Cascades and Blue Mountains.

[4] The lack of an ability to use pitch to patch wounds, including those from logging and small fires, provides a weakness exploited by rot fungi.

[4] East of the Cascade ridge, grand fir trunks are infected by Indian paint fungus, indicating a rotten core; such specimens are often waterlogged and thus crack apart in freezing weather.

Hem fir is frequently used for framing, and is able to meet the building code span requirements of numerous construction projects.

Because it is nearly as strong as Douglas fir-larch, it often meets the structural load-bearing requirements for framing in residential, light commercial, and heavy construction.

Excluding Douglas fir-larch, hem fir's modulus of elasticity value as a stiffness factor in floor systems (denoted as MOE or E) is stronger than all other western species combinations.

Hem fir is preferred by many builders because of its ability to hold and not be split by nails and screws, and its low propensity for splintering when sawed.

[10] In February 2022, a coast grand fir growing south of Bergen was found to be Norway's tallest tree with height of 53.7 m (176 ft).