PURPOSE: To obtain a wire rod cooled uniformly in the longitudinal direction, by providing a guide of a rolled wire rod, and arranging the wire rod on a conveyor in a wave-form and at intervals of a prescribed pitch, and cooling it while carrying it.

CONSTITUTION: A guide 12 guiding and regulating a rolled wire rod 10 is reciprocated along the width direction of a conveyor 13. And the wire rod 10 is arranged on the conveyor 13 in a wave-form and at intervals of a prescribed pitch. Next, the wire rod 10 on the way of being carried is cooled by a forced cooling machine 14 provided to the midway of the conveyor 13. Thus, the unevenness of cooling in the longitudinal direction is prevented, and the quality of the wire rod 10 is made stable, and the length of cooling zone is made short.