Abstract: The taper of narrow faces of a plate-type mold is controlled for the production of steel castings in slab form, wherein the plates of the mold are cooled by a liquid coolant and wherein the narrow faces can be adjusted between wide faces of the mold. Initially, the temperature of the coolant is measured at a coolant outlet of each plate of the mold. A cooling surface-related specific temperature value is then formed from each measured temperature. The specific temperature values of opposite plates are compared. The specific temperature values of each plate are compared with the specific temperature values of the adjoining plates. When a difference between the specific temperature values occurs, an adjustment value having a magnitude of the difference in values is applied to a drive of the narrow face which provides the lower temperature value, such that the taper of the narrow face is increased.