Roll consumption is a substantial fraction of the cost of rolled products. Nonetheless, to date insufficient attention has been given to studying ways of reducing roll consumption and mechanisms of roll wear. In primary mills Nos. i and 2 of the Krivorozhstal' plant investigators studied the magnitude and character of pass wear on the rolls of the 1250 and 1300 blooming mills in the width and thickness directions. Ingots weighing 8.0-8.5 tons are rolled on the 1250 mill (No. I) while 8.5-12.5-ton ingots are rolled on the 1300 mill (No. 2). Ingots are heated in shop No. I in center-fired recuperative soaking pits and in shop No. 2 in recuperative pits with a single roof burner. Depending on the grade of steel, the soaking temperature for the ingots is 1310-1360 and 1290-1310~ The rolled blooms are 300 x 300 and 360 x 360 mm in cross section