A list of 199 standard stars suitable for the ESO standard photometric system at JHKLM is given. Faint stars (although brighter than K = 7.7) to be used on larger telescopes are included. This list is based on an analysis of all infrared photometric observations carried out at La Silla from 1979 until 1989 inclusive. The accuracy of the data (about 0.02 mag. at J, H, K, L, and M) is similar to the one achieved at SAAO and CTIO. Comparisons with these systems, as well as with the AAO and MSSO systems, are made: it is shown that the ESO system is very close to the other ones, with the exception of CTIOs.