Adult males measure 60–85 mm (2.4–3.3 in) and adult females 63–86 mm (2.5–3.4 in) in snout–vent length. It is similar in overall appearance to Sclerophrys regularis. The snout is obtusely rounded. The tympanum is distinct and vertically oval. The parotoid glands are parallel and almost touching the eyes. The toes are about one-third webbed. The upper surfaces and the flanks are covered with conical warts that are tipped with sharp, brown, cornified spinules. The skin of the lower surface is coarsely granular. Males have a single, subgular vocal sac.
The male advertisement call is more rapidly pulsed (38–48 pulses per second) than in Sclerophrys regularis (13–18 pulses per second).
