Abstract: A method and apparatus for removing oxide scale from the surface of hot-rolled stainless steel strip comprises uncoiling the steel strip coil, removing the coil bias and cracking the surface scale in a first scalebreaking apparatus, flattening the strip by removing edge wave and center buckle to a flatness approaching table top flat, the tolerable deviation therefrom depending upon the gauge of the strip, pre-cleaning the strip, pickling the strip in a series of turbulent flow pickle tanks using a dilute acid, such as hydrochloric acid, desirably in the presence of an acid accelerator, rinsing the pickled strip with water, vigorously brushing the pickled strip for removing adherent alloying element oxide films not removable by dilute acid pickling, drying the pickled strip, inspecting the strip, electrostatically oiling the strip and recoiling the strip.