To provide a metal detector for highly accurately detecting metal articles such as firearms and swords without passing through any inspector's hand regardless of electronic recording media or the like.

The metal detector for detecting metal possessed by a person to be inspected or an article to be inspected based on the change of a magnetic field generated in an inspection area includes: detection heads 28 having a detection area composed of detection coils surrounding the circumference of the person to be inspected or the article to be inspected in a direction intersected with a vertical line; and a lifting and lowering mechanism 13 for lifting and lowering the detection heads 28.