An apparatus for slitting a hot rolled process section having parallel bars connected to together along at least one of their lengthwise edges, while the process section is moving longitudinally along a rolling line. The apparatus comprises first and second pairs of upper and lower rotatably driven slitting rollers positioned sequentially along the rolling line, with the slitting rollers of each pair being and arranged to engage opposite sides of the process section. The slitting rollers of the first pair have profiles configured to break the connection between at least some of the bars of the process section while allowing the connections between other bars of the process section to remain intact, and the slitting rollers of the second pair have profiles configured to break the remaining intact connections between the other bars of the process section.