Abstract: To investigate the effects of controlled cooling processes on the microstructure, properties, and winter aging period of ø14 mm 82B wire rods for ultra-high strength prestressed steel strands, two controlled cooling processes were designed in this study. Process 1 adopted low roller speed and high fan power, with a slow cooling rate before phase transformation, and the controlled cooling curve did not exhibit a distinct phase transformation region. Process 2 employed high laying temperature, high roller speed, and high fan power, while reducing the roller speed in the insulation cover. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the wire rods were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, EBSD, and tensile testing machines. The results showed that by adjusting the roller speed and fan power to increase the cooling rate before phase transformation from 5.2 ℃/s to 13.8 ℃/s, the pearlite interlamellar spacing of the wire rods was refined by 19.8%, and the pearlite colony size was refined by 21%. Consequently, the tensile strength of the wire rods increased from 1 180 MPa to 1 252 MPa, with the refinement of interlamellar spacing contributing 76% to the strength improvement. The diffusion of hydrogen in the wire rods caused the reduction of area to increase with aging time. By extending the residence time of the wire rods in the medium-to-low temperature section of the Stelmor air cooling line, the initial reduction of area was increased by 50%, and the winter aging period was shortened to approximately 10 days. This provides a new approach for optimizing the controlled cooling process of large-gauge 82B wire rods.