To provide rolling equipment provided with a rough rolling mill under a drafting volume beyond a biting angle of friction.

When a slab is bitten into the rolling mill under a drafting volume beyond a biting angle of friction, a first rough rolling mill 103-1 rolls twice the tip end of the slab and a second rolling mill 103-2 meshes the slab with the roll, by forced rolling through the slab with the first rough rolling mill and after the tip end is meshed, the slab is drawn into the roll with a frictional force. Against the large rolling torque generated in the rolling under the drafting volume beyond the biting angle of friction, vertical roll driving mechanisms 8, 8' are situated horizontally, sandwiching the rolls 2, 2' to protect vertical couplings 5, 5' from interfering with each other and by this way, the torque transmission capacity of the vertical roll driving mechanism is increased by making the external diameter of the coupling d2 larger than the rolling diameter d.