Abstract: A honeycomb body, especially a particulate filter, particularly for motor vehicle exhaust purification, includes inner walls defining passages with an entry and exit. Cavities free of walls in at least one subregion contain at least one spherical free space having a largest cross-sectional area at least 10 times a cross-sectional area of the passages in the subregion. The honeycomb body is wound, twisted or layered from at least one metal sheet having layers with a structuring forming the passages, at least in the subregion. The sheet-metal layers have holes with an area greater than 10 times the cross-sectional area of the passages in the subregion. The holes form cavities in at least 5 successive layers overlapping with an area at least 10 times the cross-sectional area of the passages in the subregion. The holes are double or more than triple the hydraulic diameter of the passages opening into the cavity.