A method of manufacturing a steel wire material that contains 0.05%-1.2% C (“%” means “% by mass,” same hereinafter for chemical components.), 0.01%-0.7% Si, 0.1%-1.5% Mn, 0.02% max. P (not including 0%), 0.02% max. S (not including 0%), and 0.005% max. N (not including 0%), with the remainder being iron and unavoidable impurities. The steel wire material has a scale 6.0-20 μm thick and holes of an equivalent circle diameter of 1 μm max. in said scale that occupy 10% by area max. Said scale does not detach in the cooling process after hot rolling or during storage or transportation but can readily detach during mechanical descaling.