The Provence class was designed as an enlarged version of the Gloire-class ironclads with thicker armor, more powerful guns, and better seakeeping qualities.
The ships had an overall length of 80.72 meters (264 ft 10 in), with a beam of 17 meters (55 ft 9 in), and a draft of 7.7–8.8 meters (25 ft 3 in–28 ft 10 in), depending on the load.
They displaced between 5,700–6,000 metric tons (5,600–5,900 long tons).
Like most ironclads of their era they were equipped with a metal-reinforced ram.
They had a crew of 579–594 officers and enlisted men.

The ships of the Provence class had a single horizontal-return connecting-rod compound steam engine that drove a single propeller shaft, using steam provided by eight boilers.
The engine was rated at 1,000 nominal horsepower or 3,200 metric horsepower (2,400 kW) and was intended to give the ships a speed in excess of 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph).
The other ships of the class achieved speeds of 13.2–16.5 knots (24.4–30.6 km/h; 15.2–19.0 mph) from 2,918–3,895 metric horsepower (2,146–2,865 kW) during their sea trials.
The Provence class carried enough coal to allow them to steam for 2,410 nautical miles (4,460 km; 2,770 mi) at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).
They were fitted with a three-masted barque rig that had a sail area of 1,960 square meters (21,100 sq ft).
The Provence class was designed as an enlarged version of the Gloire-class ironclads with thicker armor, more powerful guns, and better seakeeping qualities. The ships had an overall length of 80.72 meters (264 ft 10 in), with a beam of 17 meters (55 ft 9 in), and a draft of 7.7–8.8 meters (25 ft 3 in–28 ft 10 in), depending on the load. They displaced between 5,700–6,000 metric tons (5,600–5,900 long tons). Like most ironclads of their era they were equipped with a metal-reinforced ram. They had a crew of 579–594 officers and enlisted men.
The ships of the Provence class had a single horizontal-return connecting-rod compound steam engine that drove a single propeller shaft, using steam provided by eight boilers. The engine was rated at 1,000 nominal horsepower or 3,200 metric horsepower (2,400 kW) and was intended to give the ships a speed in excess of 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph). The other ships of the class achieved speeds of 13.2–16.5 knots (24.4–30.6 km/h; 15.2–19.0 mph) from 2,918–3,895 metric horsepower (2,146–2,865 kW) during their sea trials. The Provence class carried enough coal to allow them to steam for 2,410 nautical miles (4,460 km; 2,770 mi) at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). They were fitted with a three-masted barque rig that had a sail area of 1,960 square meters (21,100 sq ft).
French ironclad Revanche