Strip shape control theory has been developed into a relatively accurate system. However, for ultra-thin strip rolling, strip shape control is still a bottleneck affecting production. The most important problem is that the transverse flow mechanism of the metal is not accurate. In this study, based on the theory of ultra-thin strip rolling proposed by Fleck, a new metal transverse displacement model is developed using the minimum energy principle. To verify the accuracy of the new model, experiments and finite element analyses were carried out. For the transverse flow of a thin strip, grids with a line thickness of 10 μm and clear boundaries were successfully manufactured on the strip surface using lithography. The transverse displacement for different working conditions was measured after rolling. For ultra-thin strip rolling, the distribution of the transverse flow is analyzed using FEA. Finally, a comparison shows that the calculations from the new model are more consistent with the measured value and the simulation results, verifying the accuracy of the new model.