The glacis is well sloped, transversely ribbed and has a deep V splash-board. Integrated fuel cells and stowage containers give a streamlined appearance to the fenders. The low, rounded turret is centered on the hull. The commander’s cupola is on the right side of the turret; the gunner’s hatch is on the left side.

The turret has conventional cast armor with a maximum thickness of 280 mm, the nose is about 80 mm thick and the glacis is of a new laminate armor 200 mm thick, which when inclined gives between 500/600 mm of protection. Late production T-72 MBTs do however incorporate advanced armor protection in their turrets. There are two light steel stowage boxes mounted on the turret, one at the rear and the other on the right slightly behind the commander's position.

Main armament is a 125 mm 2A46 Smoothbore Main Gun fitted with a light alloy thermal sleeve and a bore evacuator. The thermal sleeve is a four section removable thermal shield. It has two sections in front of, and two sections to the rear of the mid-tube bore evacuator. The 125 mm 2A46 Smoothbore Main Gun is stabilized in both planes. The gun fires three main types of separate loading ammunition, APFSDS-T, HEAT-FS, and HE-FRAG (FS). Using the gunner's quadrant, the T-72 can fire HE-FRAG (FS) rounds in the indirect mode out to 9400 m. Of 39 rounds of ammunition carried,
12 are APFSDS-T, 21 HE-FRAG (FS) and the remaining 6 HEAT-FS. The ammunition is of the separate loading type with a consumable cartridge case; all that remains of the latter after firing is a stub. The additional rounds of ammunition are stowed in racks behind the turret basket and in indentations in the rear floor fuel cell and second forward right cell near the driver. The carousel automatic loader is mounted on the turret floor and on the rear wall of the turret. The projectile is loaded in the lower half of a carrier, the cartridge and propellant in the upper half. The carousel carries 24 ready use projectiles. A 7.62 mm PKT TMG is mounted coaxially to the right of the main armament and has 250 rounds of ready use ammunition. The T-72 mounts an infra-red searchlight on the right side of the main armament rather than the left as in the case of the earlier T-64. A 12.7 mm NSV AAMG is mounted on the commander's cupola. The 12.7 mm AAMG can, however, only be used with the commander exposing the upper part of his body. Maximum sight range in the ground-to-ground role is 2000 m; maximum sight range in the anti-aircraft role is 1500 m.

The T-72 normally carries an unditching beam at the rear. The T-72 mounts a dozer blade under the nose of the tank, to clear obstacles and prepare fire positions. Like most other former Soviet tanks, the T-72 can be fitted with mine-clearing equipment such as the KMT-5, KMT-6 and KMT-6 M2. The dozer blade can be brought into the operating position in 1-2 minutes and enables the tank to prepare its own defilade position without calling on engineer support. The T-72 is provided with an NBC system and can be fitted with a snorkel for deep fording. The snorkel is carried on the left side of the turret to the rear. The tank takes about 20 minutes to prepare for amphibious use and is ready for action within two minutes of leaving the water.