The 36-pounder long gun was the largest piece of artillery mounted on French warships of the Age of Sail.

Installed on the lower deck of the larger warships, the 36-pounder long gun was the largest caliber used in the Navy of the Age of the Sail.

Attempts to use 48-pounders were made, for instance on Royal Louis, but these proved impractical to use on ships, partly because their weight allowed for only a few pieces, and because the heavy balls were unwieldy to load by hand.

French warships began to carry 36-pounders under Louis XIV, with the reform of the Navy undertaken by Richelieu.

The 36-pounders of the 1820s were fitted with flintlock primers, and those produced in this era featured a characteristic ring on the pommel.