The men's quadruple sculls competition at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia took place at Lake Lanier.

The "scull" portion means that each rower uses two oars, one on each side of the boat; this contrasts with sweep rowing in which each rower has one oar and rows on only one side.

All other boats progress to the repechage round, which offers a second chance to qualify for the semi-finals.

The best three boats in each of the two semi-finals qualify for final A, which determines places 1–6 (including the medals).

Unsuccessful boats from semi-finals A/B go forward to final B, which determines places 7–12 The first 3 boats in each heat advanced to the semifinals, remainder went to the repechage.