In hot strip rolling, sound prediction of the temperature of the strip is vital for achieving the desired finishing mill draft temperature (FDT). In this paper, a precision on-line model for the prediction of temperature distributions along the thickness of the strip in the finishing mill is presented. The model consists of an analytic model for the prediction of temperature distributions in the inter-stand zone, and a semi-analytic model for the prediction of temperature distributions in the bite zone in which thermal boundary conditions as well as heat generation due to deformation are predicted by finite element-based, approximate models. The prediction accuracy of the proposed model is examined through comparison with predictions from a finite element process model. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.