In his 1986 infrageneric classification of the genus Boletus, Rolf Singer placed C. calopus as the type species of the section Calopodes, which includes species characterised by having a whitish to yellowish flesh, bitter taste, and a blue staining reaction in the tube walls. Other species in section Calopodes include C. radicans, C. inedulis, B. peckii, and B. pallidus.
In 1986, Rolf Singer classified Boletus into infrageneric groups. He designated C. calopus as the type species of the Calopodes section, which comprises species with whitish to yellowish flesh, a bitter taste, and blue staining in their tube walls. Other members of this section include C. radicans, C. inedulis, B. peckii, and B. pallidus.