CSCS Card Types and Colours Explained

The entry-level card for general labouring roles. You need to pass the Operatives HS&E test and hold a Level 1 Award in Health and Safety in a Construction Environment (or an approved equivalent). Since February 2025, your first green card is valid for 2 years, with renewals lasting 5 years. Full walkthrough: how to get a green CSCS card.

Red cards are temporary cards for people working towards a qualification. There are several variants — Apprentice, Trainee, Experienced Worker, and Experienced Technical Supervisor or Manager — with validity ranging from six months to around five years depending on the variant. Apprentice cards are issued free of charge. Red cards cannot be renewed: they're a stepping stone to a permanent card, not a destination.

The standard card for qualified tradespeople — bricklayers, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, plasterers, and other skilled trades. You'll need an NVQ/SVQ Level 2 in your trade (or an approved apprenticeship) plus a pass in the Operatives HS&E test. Valid for five years.

Gold cards cover two routes: Advanced Craft for workers with NVQ/SVQ Level 3 in their trade, and Supervisor for those in supervisory roles with an appropriate Level 3/4 supervisory qualification. Supervisors sit the Specialist supervisory version of the HS&E test.

For construction site managers holding an NVQ/SVQ Level 4 or above in construction management. Black card applicants sit the Managers and Professionals (MAP) test — the broadest version, adding manager-level law such as CDM 2015 duties to the core content.

White cards cover people with construction-related degrees, HNDs/HNCs, or membership of approved professional bodies (the Professionally Qualified Person card). Like black card applicants, they sit the MAP test.

The CSCS Mock Test app maps every card to the exam it requires — Operative, Specialist (with all 12 trades), or Managers & Professionals — so you're practising the same test you'll actually sit, with the right question pool for your card.