A theoretical and experimental analysis was made of the conditions of formation of honeycomb bubbles during the solidificatin of 19-ton steel ingots. The process of gas formation was considered from the standpoint of the conditions of development of physicochemical processes in the diffusion layer at the crystallization front. The volume of carbon monoxide liberated during solidification greatly exceeds the volume of honeycomb bubbles which form, as a result of which the pressure in the ingot increases. A comparison of the linear rate of growth of a honeycomb bubble with the rate of solidification of the ingot made it possible to determine the thickness of the dense, bubble-free rust.