Editing Cruiser (section)

===Pre-dreadnought armored cruisers===
{{main|Armored cruiser}}
Steel also affected the construction and role of armored cruisers. Steel meant that new designs of battleship, later known as [[pre-dreadnought battleship]]s, would be able to combine firepower and armor with better endurance and speed than ever before. The armored cruisers of the 1890s and early 1900s greatly resembled the battleships of the day; they tended to carry slightly smaller main armament ({{convert|7.5|to|10|in|mm|adj=on}} rather than 12-inch) and have somewhat thinner armor in exchange for a faster speed (perhaps {{convert|21|to|23|kn|km/h}} rather than 18). Because of their similarity, the lines between battleships and armored cruisers became blurred.