Geranium had a displacement of 1,250 tons. She was long between perpendiculars, in length overall, had a beam of , and a draught of .[citation needed] The propulsion system consisted of two coal-fired cylindrical boilers supplying steam to a four-cylinder triple expansion engine, connected to a single propeller shaft.[citation needed]. Maximum speed was , and the ship could a achieve a range of .[citation needed] Up to 250 tons of coal could be carried.