The ships' belt armor was thick amidships where it covered the machinery spaces and ammunition magazines; it was capped on either end by transverse bulkheads that were thick forward and aft. The belt was inclined at 15°24' from the vertical to increase its effectiveness against long-range fire, and it was backed with of teak planking. It consisted of a single strake of armor plate that was tall, of which was above the waterline. At its lower edge, the belt tapered to . The main armored deck was over the machinery spaces and increased to over the magazines, backed by a layer of steel plating. The lower armor deck was thick on the flat and increased to on the sloped sides that connected to the lower edge of the armor belt. The deck was increased in thickness to 100 mm over the propeller shafts and 150 mm over the steering gear.