Nucella lima prefers the low to middle intertidal zones.  Its thin shell is 2-2.5cm high and bears seventeen to twenty spiral ridges that usually alternate in size.  Axial ridges are absent and deep sutures do not separate the whorls.   The aperture, or opening, varies from a little over half to two thirds of the shell height and is about half the shell's diameter.  The operculum, a hinded flap on the foot that can be drawn in to close the opening, is not calcified in N. Lima.   Shell color varies in color from whitish to orange-brown and is often banded.