The inscription on U 896 consists of runic text in the younger futhark within a text band along the edge of a tall and narrow runestone, which is made of granite and is 1.7 meters in height, with a second text band within the first on the left side. Two crosses are enclosed by the text bands. The bottom portion of the stone is missing. The inscription is tentatively classified due to its damage as being carved in runestone style Pr1, which is also known as Ringerike style. Inscriptions with this classification have runic text bands with attached serpent or beast heads depicted in profile. In 1867 this runestone, along with U 489 from Morby and U 1011 from Örby, was exhibited in the Exposition Universelle in Paris. When it was returned to Sweden, the stone was raised at Uppsala University.