Welcome to Dongguan Dean Testing Co., Ltd.  Hotline: 0769-81666160(Headquarters) 0769-88087383(Testing Department)

FCC

UL stands for Underwriter Laboratories Inc. in the United States. The UL Safety Testing Institute is the most authoritative institution in the United States and one of the largest private organizations in the world engaged in safety testing and certification. It is an independent, non-profit professional organization that conducts experiments for public safety. Unlike FCC certification, UL certification is a safety certification. UL mainly engages in product safety certification and operates safety certification business, with the ultimate goal of obtaining products with a considerable level of safety for the market and contributing to the guarantee of personal health and property safety. In the United States, UL is a symbol of safety labeling for consumers, and globally, UL is one of the most trusted qualified assessment providers for manufacturers.

Certification category

The types of UL product certification and testing services can be mainly divided into listing, accreditation, and grading.

1. Column name (LISTED):

Generally speaking, listing only applies to complete products and various components and devices that qualified personnel replace or install on site. The various products that belong to UL listing services include household appliances, medical equipment, computers, commercial equipment, and various electrical products that function in buildings, such as distribution systems, fuses, wires, switches, and other electrical components. Products listed by UL can usually be labeled with the UL listing symbol on each product. The usage of column name flags.

2. Recognized:

Accreditation service is a project in UL services, and the products identified can only be used as components or raw materials on UL listed, graded, or other accredited products. The product is not structurally complete or has certain limitations in its use to ensure the expected safety performance. In most cases, tracking services that recognize products belong to the R category. The recognized products belonging to Class L 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:

Graded services only evaluate specific hazards of products, or evaluate products that comply with standards other than UL standards (including internationally recognized standards such as IEC and ISO standards). Generally speaking, most graded products are not products used by consumers, but rather products used in industry or commerce. The grading mark in the UL logo indicates that the product has certain restrictions and regulatory scope when certified by UL. For example, for chemicals such as solvents used in industry, only the range of potential fires that may occur when they reach their ignition temperature is evaluated. The grading service and listing service of certain products are the same, but generally only evaluate one or several aspects of the product. For example, in the United States, medical X-ray diagnostic equipment must comply with US laws and regulations on radiation emission and beam accuracy nationwide. However, because UL only classifies X-rays as grading products, it only evaluates their mechanical performance, electrical performance, and other non radiation performance aspects.

Applicable product scope

Electronic and electrical, mechanical or electromechanical products

Any electronic, electrical, mechanical, or electromechanical product bearing the UL mark indicates that it has met the minimum requirements of widely recognized product safety standards in the United States and Canada. It has been tested to comply with relevant product safety standards and represents the production factory's agreement to undergo strict regular inspections to ensure product quality consistency. It can be sold to the markets of both the United States and Canada.

Application Process

1. The applicant submits relevant company and product information

Written application: You should request UL to conduct testing on your company's products in writing.

Company Information: Provide detailed and accurate names, addresses, contact persons, postal codes, telephone numbers, and faxes of the following units in both Chinese and English. (1) Application company: A company that submits a product testing application and is responsible for all engineering service fees

(2) Listed companies: Companies whose names are listed in various product catalogs published by UL Corporation

(3) Production factory: the manufacturer and producer of products.

Product information: Product information should be provided in English. Firstly, determine whether your product falls within the scope of UL testing,

(1) Product Name: Provide the full name of the product.

(2) Product model: List in detail all product models, varieties, or classification numbers that require experimentation.

(3) The intended use of the product: for example: home, office, factory, coal mine, ship, etc.

(4) Parts List: Detailed listing of the components and models (classification numbers) that make up the product, rated values, and manufacturer names. For insulation materials, please provide the name of the raw material, such as GE Polycarbonate, Lexan Type 104. When the component has obtained UL certification or recognition, please prove the specific model of the component and indicate its UL file number.

(5) Electrical performance: For electronic and electrical products. Provide electrical schematics (circuit diagrams) and electrical performance meters.

(6) Structure diagram: For most products, it is necessary to provide the product's structure diagram or explosion diagram, ingredient list, etc.

(7) Product photos, instructions for use, safety measures, installation instructions, etc.

2. People make decisions based on the provided product information

When the product information is complete, UL engineers will make the following decisions based on the information: UL standards to be used for the experiment, engineering costs for testing, testing time, sample quantity, etc. They will notify you in writing and send the formal application form and tracking service agreement to your company. The application form specifies the cost limit, which is the maximum engineering cost estimated by UL based on the testing project. Without written authorization from your company, this cost limit cannot be exceeded.

3. Apply for company remittance, return application form and samples

The applicant for UL certification shall sign the application form and tracking service agreement, and send the form back to UL company. At the same time, the samples shall be sent by bank transfer to the post office or express delivery. Please provide appropriate explanations (such as name and model) for the samples sent for inspection. Please send the application form and samples separately. For each application project, UL will assign a unique project number (Project No.) to indicate the project number and the name of the applying company when remitting funds, sending samples, and submitting application forms, in order to facilitate UL's receipt.

4. Product testing

After receiving the application form, remittance, and experimental samples signed by your company, UL will notify you of the completion time of the experimental plan. Product testing is generally conducted in UL laboratories in the United States, and UL can also accept third-party testing data that has been audited. The experimental samples will be returned or destroyed according to your request. If the product testing results meet UL standard requirements, UL company will issue a qualified testing report and Follow Up Service Procedure. The testing report will detail the testing situation, the indicators achieved by the sample, the product structure, and the safety signs suitable for the use of the product. The tracking service guidelines include product descriptions and guidance for UL area inspectors. A copy of the testing report will be sent to the applying company, and a copy of the tracking service details will be sent to each production factory.

5. The applicant is authorized to use the UL logo

The UL regional inspector in China contacts the production factory for the initial production inspection

.IPI)， The inspector checks the condition of your product and its components in the production line and warehouse storage to confirm whether the product structure and parts are consistent with the tracking service regulations. If required by the regulations, the regional inspector will also conduct witness experiments. When the inspection results meet the requirements, the applicant is authorized to use the UL mark.

UL necessity

Products sold in the US market require mandatory UL certification, whether they are products within the US or exported to other countries, they must undergo UL certification testing. We can see many electronic products in the market with the UL certification mark, which is used to test the conduction and radiation of the product, and has important significance in the US market. UL certification is an important passport and passport in the US market, and only products with this mark can smoothly enter the US market.

Certificate Information

UL factory inspection

Certified Factory Inspection: The UL regional inspector in China contacts the production factory for the Initial Production Inspection (IPI). The inspector checks the condition of your products and their components on the production line and in the warehouse to confirm whether the product structure and components are consistent with the tracking service guidelines. If required by the guidelines, the regional inspector will conduct witness experiments. When the inspection results meet the requirements, the applicant is authorized to use the UL mark.

After IPI, inspectors will periodically visit the factory to inspect product structure and conduct witness experiments. The frequency of inspection is determined by the product type and production volume, and most types of products are inspected at least four times a year (the cost of tracking services is not included in the testing fee). The inspector's inspection is to ensure that the product continues to comply with UL requirements. Before you plan to change the product structure or components, please notify UL in advance. For minor changes, there is no need to repeat any experiments, and UL can quickly modify the tracking service details so that the inspector can accept such changes. When UL considers that changes to a product affect its safety performance, it needs to apply to the company to resubmit samples for necessary testing.

Certification review

Before the first shipment of UL certified products, they must be inspected by the local and provincial China Import and Export Commodity Inspection Bureau (CCIB) authorized by UL and sent to the factory for inspection. We also need to track and inspect every year.

Comparison of UL, ETL, and cTUVus certifications