A new organic material 4-chloro N-methyl 4-stilbazolium tosylate, a derivative of the stilbazolium family, known for efficient nonlinear optical materials, has been synthesized for the first time. Employing slow evaporation technique transparent optically good quality single crystals of size 9 mm × 5 mm × 2 mm were grown from methanol. The cell dimensions obtained by single crystal X-ray diffraction studies reveal that the crystal belongs to the monoclinic system. Microhardness studies revealed that the hardness of the grown crystal increases with an increase in load. Meyer's index number n was calculated and it was found that the material belongs to soft material category. Etching studies were made on the crystal surface. © Printed in India.