Mycolic acids extracted from saponified mycobacterial cells were examined as p-bromophenacyl esters by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Standard HPLC patterns were developed for species of Mycobacterium by examination of strains from culture collections and other well-characterized isolates. Relative retention times of peaks and peak height comparisons were used to develop a differentiation scheme that was 98% accurate for the species examined. A rapid, cost-effective HPLC method which offers an alternative approach to the identification of mycobacteria is described.