It is a tree with buttress roots at the base, simple, mostly elliptical adult leaves, groups of cream-coloured flowers and narrow oblong follicles.

Stenocarpus cryptocarpus is a tree that typically grows to a height of up to 25 m (82 ft), with a dbh of up to 40 cm (16 in).

The leaves are glossy green and covered with woolly, rust-coloured hairs when young.

Flowering occurs from December to April and the fruit is a narrow oblong follicle up to 10–13 cm (3.9–5.1 in) long.

[9] Giant leaved stenocarpus grows in rainforest at altitudes up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) between Cooktown and Innisfail.