Abstract Digitalization is becoming increasingly common in the steel industry. Formerly developed models of individual phenomenon or separate sub-processes are being further developed into wider complexes where multiple models are coupled together. Virtual rolling automation, which can be used to control a finite-element rolling model, is a new element in these complexes. The automation enables to model the variations caused by the process adjustment. It must be taken in the account that neither the model nor the industrial process are ideal, but there are limitations in the attainable accuracy in both cases. Inclusion of the new automation control in the FE-model introduces new requirements: the setup calculations for all six rolling stands and the automation logic adjustments must perform within the model. The focus of the current article is prediction of the roll force and the virtual rolling automation of six stand finishing mill.