Shell size small to average for the genus, thin and light. The shape is conical with convex whorls. Protoconch dark or yellow colored. Transgression between protoconch whorls and the shell is hard to detect. The protoconch is covered with tiny spiral ribs. The later whorls are smooth and glossy, only faint growth lines can be seen with micro spiral lines.
There is a white callus, thin but clearly visible under magnification just below the suture. The body whorl has a weak keel, and is rounded in one of the larger specimen. The base is smooth, the umbilicus is closed and the columellar callus is white.
Color is a nice pale flesh, but in all specimens that we could study the upper whorls have a paler color: yellowish, often with a dark shine, probably due to remains of the animal inside. The pattern on the upper whorls consists of oblique gold colored streaks, occasionally extending on the body whorl an even on the base.

Its smooth and glossy shell with the pointed spire distinguishes Cantharidus nolfi from all other Visayan Cantharidus.
* Cantharidus sendersi
Another glossy species from the same region is C. sendersi but it's shell is not so pointed, much smaller and lacks the iridescent surface. C. sendersi has also a much smaller body whorl compared to the teleoconch.
* Cantharidus callichrous (Philippi, 1850)
A Japanese species with its subspecies C callichrous bisbalteata Pilsbry, 1901 also have a smooth shell. However, these are shells that are not iridescent as C. nolfi, their color varies greatly, and we have never seen an example with the soft pink base color as seen in C. nolfi. The body whorl of C. nolfi is much larger than in C. callichrous and its spire is more pointed with a convex penultimate whorl.

TYPE LOCALITY
The Philippines, Aliguay Island.
DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT
Only known from the type locality. C. nolfi lives on muddy sand bottoms around 100 m deep.