The red-shanked douc has grey ‘agouti’ colouration on the back, belly and upper arms. Their forearms are white, upper legs black to grey and the lower legs a deep red. The skin on their face is a creamy colour with a paler white colour around the mouth. Their cheek whiskers and tail are white. Males are larger than females averaging 8.8 kilograms with a head-body length of 59 centimetres, whilst females average 6.6 kilogram and 54 centimetres.