Abstract: A metallic cylinder head gasket with a pair of deformation limiters for protecting each sealing bead which circumscribes a gasket opening aligned with an engine cylinder. The gasket has at least a first cover plate, which includes the resilient beads, a shim and a ring member. The edge of the combination chamber aligned opening in the shim is displaced radially outwardly from the associated bead, and the bead is thus not aligned with the shim, and a ring member overlaps the shim in an annular region adjacent the edge of the opening in the shim to define an outer deformation limiter. The ring member extends radially inward to the edge of the gasket opening and has a region of increased thickness which defines the inner deformation limiter.