AbstractThe cold rolling of rectangular section slabs is analysed for a range of width‐to‐height ratios (one to three) for which spread of the workpiece is appreciable. This necessitates the use of a three‐dimensional model. An elastic‐plastic finite‐element method is used to provide a complete description of the slab rolling process.The pressure distribution at the workpiece/roll interface is found to show the typical ‘friction‐hill’ observed in near‐plane‐strain experiments, but the pressure varies across the width of the interface. The shear‐stress distribution at the roll interface provides detailed information about the ‘neutral line’ which is usually assumed to occur where the shear stress changes direction. The 3‐D analysis shows clearly that there is a flow divide in both longitudina