In this study, field survey sampling, laboratory analysis, and spatial analysis were used to explore the spatial differentiation characteristics of soil gravels in typical tobacco growing areas of Yuxi City, Yunnan Province, and its correlations with soil type, terrain slope, and soil texture, in order to provide scientific basis for the selection of characteristic small production areas and the production of high-quality tobacco leaves. The results showed that the proportion of soils containing gravels was relatively high, accounted for more than two-thirds of the total soils; Soil gravel content was highly diverse in different regions, which was the highest in Jiangchuan District, followed by Huaning County, and the lowest in Eshan County. Soil gravel content varied significantly between different typical villages and different soil families, which was related to the regional distribution of soil parent materials. Gravel contents were higher in yellow red soil and red soil derived from basic crystalline salt rocks, lateritic soils and lateritic paddy soils derived from carbonate rocks, while were lower in soils derived from purple sand, shale weathering debris and alluvial parent materials. There was no significant correlation between soil gravel content and terrain slope. Gravel content varied among different soil group types, the highest in red soil, followed by paddy soil, and the lowest in purple soil, but highly variable in all the three soil groups. Gravel content was lower in soils with clay, silty clay loam, and silty loam textures, but higher in soils with sandy loam, loam, and clay loam textures. In conclusion, gravel contents in different regions are varied with the distribution of different parent rocks/materials and soil characteristics at different stages of soil formation process of ferritization and allitization of the weathering crusts, and slope erosion of mountains also leads soil coarsening.