A professional who operates roughing mill roll stands to reduce steel billets, blooms, and slabs to specified dimensions, using knowledge of rolling practices and steel properties. Respnsibilities include:

• Reads rolling order to determine setup specifications.
• Installs rolling equipment, such as roll stands, guides, bar turners, and repeaters on rolling line, using handtools, bars, levers, and sledges.
• Moves controls to set specified draft between rolls at each stand.
• Observes color of heated steel to determine rolling temperature and starts roughing stands.
• Examines product passing through mill for surface defects, such as scratches and cracks.
• Verifies specified gauge of product after each pass, using calipers.
• Gives directions to mill crew in readjusting roll draft and realigning guides.
• May set up and monitor computerized roughing roll stands.
• May be designated according to type of mill operated as bar mill rougher; hot-strip mill rougher; merchant mill rougher.