The men's eight competition at the 1936 Summer Olympics took place at Grünau Regatta Course in Berlin, Germany.

The victory was the fifth consecutive gold medal in the event for the United States and seventh overall; the Americans had won every time they competed (missing 1908 and 1912).

The final race, men's eights, was won by a working-class United States team from the University of Washington who, in what had become their trademark, started slow and outsprinted the competition to an exceedingly close finish, with only one second separating the top three finishers at the end of a six-and-a-half minute race.

The American crew this year came from the University of Washington, which had won the 1936 Intercollegiate Rowing Association Regatta.

Canada, Great Britain, and the United States each made their seventh appearance, tied for most among nations to that point.

The competition continued to use the three-round format used in 1932, with two main rounds (semifinals and a final) and a repechage.