PURPOSE: To suppress the meandering in a short time in the case the meandering occurs in a heating furnace of a continuous annealing furnace.

CONSTITUTION: In the case the meandering occurs at a hearth roll 1B in the heating furnace K, the steel strip W temp. is raised by ΔTDF°C directly fired heating zone 2 and the temp. of a hearth roll chamber 11 is cooled by ΔTR°C and the difference between these is made to be within ΔT. The temp. at the center part of the hearth roll 1B is raised by contacting this temp. raised steel strip W with the meandering-occurring hearth roll 1B, and the edge parts of the hearth roll 1B are cooled by cooling in the hearth roll chamber 11 to give the crown, and the meandering of the steel strip W is suppressed.