Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were 226 m (741 ft 6 in) long at the waterline; Scharnhorst was 234.9 m (770 ft 8 in) long overall, while Gneisenau had a slightly shorter overall length, at 229.8 m (753 ft 11 in).
The ships both had a beam of 30 m (98 ft 5 in).
They were designed to displace 35,540 t (34,980 long tons), which would have given the ships a draft of 9.1 m (29 ft 10 in).
At standard displacement of 32,100 long tons (32,600 t), which reduced draft to 8.3 m (27 ft 3 in), while at a full combat load of 38,100 long tons (38,700 t), draft increased to 9.9 m (32 ft 6 in).
The ships' hulls were constructed from longitudinal steel frames, over which the outer hull plates were welded.
Their hulls contained 21 watertight compartments and had a double bottom for 79% of their length.

The German navy considered the ships to be poor sea boats; they were bow-heavy when fully equipped and very "wet" as high as the bridge.
This problem was mitigated to some extent by replacement of the straight stem with an "Atlantic bow" to both Gneisenau and Scharnhorst in January and August 1939 respectively; use of the "A" turret remained restricted in heavy seas.
The ships had rear problems as well; their stern was also frequently "wet" and the ships were very slow entering a turn.
They always required assistance from tugboats in shallow waters.
With the rudder hard over, the ships lost over 50% speed and heeled over more than 10°.
During trials, the ships heeled as much as 13° at hard rudder.

Scharnhorst and Gneisenau had a crew of between 56 to 60 officers and 1,613 to 1,780 enlisted men.
The crew was augmented by another 10 officers and 61 men when serving as a squadron flagship.
They carried a number of smaller watercraft, including two picket boats, two launches, two barges, two pinnaces, two cutters, two yawls, and two dinghies.
Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were 226 m (741 ft 6 in) long at the waterline; Scharnhorst was 234.9 m (770 ft 8 in) long overall, while Gneisenau had a slightly shorter overall length, at 229.8 m (753 ft 11 in). The ships both had a beam of 30 m (98 ft 5 in). They were designed to displace 35,540 t (34,980 long tons), which would have given the ships a draft of 9.1 m (29 ft 10 in). At standard displacement of 32,100 long tons (32,600 t), which reduced draft to 8.3 m (27 ft 3 in), while at a full combat load of 38,100 long tons (38,700 t), draft increased to 9.9 m (32 ft 6 in). The ships' hulls were constructed from longitudinal steel frames, over which the outer hull plates were welded. Their hulls contained 21 watertight compartments and had a double bottom for 79% of their length.
The German navy considered the ships to be poor sea boats; they were bow-heavy when fully equipped and very "wet" as high as the bridge. This problem was mitigated to some extent by replacement of the straight stem with an "Atlantic bow" to both Gneisenau and Scharnhorst in January and August 1939 respectively; use of the "A" turret remained restricted in heavy seas. The ships had rear problems as well; their stern was also frequently "wet" and the ships were very slow entering a turn. They always required assistance from tugboats in shallow waters. With the rudder hard over, the ships lost over 50% speed and heeled over more than 10°. During trials, the ships heeled as much as 13° at hard rudder.
Scharnhorst and Gneisenau had a crew of between 56 to 60 officers and 1,613 to 1,780 enlisted men. The crew was augmented by another 10 officers and 61 men when serving as a squadron flagship. They carried a number of smaller watercraft, including two picket boats, two launches, two barges, two pinnaces, two cutters, two yawls, and two dinghies.
Scharnhorst-class battleship