The Dhol is a double-sided barrel drum (straight barrels also exist) which remains large and bulky to produce the preferred loud bass. Typical sizes of the drum vary slightly from region to region.

Dhol consists of a wooden barrel with animal hide stretched over its open ends, covering them completely. These skins can be stretched or loosened with a tightening mechanism made up of either interwoven ropes, or nuts and bolts. Tightening or loosening the skins subtly alters the pitch of the drum sound. The stretched skin on one of the ends is thicker and produces a deep, low frequency (higher bass) sound and the other thinner one produces a higher frequency sound.

Dhol is played using two wooden sticks. The stick used to play the bass side of the drum is a bit thicker (roughly about 10 mm in diameter) and is bent in a quarter-circular arc on the end that strikes the drum. The other stick is much thinner and flexible and used to play the higher note end of the drum.