Spire moderately high, angle usually 60-70°. Shell width approximately half shell length. Aperture slightly longer than spire. Periphery of body whorl situated approximately half way up shell. Sculptured, usually by strong spiral ribs, occasionally weaker, with fine spiral striae on and between ribs. Typically between 4 and 9 spiral ribs on body whorl. Whorls moderately to strongly depressed below suture; profile of upper whorls stepped to straight. Shell robust. Outer lip undulate at margin (corresponding to ribs), sometimes crenulated at edge; aperture usually smooth internally, sometimes plicate. Pale brown parietal scar usually present. Periostracum thick, fibrous, brown, sometimes stained with green algae. Shell colour usually dull dark brown, occasionally with alternating dark brown and pale whitish-brown dashes on a few of the main spiral ribs; shell sometimes worn or colour completely obscured by periostracum or by algal growth. Aperture light mauve-brown to pale violet, occasionally white. Proboscis flesh coloured. Maximum shell length 64 mm.

Burnupena cincta cincta is common from the mid-intertidal to the shallow subtidal zone, and is not usually found in exposed positions. In its typical form, there is usually no difficulty in its identification. However, it can be confused with both B.
lagenaria and B. cincta limbosa. Barnard (1959) regarded B. cincta and B. lagenaria as one of the 'two most confusing pairs'. The two taxa often co-occur, although B. lagenaria is generally found higher up the shore, and in more exposed positions. The extreme forms are distinctive, with specimens of B. c. cincta having relatively longer spires and strong spiral ribs, whilst those of B. lagenaria have short spires and weak ribs. The problem is that phenotypic intermediates are not uncommon, with specimens of B. lagenaria with longer spires and strong ribs apparently more common than specimens of B. c. cincta with squat shells and weak ribs (pers. observation). However, they can usually, but not always, be distinguished by the colour of the aperture and of the shell. In B. c. cincta the aperture is pale to violet, whilst that of B. lagenaria is typically dark. The shell colour of B. c. cincta is usually brown and only occasionally flecked, whilst that of B. lagenaria is often flecked or flamed, but sometimes is only brown.
Burnupena c. cincta has been confused with B. c. limbosa as they are very similar in most respects, although they differ in the degree of spiral ribs; individuals of the former usually have strong ribs, whilst individuals of B. c. limbosa either have smooth shells or a few weak ribs on the lower half of the body whorl. We consider that limbosa should be reduced to a subspecies of B. cincta, but see remarks below.

South Africa: False Bay to Transkei on the South Coast, and sporadically on the west coast as far as Saldanha Bay