Hot uncoiling of metal

A method for heat-treating a coil of metal, the method comprising:

• heating the coil of metal within furnace heating section of a furnace to elevate a temperature of the metal to be within a pre-heated temperature range corresponding to a homogenizing temperature range or an annealing temperature range;
• unwinding the coil of metal in a heated state in which the metal is within the pre-heated temperature range or before the metal has cooled past a threshold amount of 50° C. or less below the pre-heated temperature range, wherein the unwinding produces an unwound portion of the coil;
• between the heating of the coil and at least a part of the unwinding of the coil, transporting the coil between the furnace heating section that performed the heating of the coil and an unwinding location;
• and
• quenching the unwound portion of the coil to reduce a temperature of the unwound portion to a quenched temperature range within a predetermined amount of time less than 20 seconds, wherein the quenching produces a quenched portion.