The high luster and deep red color give vanadinite a nice appeal to mineral collectors. Color is typically bright red to orange, less commonly gray or brown. Luster is vitreous to adamantine. Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent. Crystal Habit is typically the hexagonal prism with pinacoid as a termination.
Rare crystals can have the hexagonal pyramid as a termination.
Can also be found as rounded masses and crusts. Cleavage is none. Fracture is conchoidal. Hardness is 3. Streak is yellowish white.