Belt for continuously variable transmission

A belt for a continuously variable transmission having a drive pulley and a driven pulley, the belt comprising right and left metal rings formed into endless bands and a plurality of metal elements positioned on the metal bands, wherein the belt is wrapped around the drive pulley and the driven pulley and transmits power from the drive pulley to the driven pulley;

• each of the metal elements comprising a neck part, right and left ring slots extending from the neck part in directions away from each other and open at the sides thereof facing V-faces of the drive pulley and the driven pulley, and the metal elements having saddle surfaces, radially inner surfaces of the right and left metal rings fitting into the ring slots with a gap in a lateral direction, in contact with the saddle surfaces of the ring slots,
• wherein a contact ratio determined by dividing a lateral width of the saddle surface by the lateral width of the metal ring is between an upper limit and a lower limit, the upper limit being defined as the contact ratio at which the contact ratio is decreased by increasing the lateral width of the metal rings, in a state in which lateral inner edges of the metal rings are in contact with the neck part of the metal elements, and an increase in transmission capacity due to the increase in lateral width of the metal rings is counterbalanced by a decrease in transmission capacity due to an overhang of the metal rings from the saddle surfaces, and the lower limit being defined as the contact ratio at which the contact ratio is decreased in a state in which the lateral inner edges of the metal rings are in contact with the neck part of the metal elements and lateral outer edges of the metal rings come into contact with at least one of the V-faces of the drive pulley and driven pulley.