The ships had a raised forecastle and quarterdeck, and as was typical for French warships of the period, they featured a pronounced ram bow.

Coal storage amounted to 115 long tons (117 t),[5] which provided a cruising radius of 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).

[3] The ships were armed with a main battery of one 100 mm (3.9 in) gun in a pivot mount forward.

D'Iberville was also armed with six 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes, while Cassini and Casabianca only received three; all of the vessels carried them in their hulls above the waterline.

Cassini and Casabianca had a deck that was uniformly 20 mm thick, including the sloped sides.

[5] D'Iberville had her torpedo tubes removed in 1896, and had additional Hotchkiss guns installed in their place.