"Frauenlob" was long overall and had a beam of and a draft of forward. She displaced normally and up to at full combat load. Her propulsion system consisted of two triple-expansion steam engines manufactured by AG Weser. They were designed to give , for a top speed of . The engines were powered by eight coal-fired Marine-type water-tube boilers. "Frauenlob" carried of coal, which gave her a range of at . She had a crew of 14 officers and 256 enlisted men.