the sand whiting has a very similar profile to other members of the genus "sillago", with a slightly compressed, elongate body tapering toward the terminal mouth. the dorsal fin is in two parts, the first made of feeble spines and the second of soft rays headed by a single feeble spine, while the ventral profile is straight. the species is known to grow to a maximum size of 51 cm and around 1.25 kg weight.