Apparatus for continuously casting metal strip includes a pair of counter-rotatable casting rolls laterally positioned to form a nip there between through which thin strip can be cast, a pair of confining side dams adjacent the ends of the casting rolls capable of confining a casting pool of molten metal supported on the casting rolls above the nip, each side dam having a surface capable of contacting the molten metal of the casting pool, with unraised portions and raised portions to form troughs with the unraised portions as base between the raised portion of the side dam and the casting surfaces of the casting rolls to guide the flow of molten metal, and a metal delivery system disposed above the nip and capable of discharging molten metal to form the casting pool supported on the casting rolls.