Clanculus brunneus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Trochidae, the top snails.
The size of the shell varies between 13 mm and 15 mm. The shell has a depressed-conic shape. It is dark brown, adorned with colored bands with granules. The interstices are longitudinally elevated. The whorls are flat, the last one is sharply angulate. The umbilicus has a flat margin. The columella is transversely oblique with a tasseled margin. It terminates in a biplicated tooth. The inner lip shows fine linear elevations, with the last lira the largest.