Abstract: A packing ring for use between two surfaces to be sealed relative to each other is comprised of two ring components each of which is constituted by an assembly of ring segments which are provided with a projection at one end which engages a complementarily configured recess located at one end of an adjacent ring segment thereby providing a circumferentially extending interlocking of all segments of each ring. The ring segments of one ring are circumferentially staggered relative to the segments of the other ring by half a segment pitch, and each ring segment is provided with one or more recesses such that the respective recesses in the segments of the two rings are aligned in face-to-face relation so as to form a circumferential array of slots for receiving pressure springs.