To provide a method and an apparatus for finishing which enable the shape of a metal plate to be always accurately grasped and realize stable and highly accurate finishing process or the like of the metal plate.

In the method for finishing the metal plate, the dimensions of the metal plate A which is rolled with a hot rolling mill 3 and cooled on a cooling bed 5 are adjusted with shearing machines 30, 40, 50 of finishing means. The shearing parts of the metal plate A are determined (a) on the basis of a plane shape data measured about the metal plate A after being delivered from a hot leveler 4 and before entering the cooling bed 5 and (b) by taking the length of contraction on the basis of the temperature drop of the metal plate A between the above point of time when the plane shape is measured and the point of time when shearing is taken into consideration.