UL is an abbreviation for Underwriteries Laboratories Inc. UL Safety Testing Institute is the most authoritative in the United States, and it is also the largest private institution 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; Identify, compile, and disseminate appropriate standards and materials that contribute to the reduction and prevention of damage to life and property, and conduct fact-based research. UL certification in the United States is a non-mandatory certification, mainly product safety performance testing and certification, its certification scope does not include the EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) characteristics of the product.
In short, it is mainly engaged in product safety certification and operation safety certification business, and its ultimate purpose is to obtain goods with a considerable safety level for the market and contribute to the guarantee of human health and property safety. As far as product safety certification is an effective means to eliminate technical barriers to international trade, UL also plays an active role in promoting the development of international trade.
Founded in 1894, UL is a not-for-profit product safety testing and certification body. There are more than 50 laboratories worldwide with approximately 6,000 employees. Every year, thousands of products are certified by UL and use the UL mark, and there are currently more than 800 sets of UL standards, 75% of which are adopted by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
At present, UL has five laboratories in the United States, headquartered in Northbrook, north of Chicago, and has corresponding laboratories in Taiwan and Hong Kong. UL safety certification is divided into three types: recognition, listing, classification, three ways of marking is different.
1. UL listed service is the most widely known service in UL safety certification. The UL listed mark on the product means that the manufacturer has allowed UL to test the sample in accordance with the safety standards recognized by the United States, and under reasonable and foreseeable circumstances, the sample will not cause fire, leakage and related hazards.
2. Approved component services are test parts or non-finished products, which will be used in UL listed products. UL's approved component services range from millions of plastics, wires and circuit boards to a variety of finished products or even larger components such as motorcycles or power supplies.
3. UL rated products are tested according to different properties, specified hazard ranges, or specific situations. In general, most of the graded products are building materials or industrial instruments. Graded products include industrial or commercial products that are tested with specified properties, including flammability, hazardous condition performance or special specifications required by the government.