The T-72's all-welded hull is divided into three main compartments with the driver at the front, fighting compartment in the center, and the engine and transmission at the rear. The tank commander and gunner sit in the turret with the commander on the right and the gunner on the left.

The turrets of older former Soviet Union tanks rotate much slower than those on US and NATO tanks. It takes more than 21 seconds for T-70-series tank turrets to rotate through a full 360°.

The T-90-series tank turrets can rotate a full 360° in just 6 seconds, which is as fast as the US M1 Abrams and M2 BFV.

Recognition features:

• Six large evenly-spaced road wheels on each side with the drive sprocket at the rear, idler at the front and three return rollers.
• Two optional drum-type fuel tanks that can be fitted to the vehicle for an increased operational range.
• An unditching beam carried at the rear.
• A snorkel for deep fording that is carried on the left side of the turret to the rear.
• A commander's cupola with a periscope and an infrared searchlight on each side.
• A gunner's hatch mounted with two observation periscopes. An infrared searchlight is mounted in front and to the left of this hatch along with a laser rangefinder.
• Another infrared searchlight mounted on the right side of the main armament.
• A single loader's hatch to the right of the turret with a periscope that can operate to the front or rear.
• A driver's single hatch cover, in front of which is a wide-angle observation periscope.
• Two light-steel stowage boxes mounted on the turret, one at the rear and the other on the right.
• Integrated fuel, oil and storage containers along each side of the hull that give the fenders a streamlined shape.
• An oil cell and stowage boxes on the top left side of the hull.
• Four removable armored skirt plates fitted over the forward part of the track for additional protection.
• A dozer blade mounted under the nose.
• A searchlight and infrared headlamp mounted to the rear of the deflector, on the right side.
• Turret rails.
• A box-like radiation detector/actuator mounted on the right side of the turret behind the compressed air tanks.
• A blower mounted at the rear of the turret.
• A sharply-sloped glacis made of a new laminate armor 200mm thick and a V-shaped water and debris deflector mounted to the glacis plate.