Dipterocarpus kunstleri grows as a canopy tree up to 40 metres (130 ft) tall, with a trunk diameter of up to 1 metre (3 ft 3 in). Bark is orange-brown. Fruit is ellipsoid, up to 5 centimetres (2.0 in) long. Habitat is mixed dipterocarp forest from sea-level to 400 metres (1,300 ft) altitude. D. kunstleri is found in Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and the Philippines.