"Malaya" had a length overall of , a beam of and a deep draught of . She had a normal displacement of and displaced at deep load. She was powered by two sets of Brown-Curtis steam turbines, each driving two shafts, using steam from 24 Yarrow boilers. The turbines were rated at and intended to reach a maximum speed of . "Malaya" had a range of at a cruising speed of . Her crew numbered 1,217 officers and ratings in 1919.