The two Dresden-class cruisers were 117.90 meters (386 ft 10 in) long at the waterline and 118.30 m (388 ft 1 in) long overall.
They had a beam of 13.50 m (44 ft 3 in) and a draft of 5.53 m (18 ft 2 in) forward.
They displaced 3,664 metric tons (3,606 long tons) as designed and up to 4,268 t (4,201 long tons; 4,705 short tons) at full load.
Their hulls were constructed with transverse and longitudinal steel frames.
The hulls contained thirteen watertight compartments and had a double bottom that extended for 47 percent of the length of the keel.

The ships were good sea boats, but they were crank and rolled up to twenty degrees.
They were also very wet at high speeds and suffered from a slight weather helm.
Nevertheless, the ships turned tightly and were very maneuverable.
In a hard turn, their speed fell up to 35 percent.
They had a transverse metacentric height of .59 m (1 ft 11 in).
Dresden and Emden had a crew of 18 officers and 343 enlisted men.
They carried a number of smaller boats, including one picket boat, one barge, one cutter, two yawls, and two dinghies.

Dresden's propulsion system consisted of two sets of Parsons steam turbines, designed to give 15,000 shaft horsepower (11,000 kW).
Emden, instead, was equipped with two triple expansion engines rated at 13,500 indicated horsepower (10,100 kW).
Both ships had a top speed of 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph).
In both vessels, the engines were powered by twelve coal-fired Marine-type water-tube boilers.
Both ships carried up to 860 metric tons (850 long tons) of coal, though their ranges were slightly different, owing to their different propulsion systems.
Dresden could steam for 3,600 nautical miles (6,700 km; 4,100 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph), while Emden had a range of 3,760 nmi (6,960 km; 4,330 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph).
Electrical power was supplied by three turbo generators that provided a total of 125 kilowatts at 110 volts.
The two Dresden-class cruisers were 117.90 meters (386 ft 10 in) long at the waterline and 118.30 m (388 ft 1 in) long overall. They had a beam of 13.50 m (44 ft 3 in) and a draft of 5.53 m (18 ft 2 in) forward. They displaced 3,664 metric tons (3,606 long tons) as designed and up to 4,268 t (4,201 long tons; 4,705 short tons) at full load. Their hulls were constructed with transverse and longitudinal steel frames. The hulls contained thirteen watertight compartments and had a double bottom that extended for 47 percent of the length of the keel.
The ships were good sea boats, but they were crank and rolled up to twenty degrees. They were also very wet at high speeds and suffered from a slight weather helm. Nevertheless, the ships turned tightly and were very maneuverable. In a hard turn, their speed fell up to 35 percent. They had a transverse metacentric height of .59 m (1 ft 11 in). Dresden and Emden had a crew of 18 officers and 343 enlisted men. They carried a number of smaller boats, including one picket boat, one barge, one cutter, two yawls, and two dinghies.
Dresden's propulsion system consisted of two sets of Parsons steam turbines, designed to give 15,000 shaft horsepower (11,000 kW). Emden, instead, was equipped with two triple expansion engines rated at 13,500 indicated horsepower (10,100 kW). Both ships had a top speed of 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph). In both vessels, the engines were powered by twelve coal-fired Marine-type water-tube boilers. Both ships carried up to 860 metric tons (850 long tons) of coal, though their ranges were slightly different, owing to their different propulsion systems. Dresden could steam for 3,600 nautical miles (6,700 km; 4,100 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph), while Emden had a range of 3,760 nmi (6,960 km; 4,330 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph). Electrical power was supplied by three turbo generators that provided a total of 125 kilowatts at 110 volts.
Dresden-class cruiser