UL (Underwriters Laboratories) is an American consulting company that provides certification on the environmental and safety claims of a product. A product must meet some specific standards if it is to be classified under UL. Certain aspects are taken into consideration to determine these standards such as regulatory codes, performance under certain conditions, risks such as shock or fire, as well as other standards set by UL. A product must meet the standards that are determined specially for its category in order for it to receive the UL Classified mark.

Difference Between UL and CE

UL is somewhat like CE (Conformite Europeenne) in Europe. Some prominent differences between these are that CE is concerned with everything from toys to battery operated devices to mains powered devices and is there to protect people. UL on the other hand, is primarily designed to protect facilities and equipment and it relates to devices that are connected to mains power. UL testing is concerned with ensuring that the correct materials are being used for a product as well as the power connections are made properly to avoid fires in case something goes wrong. Furthermore, UL is not applicable to equipment that is low voltage powered (i.e. 12VDC or similar) or battery powered.

Why UL is Important?

Purchasing UL certified products is important, especially for insurance claims. For example, if something were to happen in your home, and it is concluded by the inspector that the main cause behind it was an electrical fire, then your insurance company can reject the claim because of having electrical devices installed without having UL safety certification, even if the products were installed perfectly and the electrical unit didn’t cause the fire. This could leave the electrical company with tons of legal problems as well as destroy your family. This is why purchasing UL certified products is important and most electrical companies work with Underwriters Laboratories to make sure that something like this never happens. Following safety standards is important and those companies know it.

How to Tell if a Product is UL Certified

When you are purchasing any equipment, make sure that it says “UL Listed” and not “UL Compatible” or something similar that has no meaning. Also note that UL listing is not a requirement in many cases unlike CE, that’s why non-UL equipment is perfectly legal and easily available. However, don’t expect to see such equipment being used in professional installations, because most people realize the importance of UL listed equipment and they insist on it when getting it installed.

Following are some simple steps to check whether a product or company is genuinely UL listed:

• Visit UL.com and select ‘Certifications’ section
• Search the UL file number by using the provided search box at the bottom of the page
• Verify that the information resulted by your query (make sure the address of the company is matched per UL requirements)

If the resulted information checks out, then you can rest easy knowing that you are using products/equipment that meet the safety standards set by UL.