Transverse bending, a common shape defect of hot-rolled strips, is generally controlled based on experience, which lacks quantitative study. This leads to some production problems such as difficult feeding and surface scratching in subsequent processes. Based on the principle of elastic mechanics, the mechanism of transverse bending in the process of uncoiling is studied and an analytical model is established. Then the relationship between transverse bending and influence factors, including the curvature radius of longitudinal bending, strip width and strip thickness, is obtained. The study indicates that the transverse bending is caused by longitudinal bending before uncoiling. And the strip width and the curvature radius of longitudinal bending have a great influence on the transverse bending but the strip thickness has little influence. The transverse bending diminishes nonlinearly with the increase of curvature radius of longitudinal bending and increases nonlinearly with the increase of strip width.