greater than the height of the bead namely the width of the bead a10b is relatively wide the lower plate a11 is situated under the upper plate a10 the lower plate a11 is provided with a hole a11a for the cylinder hole hc and a bead a11b around the hole a11a the height of the bead a11b is substantially the same as that of the bead a10b while the width of the bead a11b is shorter than that of the bead a10b however the height of the bead a11b may be shorter than that of the bead a10b when the upper and lower plates a10 a11 are assembled the bead a11b is located in a space under the bead a10b preferably in the middle of the bead a10b the bead a11b abuts against the lower surface of the bead a10b when the gasket a is situated between a cylinder head and a cylinder block both not shown and is tightened the beads a10b a11b are compressed since the bead a10b is supported by the bead a11b the middle portion of the bead a10b does not dent when the gasket a is strongly compressed the bead a10b as well as the bead a11b deform at the same time the strong and even sealing pressure is formed over the entire area of the bead a10b with an aid of the bead.