WHAT IS UL CERTIFICATION?

Underwriter Laboratories Inc, UL is an independent product safety certification organization established in 1894 with its head office in Illinois, USA. UL’s main business is product safety certification, and it also establishes many standards and testing procedures for products, raw materials, parts, tools, and equipment.

UL is the most authoritative in the United States and a large private organization engaged in safety testing and appraisal in the world. It is an independent, non-profit, professional organization that conducts experiments for public safety. It uses scientific testing methods to study and determine whether various materials, devices, products, equipment, buildings, etc. are harmful to life and property and the degree of harm; UL is responsible for determining, writing, and issuing corresponding standards and collecting data for helping to reduce and prevent life on property losses, while carrying out fact-finding research business. In short, it is mainly engaged in product safety certification and operating safety certification business, and its ultimate goal is to obtain products with a fairly safe standard for the market and to contribute to the guarantee of personal health and property safety. From the perspective of product safety certification as the elimination of technical barriers to international trade, UL plays an active role in promoting the development of international trade.

UL’S PRODUCT CERTIFICATION TYPES ARE MAINLY DIVIDED INTO:
1. LISTED：
LISTED is only applicable to complete products. Products listed by UL can usually be marked with UL’s listing mark on each product.

2. Recognized:
Recognized service is an item in the UL service, and the certified products can only be used as components and raw materials on UL listed, graded or other approved products. Approved products are incomplete in structure or have certain restrictions in use to ensure the expected safety performance. In most cases, tracking services for approved products fall into the R category. Approved products belonging to the L category include electronic wire (AVLV2), processed wire (ZKLU2), wire harness (ZPFW2), aluminum wire (DVVR2), and metal flexible tube (DXUZ2). Approved products require approval marks.

3. Classification:
Classification service only evaluates the specific hazards of products, or evaluates products that implement other standards (including internationally recognized standards, such as IEC and ISO standards, etc.). Generally, most graded products are not products used by consumers, but products used in industry or commerce. The classification mark in the UL mark indicates that the product has certain restrictions and specified scope when it is identified by UL. For example, for chemicals such as industrial solvents, only the range of fires that may occur when they reach their ignition temperature is evaluated. The grading service of some products is the same as the listing service, but only one aspect or several aspects of the product are evaluated. For example, in the United States, medical X-ray diagnostic equipment must comply with American laws and related radiation emission, and beam accuracy is stipulated, but because UL only regards X-ray as a classified product, it only evaluates its mechanical properties, electrical properties, and other non-radiation properties.

4. Multiple listings, multiple accreditations, or multiple grading services:
When a UL applicant obtains the above LISTED, Recognized, or classification services, its products want to be produced in the name of another company to meet the needs of sales, here comes for “Multiple listings” services. In this case, the manufacturer that has been LISTED, Recognized, or Classification is allowed to use the name of another company in the product catalog, but the product is excluding the company code, product code or In addition to other features, it must be consistent with the original LISTED, Recognized, or Classification product.

5. “AL” LISTED, Recognized, or Classification services:
If UL applicants do not want to obtain listing services in the name of their own company, they can apply for another business name (usually a retailer or wholesaler) applying for LISTED, Recognized, or Classification is called “AL” service. The difference between it and multiple listings, multiple Recognized, or multiple Classification services is that the applicant is not a listed person.

6. Quality system certification services:
As a member of the International Accreditation Committee, UL has been extensively involved in ISO9000 quality system certification, ISO14000 environmental protection certification, QS9000 automotive industry quality system certification, and AS9000 aircraft industry quality system certification services.

7. UL’s other services:
Such as inspection services, factual judgment services, investigation services, etc.