[citation needed] The Fiat CR.20 was a sesquiplane fighter that possessed considerable military, aerodynamic, and static characteristics at the time of its introduction.

The ribs employed an arrangement of triangular bracing composed of thin duralumin tubes while the wing spars formed box girders, consisting of two metal strips that were riveted together.

The stress distribution was designed to require the least possible variation in the cross section of the spars to form a girder of near uniform strength.

[6] The wing struts were composed of sheet metal in a conventional manner and possessed an aspect ratio of 2.5, as was then typically used on Fiat-built aircraft.

The mounting for the engine was relatively simplistic in terms of its design; however, attention was paid to providing good accessibility for various elements, including the magnetos, water, fuel, and oil pumps and most aspects of the power plant.

This arrangement was partially attributable for the flying qualities of the aircraft, such as its ability to achieve relatively high speeds for the era.

The front end of the engine was specifically shaped to facilitate the installation of the radiator and thus achieve optimal efficacy, weight, and bulk, as well as protection of vulnerable elements from enemy fire.

[10] Considerable attention was paid to maximising the safety of the aircraft across various aspects, as well as to avoid necessitating high piloting skills to operate it.

[5] Special attention was paid to the positioning of both the fuel and oil tanks with respect to the vertical line that passed through the aircraft's centre of gravity, as well as the location of the landing gear in order to lessen the tendency to capsize on rough ground.

[11] During September 1926, official testing of the CR.20 was performed at Montecelio; various aspects of the aircraft, including its manoeuvrability, ease of operation, responsive controls, and perfect equilibrium in flight, were commonly identified by early pilots.