Celtis reticulata usually grows to a small-sized tree, 6 to 9 metres (20 to 30 feet) in height and mature at 15 to 35 centimetres (6 to 14 inches) in diameter, although some individuals are known up to 21 m (70 ft) high and 60 cm (24 in) thick. Hackberry bark is gray to brownish gray with the trunk bark forming vertical corky ridges that are checkered between the furrows.