Gonystylus velutinus grows as a tree up to 35 metres (115 ft) tall, with a trunk diameter of up to 70 centimetres (28 in). Bark is pale to reddish brown. The fruit is ellipsoid, brown, up to 5.5 centimetres (2.2 in) long. Its habitat is forest from sea-level to 100 metres (330 ft) altitude. G. velutinus is found in Sumatra and Borneo.