To provide a method for dividing a composite body composed of a substrate and a first member fixed on part of the lower surface of the substrate, wherein the composite body is transported and accurately divided with a high yielding ratio without deforming or damaging the substrate, when a first region having the first member thereon and a second region having no first member thereon are divided by simultaneously shearing them by means of a first rigid element and a second rigid element.

The first rigid element 104 has a horizontal surface 1042 on which the composite body 103 is put and a non-horizontal surface 1043 on which the composite body 103 is not put. The horizontal surface 1042 and the non-horizontal surface 1043 have a horizontal straight line edge 1041 formed thereon. The composite body 103 is divided by lowering the second rigid element from the upper surface of the substrate, while setting the part of the horizontal straight line edge 1041 located on the non-horizontal surface 1043 to the first region having the first member 102 of the composite body 103 thereon or to both of the first region and part of the second region having no first member 102 thereon, and further setting the part of the horizontal straight line edge 1041 located on the horizontal surface 1042 to the remaining second region.