The invention is directed to a method for determining the actual torque (M_act) developed by an internal combustion engine by evaluating the trace of the rpm (n) of the crankshaft of the engine. The method is simple, operates rapidly and requires especially little computation power. An index (A) for the actual torque (M_act) can be determined from the rpm (n) in different ways. The actual torque (M_act), which is developed by the engine, is determined from the index (A). The index (A) can be determined in a work stroke of a cylinder of the engine from: (a) the difference of the areas (F1, F2) between the trace of the rpm (n) and the mean rpm (n_) or from the ratio of the areas (F1, F2); (b) the difference or the ratio of the extremes (E1, E2) of the maximum or minimum rpms (n) to each other; and (c) the difference or the ratio of the extremes (E1, E2) and the mean rpm (n_).