A method and a device determine a surface temperature of an inductively heated roller shell. A current is induced in the roller shell by an induction coil. An actual value of the surface temperature is determined from at least one measured parameter of an electrical circuit of the induction coil by means of stored data. In order to be able to determine shell temperatures of the roller shell that are as exact as possible without large dispersion, the induction coil is connected to a capacitor in the electrical circuit in order to form an oscillating circuit, wherein the oscillating circuit is operated at an alternating-voltage frequency in the range of 3000 Hz to 30,000 Hz.