The invention relates to an apparatus for sampling rolled metal strips wound up into a coil (1), in particular in the thickness range of >12 mm, comprising a coil rotator and an apparatus (6) for separating the sample from the metal strip (4), characterized in that the coil rotator has at least two rotatable supports (2, 3), preferably trough rollers arranged in a lower quadrant of the coil (1) lying on the coil rotator, and also an outer guide (5) for the metal strip, the outer guide (5) extending angularly around the coil (1) by more than 180° in a region downstream of the downstream support (3) in an unwinding direction of the metal strip and is provided with means (7) for reducing friction of the metal strip on an inner surface of the outer guide (5). Furthermore, the invention relates to a method of sampling rolled metal strips wound up into a coil (1), in particular in the thickness range of >12 mm, with a coil rotator and an apparatus (6) for separating the sample from the metal strip, preferably by an apparatus according to the invention.