Abstract: A new multivariable decoupling control strategy is developed for looper height and tension control system of hot strip finishing mills.The stability of the closed-loop system is determined by the locus of characteristic transfer function.Also,coupling degree among the variables is determined by the angle misalignment curve.Using the controller designed with the characteristic locus method,the coupling degree between looper height and tension control system is reduced farthest.Finally,simulation results obtained with the Simulink toolbox of the Matlab language show that the decoupled multivariable control system has better performance.