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What is Underwriters Laboratories?

Brief Introduction

Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is the largest non-profit and best-known testing laboratory based in the United States. It has been around for over a century, founded in 1894. UL provides a wide range of services, including safety-related certification, validation, testing, inspection, and auditing, among others, to manufacturers, service companies, regulators, retailers, consumers, and policymakers. The organization is known for its stringent standards on various products, systems, and components to meet specific safety, reliability, and performance requirements. 

When a product passes UL's rigorous testing procedures, it may receive the UL Mark, a registered certification mark that signifies the product has met the established safety standards. Manufacturers and consumers highly value this mark as a symbol of quality and reliability. UL's certification process often involves evaluating a product's safety under normal operating conditions and its performance when exposed to likely failures or malfunctions. The organization aims to provide impartial, science-based assessments to help ensure that products are safe for public use, thus contributing to public safety and confidence.

UL classifications

Underwriters Laboratories provides various classifications, each designed to signify different levels or types of compliance with safety standards. Here are some of the commonly encountered UL classifications.

UL Listed: Products that "UL Listed" have been tested and meet UL's safety standards for their specific category. This mark is widely recognized and signifies that the product is safe for use under the conditions specified in the listing.

UL Recognized: This classification is commonly used for components that are part of a more extensive system or product. These components may not meet UL's safety standards for standalone use, but they have been recognized as safe for use within certain systems or specific applications.