In the title compound, C15H10ClNO3, a substituted chalcone, the dihedral angle between the benzene rings is 5.1 (7)°. The nitro group makes a dihedral angle of 12.5 (3)° with the benzene ring to which it is attached. In the crystal, weak C—H⋯O interactions link the molecules into a one-dimensional array along [010]. The crystal studied was an inversion twin, with a refined ratio for the twin components of 0.6060 (9):0.3939 (1).