Trees usually grow 50 to 60 feet tall but can reach 150 feet in the wild. A densely pyramidal shape is characteristic of young trees, becoming broadly columnar with a dark, heavy appearance and stout, whorled branches at maturity. Lustrous, dark green needles are produced in fascicles of 2, are 3 to 6 inches long and do not break cleanly when bent. The margins are minutely toothed, the tip is a sharp, horny point and the persistent sheath is 0.5 inches long. The end of each scale is keeled, with a short, deciduous prickle.
Buds are ovoid, sharp-pointed, light brown and are covered with whitish resin.
The Austrian pine has very attractive, dark brown to nearly black bark , becoming deeply furrowed into irregular, longitudinal, scaly plates. These scales are deciduous, peeling away to reveal a pale brown coloring. The radiating, lateral branches are yellowish to light brown. The Austrian pine is hardy as far north as southern Ontario and New England. This pine tolerates a variety of soil conditions if kept moist.