Metal gasket with coolant contact areas

A metal gasket to be used by being interposed between opposed surfaces of a cylinder block and a cylinder head fixed to the cylinder block, the gasket comprising:

• a pair of bead plates formed by elastic metal plates and intermediate plates interposed between said bead plates,
• said bead plates and said intermediate plates being provided with combustion chamber bores,
• said bead plates being provided with beads along the circumferential edges of said combustion chamber bores,
• portions of said bead plates in which the temperature becomes locally high being provided with coolant-contact areas which the cooling water flowing in water jackets formed in said cylinder head and said cylinder block contacts,
• said coolant-contact areas of said bead plates being provided with annular half beads surrounding said coolant-contact areas,
• said coolant-contact areas within said annular half beads of said bead plates being provided with holes, the surfaces of the portions of said intermediate plates which are opposed to said holes contact the cooling water flowing in said water jackets, and
• said holes in said coolant-contact area of said bead plate being formed in the bead plate that is positioned on the side of said cylinder head.