A method and apparatus for the descaling of metal surfaces without the use of caustic substances is provided. The apparatus includes a first and second blast heads containing fan shaped nozzles that spray high velocity jets of smooth edged, ceramic media at a scale covered continuous sheet of steel. The continuous sheet of steel is advanced into an abrading station containing a pair of brush assemblies that include stainless steel bristled brushes. The stainless steel brushes engage the surface of the sheet of steel and abrade away the cracked scale, leaving a surface clean of scale. The surface produced is pH neutral and therefore resists additional corrosion and does not require oil coatings, or other protective treatments. The metal surface is produced with a roughness that is less than 2.5 microns Ra without stretching, polishing, cold-rolling or the use of acid pickling. Eliminating these steps makes for a faster, more robust process and saves considerable cost.