Subantarctic fur seal males measure between 1.5 and 1.8 meters in length and weigh from 95 to 140 kilograms (King, 1983: 46). The coat on the male is a dark gray or brown in color dorsally while the underside and face area are paler and a little more orange. The males also have a crest of slightly longer and rougher white tipped hairs on top of their head. The females of the species are slightly smaller, measuring between 1.2 and 1.3 meters in length and weighing approximately 50 kilograms (King, 1983: 46). The female's coat is very similar to the male's, the notable difference being their lack of the white tipped crest. Both males and females have long white whiskers (King, 1983: 46). Subantarctic fur seal pups are colored differently from their parents. Pups are black with pale orange fur on the underside. Their whiskers are also black. This coat is replaced by an adult coat during the pups' first molt between 8 and 12 weeks of age (King, 1987: 47).

Range mass: 50 to 140 kg.