<p>Rolling equipment in the steel industry frequently operates under extended periods of heavy loads and high speeds, often accompanied by loud noise and frequent vibration issues on site. These issues severely affect structural stability, product quality, and workplace comfort. Vibrational and acoustic metamaterials can effectively manipulate the propagation of elastic and acoustic waves, offering novel solutions for structural vibration mitigation and environmental noise reduction across various industries. This paper presents a review of recent advances in locally resonant (LR) structures, quasi-zero stiffness (QZS) configurations, and various types of sound-absorbing acoustic metamaterials and further analyzes their applications in rolling processes for reducing vibrations in hydraulic drives, structural components, and transmission shafts, as well as mitigating environmental noise. Additionally, the integration of machine learning and adaptive tuning mechanisms into tunable metamaterial structures is discussed as a promising approach toward multi-frequency, broadband, and real-time intelligent vibration control. Finally, the paper identifies key engineering challenges in practical deployment and highlights future research directions focused on lightweight and high-strength structural design, enhanced bandgap control precision, and integration of adaptive intelligent tuning system to enable the scalable industrial application of metamaterials in the steel manufacturing sector.</p>