It is made of metal, resembles an ophecleide in shape, and is played with a double-reed. Its fingering is similar to a saxophone, and it was made in sizes from sopranino to subcontrabass.
The sarrusophone is rarely called for in classical music, a rare example being in Maurice Ravel's L'heure espagnol (1907).
A very unusual example of the sarrusophone in jazz is on the 1924 recording by Clarence Williams Blue 5 of "Mandy, Make Up Your Mind", with the sarrusophone played by Sidney Bechet.
The sarrusophone is now obsolete and only used as a novelty upon occasions. It had poor intonation and a sound less clear than that of the saxophone.