A spiral overlay for a conveyor belt includes a plurality of wire spirals assembled together in intermeshing relationship on connecting rods to provide a conveying surface and an opposing surface with a belt thickness extending in the vertical direction. Each of said wire spirals formed of a single length of wire and forming a helix extending laterally across the belt, said spiral comprising opposed arcuate linking bends at a forward end and a rearward end along the longitudinal axis, and at least one intermediate loop formed between said opposed arcuate linking bends and disposed within the belt thickness, said spirals arranged relative to one another such that said linking bends of one spiral are intermeshed with linking bends of an immediately adjacent one of said spirals and said intermeshed linking bends of adjacent spirals are adapted to receive one of the connecting rods to operatively connect said spirals.