Method for determining a total wear of a mechanical brake of an electric drive, by means of which a suspended load can be moved, - wherein the total wear is brought about by braking operations of the brake, by means of which the electric drive can be braked from a respective movement, - wherein, in the event of a respective braking operation, a control device of the electric drive determines a respective actual state of the electric drive at the start of the respective braking operation, which actual state is characteristic for the energy to be applied by the brake in the context of the respective braking operation, - wherein the control device determines an anticipated individual wear of the brake for the respective braking operation on the basis of the actual state, - wherein the control device determines a new total wear of the brake on the basis of the determined individual wear in connection with the previous total wear of the brake, - wherein the control device, when determining the energy to be applied by the brake in the context of the respective braking operation, takes into consideration the rotary movement energy of the electric drive prevailing at the start of the respective braking operation and also a respective braking torque applied by the brake and a load torque acting on the electric drive, - wherein the rotary movement energy of the electric drive also comprises the movement energy of the load, - wherein either the drive is braked both by means of the braking torque and by means of the load torque, or the braking torque must overcome the load torque, in order to cause a braking of the electric drive, characterised in that the control device determines the actual state on the basis of one of the relationships IZ = E ⋅ MK MK + ML and IZ = E ⋅ MK 2 MK 2 − ML: 2, wherein IZ is the actual state, E is the rotary movement energy of the electric drive, MK is the braking torque and ML is the load torque. - wherein the total wear is brought about by braking operations of the brake, by means of which the electric drive can be braked from a respective movement, - wherein, in the event of a respective braking operation, a control device of the electric drive determines a respective actual state of the electric drive at the start of the respective braking operation, which actual state is characteristic for the energy to be applied by the brake in the context of the respective braking operation, - wherein the control device determines an anticipated individual wear of the brake for the respective braking operation on the basis of the actual state, - wherein the control device determines a new total wear of the brake on the basis of the determined individual wear in connection with the previous total wear of the brake, - wherein the control device, when determining the energy to be applied by the brake in the context of the respective braking operation, takes into consideration the rotary movement energy of the electric drive prevailing at the start of the respective braking operation and also a respective braking torque applied by the brake and a load torque acting on the electric drive, - wherein the rotary movement energy of the electric drive also comprises the movement energy of the load, - wherein either the drive is braked both by means of the braking torque and by means of the load torque, or the braking torque must overcome the load torque, in order to cause a braking of the electric drive,