Compared to previous armoring systems, "all or nothing" ships had thicker armor covering a smaller proportion of the hull.

The ironclad battleship launched in 1876 had featured a heavily armored central citadel, with relatively unarmored ends; however, by the era of , battleships were armored over the length of the ship with varying zones of heavy, moderate or light armor. The U.S. Navy adopted what was formally called "all or nothing" armor in the Standard-type battleships,