The young leaf rosette of Aloe ferox has thick, pointed leaves bearing spines only on the margins. Leaves are angled up, although a few tips hint at deviating downwards from straight while others curve in slightly.

The evenly spaced rows of spines have some curious gaps near most stem-tips. Some keel spines, also off-centre ones, are visible near the leaf-tip on lower surfaces. The concave upper leaf surfaces are enhanced by some exaggerated marginal upturning in some leaves, resembling the lower jaw of a crocodile.