A continuous‐temperature infrared calibrator is designed and constructed for providing reference video signals in temperature measurement using an infrared scanner. The calibrator can be controlled for a wide range of temperature settings and to present a continuous span of reference signals for calibration purposes. Both analytical and experimental methods are used to evaluate the performance of the calibrator. Results show that the calibrator has a normal total emissivity of at least 0.984, which is about 1% lower than the predicted value. Methods to improve the emissivity of the calibrator are also discussed. The paper provides for analytical equations useful for parameters estimation in the future design of the calibrator.