Abstract: The present invention is a method and apparatus for the production of thin metal strip by the hot rolling process. Significant improvements in the finished products can be made by the arrangement of the apparatus and the method of the present invention. The apparatus of the present invention is a metal processing line having a roughing reversing mill stand and a finishing reversing mill stand, each with different sized working rolls. A heating furnace precedes each mill stand. The apparatus in the present invention has the advantages of producing desired thin metal strip in the thickness range of about 0.4 to about 1.2 mm at temperatures appropriate for the specific metal being rolled.