To provide an image forming apparatus in which the cleaning performance by a cleaning blade to an intermediate transfer belt having an elastic layer is secured, and at the same time, the elastic layer exhibits sufficient softness and the transferability is thereby enhanced in a transfer part.

Isocyanate molecules are infiltrated from the surface of an elastic layer of urethane rubber and a heat treatment is carried out to cure a surface layer of the elastic layer. The viscoelasticity of the elastic layer is enhanced by the curing treatment, consequently the hardness of the elastic layer is extremely enhanced to pressurization of a high time constant when the elastic layer passes on a cleaning blade, meanwhile the soft property of the elastic layer is maintained to pressurization of a low time constant when the elastic layer passes through a secondary transfer part. Thus, the cleaning performance by the cleaning blade is remarkably enhanced without deteriorating the transferability of a toner image.