A fuel assembly for a nuclear reactor comprises a fuel bundle in which a number of fuel rods are regularly arranged and a channel box surrounding the outer periphery of the fuel bundle. The interior of the channel box is designed so that the inner cross sectional area of the channel box increases from the upstream side of the coolant flow towards the downstream side thereof, for example, by stepwisely shaving the inner surface of the channel box. The corner portions of the channel box may be chamfered to improve the stress due to the inner pressure.
