A mask blank has a structure where a thin film for pattern formation and a hard mask film are stacked in this order on a transparent substrate, featured in that the thin film is formed of a material containing chromium, the hard mask film includes a stacked structure of a lower layer and an upper layer, the lower layer is formed of a material containing silicon and oxygen, the upper layer is formed of a material containing tantalum and oxygen with an oxygen content of 30 atom % or more, and the ratio of a thickness of the upper layer relative to a total thickness of the hard mask film is 0.7 or less.