Abstract: One set of four extensometers bolted onto opposite faces of two mill posts of a universal rolling mill stand are responsive to a total site strain caused by simultaneous application of horizontal- and vertical-roll forces in the mill stand. Extensometer output signals are corrected individually for a variable zero drift component. The four zero-corrected signals are resolved to provide simultaneous indications of sum and differences of horizontal-roll forces in the two mill posts, the same indications for the vertical-roll forces, and selective individual site and post strains.