List of sail frigates of France

The tables excludes privateer frigates (i.e. those owned by individuals or business enterprises), which were not part of the Marine Royale, as well as frigates built for the French East India Company (Compagnie des Indes) unless the latter were subsequently acquired by the French Navy.

Note that throughout this article the term "-pounder" refers to French pre-metric units of weight - livres - which were almost 8% greater than UK/US units of the same name; every other maritime power likewise established its own system of weights and each country's 'pound' was different from that of every other nation.

Similarly French pre-metric units of length (pieds and pouces) were 6.575% longer than equivalent UK/US units of measurement (feet and inches); the pre-metric French pied ("foot") was equivalent to 324.8394 mm, whereas the UK/US foot equalled 304.8 mm.

During the American Revolutionary War, larger types carrying an 18-pounder or even 24-pounder main battery (and more secondary guns on the gaillards) were introduced, and following the French Revolution these became predominant.

French frigates were perceived as being away from port for limited periods; they had less room for storage of provisions for protracted overseas deployments, and they sacrificed durability for speed and ease of handling.

These generally carried 8-pounder guns in their lower deck battery, and were classed as fifth rank vessels (vaisseaux du cinquième rang).

These were single-decked unranked ships (i.e. classified as below the cinqième rang), carrying a battery of 6-pounder or 8-pounder guns on their sole gundeck.

The original programme had provided for a total of twenty-four vessels of this class, of which twenty were actually ordered between October 1793 and April 1794.

After 1815, French frigates continued to be graded according to the calibre of their main battery as frégates portant du 18, 24 or (after 1820) 30.

Note that four 74-gun ships of the line were cut down (razéed), all at Brest Dockyard) during the 1820s, to become 1st class frigates of 58 guns, retaining their two complete gundecks, but with the gaillards (quarter decks and forecastles) removed.