A screw compressor element with a housing and two screw rotors that are affixed in the housing in a double cylindrical chamber provided to this end, whereby the housing is provided with an inlet opening on the inlet side of the screw compressor element, whereby the inlet opening extends in the cylindrical walls of the double cylindrical chamber with at least a section that extends in an axial direction, and a transverse section connecting thereto in the form of a strip that extends from the axial section on the inlet side to a side of the section in a direction transverse to the axial direction.