A process for producing a high-carbon hot-rolled steel sheet which is a hot-rolled spheroidized annealed material, which comprises a step in which a steel containing 0.2-0.7 mass% carbon is hot-rolled at a finish temperature not lower than [(transformation point Ar3)-20 DEG C] to form a hot-rolled sheet, a step in which the hot-rolled sheet is cooled to a temperature of 650 DEG C or lower at a cooling rate of 60-120 DEG C/sec, excluding 120 DEG C/sec, a step in which the hot-rolled sheet after cooling is wound up at a winding temperature of 600 DEG C or lower, and a step in which the hot-rolled sheet after winding is annealed at an annealing temperature of from 640 DEG C to the transformation point Ac1. The high-carbon hot-rolled steel sheet thus obtained is excellent in both of stretch flangeability and evenness of hardness in the sheet-thickness direction.