A punch for a rotary press, which has a shaft and a head, wherein the head has an upper mirror surface, a cylinder surface and a rounded transition area between the mirror surface and cylinder surface with a first and a second radius, wherein the first radius is larger than the second radius and wherein the punch head also has a preferably conical transition area from the cylinder surface to the shaft, wherein the diameter of the head is less than 25 mm and the first radius of the transition area is selected such that its height is less than half the height of the cylinder surface.