PURPOSE: To provide a wire rod unwinding device capable of smoothly paying out a single-layer multiplex winding of core-less coil type wire rod under stable operation, without any influence due to the tension of the wire rod, the overlap thereof or the like.

CONSTITUTION: This device is formed out of an oscillation arm 21 for guiding a wire rod 6 from a turntable 1 to the next process and setting the horizontal reference position of a wire rod travel passage 7 relative to the turntable 1, a potentiometer 35 for detecting the horizontal displacement of the passage 7 from the reference position thereof, and a rotary encoder 26 for detecting the linear velocity of the wire rod 6 as paid out. In addition, the device is provided with a rotating speed control device 5 for establishing a proportional relationship between the rotating speed of the turntable 1 and the linear velocity of the wire rod 6, initially setting the proportionality constant thereof, and operating a variable speed motor 3, so as to keep the rotating speed of the turntable 1 on the basis of rotating speed-related output computed depending on the displacement of the passage 7 detected with the potentiometer 35.