The ships used a similar Krupp compound steel and teak armor protection scheme as in the preceding Siegfried class. The upper section of the main armored belt was thick in the central citadel of the ships, where the ships' vitals were located. Behind this was of teak, which gave a total thickness of . The bow and stern were unprotected. The lower section followed a similar pattern of steel armor distribution, although the thickness of the central portion of the belt was decreased to . The main armored deck was between and thick; more important areas of the ships were covered by the thicker armor. The conning tower roof was thick and the sides were . The barbettes for the main battery and cupolas for the secondary guns ranged in thickness between , backed by of teak.
