UL (safety organization)

UL LLC is a global safety certification company

headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois. It maintains offices in UL LLC
46 countries. Established in 1894 as the Underwriters'
Electrical Bureau (a bureau of the National Board of Fire
Underwriters),[2] it was known throughout the 20th century
as Underwriters Laboratories and participated in the
safety analysis of many of that century's new technologies.[3]

UL is one of several companies approved to perform safety

testing by the U.S. federal agency, the Occupational Safety
and Health Administration (OSHA).[4] OSHA maintains a list
of approved testing laboratories, which are known as
Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories.[5]
The UL logo
Formerly Underwriters
Laboratories
Contents Type Private
History Founded 1894
UL Standards Founder William Henry
Sustainability Standards Merrill
Standards for Electrical and Electronic Products Headquarters Northbrook, Illinois,
Life Safety Standards U.S.
Standards for Building Products Area served 125 countries
Standards for Industrial Control Equipment Key people Jennifer Scanlon
Standards for Plastic Materials (President and
Standards for Wire and Cable CEO)
Standards for Canada developed by ULC Standards, a Revenue approx. US$2.5
member of the UL family of companies billion (2019)
Photovoltaic Number of 12,000 (2013)
employees
Recognized Component Mark
Parent Underwriters
Computer Benchmarking
Laboratories Inc.
Similar organizations (non-profit)[1]
See also Subsidiaries Futuremark
References Website www.ul.com (http
External links s://www.ul.com/)

History
 Underwriters Laboratories Inc. was founded in 1894 by William
Henry Merrill.[3] Early in his career as an electrical engineer in
Boston, a 25-year-old Merrill was sent by underwriters issuing
fire insurance to assess risk, and investigate the World Fair's
Palace of Electricity. In order to determine and mitigate risk,
Merrill found it necessary to conduct tests on building materials.
Upon seeing a growing potential in his field, Merrill stayed in
Chicago to found Underwriters Laboratories.[3]
UL headquarters in Northbrook, Merrill soon went to work developing standards, launching tests,
Illinois designing equipment and uncovering hazards. Aside from his
work at UL, Merrill served as the National Fire Protection
Association's secretary-treasurer (1903–1909) and president
(1910–1912) and was an active member of the Chicago Board and Union Committee. In 1916,
Merrill became UL's first president.[3]

UL published its first standard, "Tin Clad Fire Doors", in 1903.[3] In 1905, UL established a Label
Service for certain product categories that require more frequent inspections. In 1906, UL
introduced the UL Mark to indicate products that had passed their testing.[3] UL inspectors
conducted the first factory inspections on labeled products at manufacturers' facilities. A history
of UL marks has been discussed by Toft. [6] From 1905 to 1979 UL Headquarters was located at
207-231 East Ohio Street, Chicago, Illinois. In 1979, the organization moved its headquarters to a
153-acre campus in Northbrook, Illinois, 25 miles north of its former downtown Chicago location.

UL has expanded into an organization with 64 laboratories,

testing and certification facilities serving customers in 104
countries.[7] It has evolved from its roots in electrical and fire
safety to address broader safety issues, such as hazardous
substances, water quality, food safety, performance testing,
safety and compliance education, and environmental
sustainability.[8]

On January 1, 2012, Underwriters Laboratories transformed

from a non-profit organization to a for-profit company in the
U.S. A new subsidiary named simply UL LLC, a limited Underwriters' Laboratories, 207-231
liability corporation, took over Underwriters Laboratories’ East Ohio Street, Chicago, Cook
product testing and certification business.[9][1] County, IL

UL Standards

Sustainability Standards
UL 106, Standard for Sustainability for Luminaires (under development)
UL 110, Standard for Sustainability for Mobile Phones
Standards for Electrical and Electronic Products
UL 50, Enclosures for Electrical Equipment
UL 50E, Enclosures for Electrical Equipment,
Environmental Considerations
UL 153, Portable Electric Lamps
UL 197, Commercial Electrical Cooking Appliances Melville, New York, location
UL 796, Printed-Wiring Boards
UL 1026, Electric Household Cooking and Food Serving
Appliances
UL 1492, Audio/Video Products and Accessories
UL 1598, Luminaires
UL 1642, Lithium Batteries
UL 1995, Heating and Cooling Equipment
UL 2267 Standard for Safety - Fuel Cell Power Systems for Installation in Industrial Electric
Trucks
UL 6500, Audio/Video and Musical Instrument Apparatuses for Household, Commercial and
Similar General Uses
UL 60065, Audio, Video and Similar Electronic Apparatuses: Safety Requirements
UL 60335-1, Household and Similar Electrical Appliances, Part 1: General Requirements
UL 60335-2-24, Household and Similar Electrical Appliances, Part 2: Particular Requirements
for Motor Compressors
UL 60335-2-3, Household and Similar Electrical Appliances, Part 2: Particular Requirements
for Electric Irons
UL 60335-2-34, Household and Similar Electrical Appliances, Part 2: Particular Requirements
for Motor Compressors
UL 60335-2-8, Household and Similar Electrical Appliances, Part 2: Particular Requirements
for Shavers, Hair Clippers and Similar Appliances
UL 60950, Information Technology Equipment
UL 60950-1, Information Technology Equipment – Safety, Part 1: General Requirements
UL 60950-21, Information Technology Equipment – Safety, Part 21: Remote Power Feeding
UL 60950-22, Information Technology Equipment – Safety, Part 22: Equipment to be Installed
Outdoors
UL 60950-23, Information Technology Equipment – Safety, Part 23: Large Data Storage
Equipment

Life Safety Standards

UL 217, Single- and Multiple- Station Smoke Alarms
UL 268, Smoke Detectors for Fire Protective Signaling Systems
UL 268A, Smoke Detectors for Duct Application
UL 1626, Residential Sprinklers for Fire Protection Service
UL 1971, Signaling Devices for the Hearing Impaired
Standards for Building Products
UL 10A, Tin-Clad Fire Doors
UL 20, General-Use Snap Switches
UL 486E, Equipment Wiring Terminals for Use with Aluminum and/or Copper Conductors
UL 1256, Fire Test of Roof/Deck Constructions

Standards for Industrial Control Equipment

UL 508, Industrial Control Equipment
UL 508A, Industrial Control Panels
UL 508C, Power Conversion Equipment
UL 61800-5-1, Adjustable Speed Electrical Power Drive Systems

Standards for Plastic Materials

UL 94, Tests for Flammability of Plastic Materials for Parts in Devices and Appliances
UL 746A, Polymeric Materials: Short-Term Property Evaluations
UL 746B, Polymeric Materials: Long-Term Property Evaluations
UL 746C, Polymeric Materials: Use in Electrical Equipment Evaluations
UL 746D, Polymeric Materials: Fabricated Parts
UL 746E, Polymeric Materials: Industrial Laminates, Filament Wound Tubing, Vulcanized
Fiber and Materials Used in Printed-Wiring Boards
UL 746F, Polymeric Materials: Flexible Dielectric Film Materials for Use in Printed-Wiring
Boards and Flexible Materials Interconnect Constructions

Standards for Wire and Cable

UL 62, Flexible Cords and Cables
UL 758, Appliance Wiring Material (AWM)[10]
UL 817, Cord Sets and Power Supply Cords
UL 2556, Wire and Cable Test Methods

Standards for Canada developed by ULC Standards, a member of the UL

family of companies
CAN/ULC-S101-07, Standard Methods for Fire Endurance Tests of Building Construction and
Materials
CAN/ULC-S102-10, Standard Methods of Test for Surface-Burning Characteristics of Building
Materials and Assemblies
CAN/ULC-S102.2-10, Standard Methods of Test for Surface-Burning Characteristics of
Flooring, Floor Coverings, and Miscellaneous Materials and Assemblies
 CAN/ULC-S104-10, Standard Methods for Fire Tests of Door Assemblies
CAN/ULC-S107-10, Standard Methods for Fire Tests of Roof Coverings
CAN/ULC-S303-M91 (R1999), Standard Methods for Local Burglar Alarm Units and
Systems[11]

Photovoltaic
UL 1703, Photovoltaic Flat-Plate Modules
UL 1741, Inverters, Converters, Controllers and Interconnection System Equipment for Use
With Distributed Energy Resources
UL 2703, Rack Mounting Systems and Clamping Devices for Flat-Plate Photovoltaic Modules
and Panels

Recognized Component Mark

The "Recognized Component Mark" is a type of quality mark issued by
Underwriters Laboratories. It is placed on components which are intended to
be part of a UL listed product, but which cannot bear the full UL logo
themselves.[12] The general public does not ordinarily come
across it, as it is borne on components which make up
finished products.

Computer Benchmarking
UL offers[13] the following computer benchmarking
products:[14] The Recognized Component Mark
(left) on a printed circuit board
3DMark
Easy Benchmark Automation
PCMark 10
PCMark for Android
Servermark
Testdriver
UL Procyon AI Inference Benchmark
UL Procyon Photo Editing Benchmark
UL Procyon Video Editing Benchmark
VRMark

Similar organizations
Applied Research Laboratories (ARL)
A competing testing laboratory, based in Florida, U.S.
Bureau Veritas
 A competing test, inspection, and certification company.
Baseefa
A similar organization in the United Kingdom.
Canadian Standards Association (CSA)
A similar organization in Canada. Also serves as a competitive alternative for U.S. products.
CCOE
Chief Controller of Explosives
CEBEC
Testing laboratory, inspection, and certification company, based in Brussels, Belgium.
DNV GL
A global testing laboratory, inspection, certification, marine class, and engineering
organisation, headquartered in Høvik, Norway.
Efectis
A similar organization in Europe, fire science expert, testing laboratory, and certification
body.
ETL SEMKO
A competing testing laboratory, part of Intertek; based in London, U.K.
FM Global
A competing certification body, based in Rhode Island, U.S.
ICC-ES
International Code Council Evaluation Services.
IAPMO R&T
A competing certification body, based in Ontario, California, U.S.
INERIS
Testing laboratory, inspection, and certification company, based in France.
KFI
The Korea Fire Institute, a similar organization in Korea.
MET Laboratories, Inc.
A competing testing laboratory, based in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
MiCOM Labs (MiCOM) (https://www.micomlabs.com)
A consumer, wireless, telecom, IT, medical, and aerospace industry, testing, and
certification laboratory, based in Pleasanton, California, U.S.
NTA Inc
A certification agency based in Nappanee, Indiana, U.S.
QAI Laboratories (QAI) (http://www.qai.org)
A competing certification body, with locations in Canada (Vancouver, BC - HQ and Vaughan,
ON); United States (Rancho Cucamonga, CA and Tulsa, OK); Seoul, South Korea; and
Shanghai, China.
Sira
A similar organization for the UK/Europe.
GS
Geprüfte Sicherheit
TÜV
German approvals organizations.
Cardno PPI (https://www.cardno.com/cardno-ppi/welcome-to-cardno-ppi/)
A similar third party organization, with offices in Houston, Texas, U.S.; Lafayette, LA, U.S.;
London, U.K.; and Perth, Australia.

See also
 ANSI National Sanitation Foundation
CE marking NEMKO
Conformance mark Product certification
Consumer Reports Quality control
Consumers Union RoHS
Fire test Safety engineering
Good Housekeeping Seal Société Générale de Surveillance

References
1. "Entity change to UL LLC Letter" (http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML1134/ML113460925.pdf)
(PDF). Pbadupws.nrc.gov. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
2. "History" (http://ul.com/aboutul/history/). UL. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
3. "Underwriters Labritories History" (https://www.ul.com/aboutul/history/). Retrieved 9 March
2018.
4. "Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories – Underwriters Laboratories Inc" (https://www.os
ha.gov/dts/otpca/nrtl/ul.html). United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Retrieved 9 March 2018.
5. "Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTLs) – Current List" (https://www.osha.gov/dt
s/otpca/nrtl/nrtllist.html). Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Retrieved 9 March
2018.
6. Toft, D. 2004. “Underwriters Laboratories—A Legacy of Safety.” Journal of Failure Analysis &
Prevention 4 (6): 11.
7. "UL Press Kit" (https://web.archive.org/web/20121224031804/http://www.ul.com/global/docum
ents/corporate/newsroom/ulfactsheet2012.pdf) (PDF). Underwriters Laboratories. September
2009. Archived from the original (http://www.ul.com/global/documents/corporate/newsroom/ulf
actsheet2012.pdf) (PDF) on December 24, 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2010.
8. "International standards organizations governing electronic products" (http://semielectronics.c
om/international-standards-organizations-governing-electronic-products). semielectronics.
Retrieved 10 August 2016.
9. Gallant, John. "How IT Helped Shape UL's New Business Strategy" (http://www.cio.com/articl
e/2400040/cio-role/how-it-helped-shape-ul-s-new-business-strategy.html). cio.com.
10. "Wire and Cable Explained" (https://www.ul.com/global/documents/corporate/aboutul/publicati
ons/newsletters/electricalconnections/july08.pdf) (PDF). UL. July 2008. Retrieved 8 February
2019.
11. [1] (https://web.archive.org/web/20021105130017/http://ulstandardsinfonet.ul.com/catalog/std
scatframe.html)
12. "Marks for North America" (http://www.ul.com/marks/ul-listing-and-classification-marks/appear
ance-and-significance/marks-for-north-america/). UL. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
13. "Benchmarks and Performance Tests" (https://benchmarks.ul.com/).
14. "UL Benchmarks - PCMark, 3DMark, and VRMark" (https://www.anandtech.com/show/15720/i
ntel-ghost-canyon-nuc9i9qnx-review/4).

External links
 Official website (https://www.ul.com/)
List of US NRTLs (http://www.osha.gov/dts/otpca/nrtl/index.html) at OSHA

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