What is UL Certification_ UL Recognized vs UL Certified - c3controls

10/20/2020 What is UL Certification?
UL Recognized vs UL Certified - c3controls
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Home White Papers What is UL Certification? The Difference Between UL Recognized and UL Listed
WHAT IS UL CERTIFICATION?
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
UL RECOGNIZED AND UL
LISTED
Introduction
Have you ever felt that vague sense of reassurance when seeing a logo or seal of approval on a product?
Have you ever stopped to think about what kind of information these seals represent? Not sure if your
brand needs these certi cations?
If you’re not sure if the product you’re manufacturing needs this seal and why, you’re not alone. When it
comes to UL certi cation, it’s worth it to stop and understand what those seals mean and how they can
bene t you.
Certifying products within your business can get expensive, fast. However, one thing that’s never worth
skimping on is safety. Your customers’ and workforce’s safety is the most important thing to ensure brand
loyalty. Safety and reliability can be the di erence between long-term success and catastrophic failure.
UL markers are most commonly seen on industrial equipment and home appliances. These include
furnaces, fuses, electrical panels, circuit breakers, smoke and CO2 alarms, re extinguishers, sprinklers,
glass, and thousands of other products.
Not all products and components on the market have to be listed, but there’s certainly an incentive to do so.
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also learn the di erence between UL Listed and UL Recognized. With this, you can determine which one is
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10/20/2020 What is UL Certification? UL Recognized vs UL Certified - c3controls
What is UL Certi cation and Why is it Important? CART ACCOUNT MENU
UL stands for Underwriter Laboratories, a third-party certi cation company that’s been around for over a
century.
SearchULany
waspart
founded in 1894
number in Chicago. They certify products with the aim to make the world a safer
or keyword
place for both workers and consumers. Besides testing, they set industry standards to follow when
innovating new products. Last year alone, about 14 billion products with the UL seal entered the global
marketplace.
In a nutshell, UL is a safety organization that sets industry-wide standards on new products. They continually
check these products to ensure they’re up to these standards. UL testing makes sure that wire sizes are
correct or devices can handle the amount of current they claim to be able to. They also ensure that products
are constructed correctly for the highest safety.
A common misconception is that UL tests every product themselves. This isn’t always the case. Instead, UL
authorizes a manufacturer to test the product themselves using the UL stamp. They then follow up on a
regular basis to make sure that they are testing their products and following proper guidelines. This is one of
many reasons that UL certi cation is attractive to businesses.
However familiar you might be with the recognizable UL stamp on machinery, it’s not as simple as it may
appear. There’s no such thing as a general UL approval. Instead, it’s broken down into several tiers. These
three tiers are UL listed, UL recognized, and UL classi ed.
While all three are relatively similar to one another, there are some important distinctions. In order to gure
out what’s best for your business, or to be more informed as a consumer of UL products, it’s good to know
the basic di erences.
Here we’ll go over the two most basic distinctions you need to know about: UL recognized vs UL listed.
What Does It Mean to Be UL Recognized?

The biggest di erence between UL recognition and UL certi ed or classi ed is that it does not apply a seal of
approval to end products.
UL Recognition service is less consumer-facing and focuses more on machinery and parts that make other
products. In other words, it certi es that a component within a larger mechanism meets UL standards.
UL Recognition is most often seen in factories, in the form of power supplies or circuit boards that are used
to power other machinery. UL Recognition ensures the safety and e ciency of machinery used by workers.
It also empowers companies to strive for more sustainable practices.
Because UL Recognized focuses on components, UL ensures that the equipment is properly housed. This
may require additional installation precautions to protect the product from chemicals or liquids in the
manufacturing process.
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UL© Recognized
1976-2020 c3controls
stamps are generally (724)
easier775-7926
to attain than UL Listed. This is because manufacturers can pick
and choose which components are certi ed within a larger system. UL recognition is also not as rigid in its
© 1976-2020
industry c3controls
standards and is, therefore, easier for a business to attain as a result.
UL Recognized certi cation can be applied to any component part, or even to barrier materials. If you want
to get the UL logo on your stand-alone products, you must get a UL Listed seal of approval.C A R T ACCOUNT MENU
What Does
Search any It Mean
part number to Be UL Listed?
or keyword
You’ve probably heard the term UL Listed many times before. Even if you haven’t, you are very likely to
recognize the seal. Even if you weren’t sure what it meant before now, the UL Listed symbol is featured on a
wide swath of consumer goods today.
So what does UL Listed mean and how does it di er from UL Recognized? How does it bene t your
business? The main di erence isn’t in the certi cation itself. Rather, in what kind of product is being certi ed
and what impression that has on the consumer.
As we learned above, UL recognition is for

components and UL Listed is for stand-alone
products. While they both ensure a set of industry
standards, they are used for di erent products and
in di erent capacities. This is why UL Listed is so
much more recognizable to most people because it
ensures the safety of consumer-ready products
that then go to market.
Far more testing is involved in UL Listed

certi cation. The UL Listed seal means that the product has been tested by UL to nationally recognized
safety and sustainability standards. Additionally, it has been found to be free from a reasonably foreseeable
risk of re, electric shock in a Division 2 environment. Division 2 environment refers to an area where
ignitable concentrations are used.
In other words, a UL Listed approval ensures the safety and longevity of many household items under
normal wear and tear with everyday use. This bene ts both the consumer and the business that
manufactures the product. This is because of UL’s safety reputation and the inherent accountability of your
brand when using the UL Listed logo.
How Does CE Di er from UL Certi cations?

Even if you aren’t familiar with UL, you might have seen other similar logo seals in other countries. For
example, CE is a similar organization in the EU that sets standards for common electronics. CE stands for
Comformité Européenne which is French for “European Conformity”. CE is similar to UL, the main di erence
being the country in which it is manufactured and sold.
Much like UL, CE gives companies an advantage by being able to sell anywhere within the EU, while also
being able to market the CE logo in much the same way. For these reasons, many companies opt to get CE
certiWe
eduse
to expand
cookies their marketing
to ensure capacities.
that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use
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this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
Why Get UL Certi ed or Buy UL Products?
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Why is UL certi cation and recognition attractive for businesses? UL has spent over a century building up a
reputation and instilling a sense of trust. When a consumer sees the UL stamp of approval on
C A R T a product,
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they will likely feel better about purchasing it.

For example, if someone is shopping for a new circuit breaker or contactor, UL certi cation might sway their
decision.
If two identical products or services are side-by-side and one is UL certi ed and one isn’t, which one would
you likely choose? It’s been shown that the UL mark can be a powerful marketing tool for businesses, and so
many of them strive to get their products approved. The UL logo gives the consumer peace of mind, and the
business a public seal of approval.
When we pull back and look past the marketing aspect, it’s widely understood that machinery is the lifeblood
of any business. Taking steps to protect this investment and the people that use it is essential to the long-
term success of a company. Many industries have even started to design new products around UL’s safety
standards.
UL Certi cation for Peace of Mind

UL Certi cation allows a company to innovate its safety standards and align themselves with industry-wide
best practices. Being UL certi ed illustrates a businesses’ dedication to consumer safety, as well as the
quality of their products.
Another important caveat of UL certi cation is for insurance purposes and customer security. In fact, UL was
founded by William Henry Merrill, Jr. while he was working at the 1890 Chicago World’s Fair to asses re
risks. While he was there, he presented his idea to insurance underwriters to form an electrical testing
laboratory. The Western Insurance Union and the Chicago Underwriters Association decided to fund his
idea, and formed what would become Underwriters Laboratory. Why is this important? If, say, an inspector
determines a re was caused by a circuit breaker that was not UL certi ed, an insurance company can
choose to deny the claim. For this reason alone, many consumers opt for certi ed products, not just for
large appliances but for small ones as well as laptop and cell phone chargers. UL certi cation adds a layer of
protection and accountability for accidents, as well.
There’s undeniably a certain prestige of having the UL logo on your machinery or end product. The UL seal is
an easy way to fast-track your products and your business to the top of any conscious consumer’s list.
Lastly, because UL is a third-party service, consumers of your products can be con dent that the UL seal is
not a super cial sales ploy. Instead, it’s a true indication of an item’s safety and longevity. It protects your
brand’s reputation by having an established certi cation company standing behind what you sell.
Final Thoughts
UL certi cation is something that a ects us in our everyday lives, often to a great degree, without most of us
really knowing c3controls
© 1976-2020 it. UL has been around for 125
(724) years ensuring the safety and accountability of electrical
775-7926
products in everyday American
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will assume OK PRIVACY POLICY
Just because a product is not UL recognized and tested doesn’t mean it’s going to spontaneously combust. It
simply means that its performance and safety haven’t been tested independently and veri Ced
A R T to meet
A C C O U N T those
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safety standards.
So, don’t immediately assume your products aren’t safe just because it doesn’t have a UL certi cation. It’s
never a bad idea, however, to seek out UL certi cation when designing into new electronics and appliances.
Even if it might cost a bit more for your business or take extra testing time, UL gives a consumer the peace of
mind and a brand a big marketing boost. In the long run, third-party certi cations from a trusted source will
only help your business. UL Certi cations have the ability to add accountability and enhance your brand’s
reputation over time.
Hopefully, now you feel a bit more familiar with that little UL logo and have a better idea of what it means
and why it’s important for you and your business. When manufacturers are UL certi ed is shows their
continued commitment to safety and quality.
Ready to upgrade your home or workplace with UL certi ed parts and products? Shop our full assortment of
devices, switches, and other electronics, or request samples today!
Disclaimer:
The content provided is intended solely for general information purposes and is provided with the
understanding that the authors and publishers are not herein engaged in rendering engineering or other
professional advice or services. The practice of engineering is driven by site-speci c circumstances unique to
each project. Consequently, any use of this information should be done only in consultation with a quali ed
and licensed professional who can take into account all relevant factors and desired outcomes. The
information was posted with reasonable care and attention. However, it is possible that some information is
incomplete, incorrect, or inapplicable to particular circumstances or conditions. We do not accept liability for
direct or indirect losses resulting from using, relying or acting upon information in this blog post.
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10/20/2020 What is UL Certification?

UL Recognized vs UL Certified - c3controls

CART ACCOUNT MENU

Search any part number or keyword

What is UL Certi cation and Why is it Important? CART ACCOUNT MENU

What Does It Mean to Be UL Recognized?

As we learned above, UL recognition is for

Far more testing is involved in UL Listed

How Does CE Di er from UL Certi cations?

they will likely feel better about purchasing it.

UL Certi cation for Peace of Mind

13mm Pilot Lights

16mm Pilot Lights

22mm IEC Pilot Devices

22mm NEMA Pilot Devices

We use cookies to ensure that 30mm

Control Stations CART ACCOUNT MENU

Contactors & Control Relays

Electronic Timing Relays

General Purpose Relays

Miniature Circuit Breakers

Terminal Blocks – High Density

Terminal Blocks – IEC

Terminal Blocks - NEMA

Wiring Cable Duct

Series 900 SPR-soft III Software

Series 900 SPR-soft II Software

Request Free Samples CART ACCOUNT MENU

c3controls Headquarters, USA

You might also like