The following is a list of test cards used by the BBC at various points in broadcasting.

Tuning Signals

thumb|upright=0.7|First tuning signal

thumb|upright=0.7|Later tuning signal from 1937

The first "Tuning Signals" test card was broadcast by the BBC in 1934. It was a simple line and circle broadcast using Baird's 30-line system, and was used to synchronise the mechanical scanning system.

Test Card A

Test Card A was introduced in 1936–37. However, it was only broadcast as engineering tests from January to (approx.) October 1947, when it was replaced by the first version of Test Card C. An electronically generated "cruciform" test card (or "art bars") was often shown instead of Test Card A until well into the 1960s. High frequency response is indicated by gratings corresponding to 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 and 3 MHz; while low frequency response is indicated by a solid black bar below the central circle.

Test Card B

thumb|upright=0.7|Test Card B (generic reconstruction)

Test Card B was an early BBC television test card. It was very similar to Test Card A and also only broadcast as engineering tests. was a BBC television test card first broadcast in 1947.

  • Aspect Ratio: central circles
  • Resolution: five gratings corresponding to frequencies of 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 MHz
  • Contrast: five steps with the top square corresponding to 100% and the bottom square to 30% luminance
  • Linearity: white squares
  • Low Frequency Response: letterbox above the circle
  • Reflections: black and white areas to the sides of the circle
  • Focus: diagonal black and white stripes
  • Picture into sync: triggered by the castellations

The card was available as individual rolls of test film in the UK and many Commonwealth countries up until the end of the black-and-white television era.

Test Card C continued in use on 405-lines until 1964 being replaced by Test Card D. and NIRT in Iran.

Pye Test Card G

thumb|Pye Test Card G as seen on a [[monoscope.]]

Pye developed a monochrome variant of Test Card C called Test Card G. Denmark, Luxembourg, Thailand, Barbados, Malaysia, and Hungarian People's Republic, but not in Britain.

Test Card D

thumb|right|Test Card DTest Card D was a television test card first broadcast on 5 May 1964 by both the BBC and the ITA. Test Card E was thereafter replaced by a modified version of Test Card C, which lasted on BBC2 until December 1964, the illustrated version of Test Card C shown here replaced the first version, and was discontinued in September 1969, and when the colour Test Card F was introduced in July 1967, Test Card C was only shown between 9.00 and 9.58 a.m.

A version of the modified Test Card C also aired on BBC1 and BBC 2 from November 1969 (with the BBC1 and BBC 2 logos replacing the "BBC2 625 LINES" caption). This modified Test Card C also had versions where Reduced Power also appeared in the ident box. This version of Test Card C was last used in February 1975, and was only ever generated locally at the transmitter. Test Card E did however see later usage by RTÉ in Ireland and RTP in Portugal alongside Test Card D.

Test Card F

Test Card F was the BBC's longest-running and most famous test card, featuring Carole Hersee and Bubbles the Clown. There have been many different Test Card F variations. Test Card G was also occasionally used by ITV and its regulator the IBA alongside Test Card F and EBU colour bars before switching over to the ETP-1 test card in 1979, though London Weekend Television (LWT) and ITV Channel Television, two constituent franchisee companies in the ITV network structure, continued to broadcast Test Card G after closedown well into the 1980s.

Test Card H

thumb|upright=0.8|Test Card H

Test Card H was designed as a line up chart for cameras in-studio, possibly to test chroma specifications as well as resolution and bandwidth. The "H" designation was solely used for this chart, and was therefore never allocated to a Test Card used for broadcasting; following this, the letter "I" was also passed over as a Test Card letter, having been considered too similar to the number "1", therefore leading to Test Card J being the next in the series.

Test Card J

Test Card J is an enhanced revision of Test Card F, first broadcast in November 1999. It is designed for use on high-definition TV services, & had been included a part of BBC HD's preview loop since November 2008 (though it had been in use internally at the BBC for several years prior) until the channel's closure in March 2013.

Unidentified test card

thumb|Recreation of the BBC unnamed electronic test card

An electronically generated image was first broadcast on 21 June 1997 on BBC2 between 3am and 4am. It was also broadcast in October 1997 from 3:29am until 3:44am, when, at the same time, BBC1 showed Test Card G. Both channels reverted over to these at the same time, and reverted to TCF at the same time, as part of a switching test with BBC Birmingham, whereby in the event of a need to evacuate BBC TV to Pebble Mill Studios in Birmingham, such as a power failure as happened in June 2000, a switch would be thrown, putting Birmingham in control of the network, until BBC Television Centre could regain control. Both TCG and this image were transmitted from Birmingham to prove the switching facility worked.

This test card was then seen again on 17 April 2007 between 4am and 5am during the BBC Learning Zone. Both transmissions were accompanied by a four-tone test tone, ranging from extremely low frequency to a very high shrill. It is unknown if this Test Card has a name, and other places in Italy (Telefisco,