At the same time as you’ve paid shut attention to labels on any electric products, devices, or dwelling equipment, which that you can per chance per chance merely devour noticed a diminutive trace with the initials “UL” on it. It’s no longer one thing associated with a explicit firm or trace of products, and is a type of issues that whenever which that you can per chance per chance neatly be conscious of it’s there, you initiating noticing all of them over the establish the distance. Nonetheless what does the “UL” trace mean? Right here’s what to know.
What does UL mean on a trace?
UL stands for Underwriters Laboratories, which describes itself as “a no longer-for-profit group dedicated to public safety.” Founded in 1894 to promote protected residing and working environments, UL’s predominant characteristic became, and remains to be, product safety making an try out and certification. Even supposing there are other organizations that supply the same safety making an try out carrier, UL is the most productive-identified.
The principle iteration of the UL trace got here out in 1906, and certified that person products were tested, and met the group’s safety requirements. It means the same thing this day. Seeing “UL Listed” on the trace of a product assures you, as a consumer, that this can work as expected, and doesn’t pose a security likelihood to you. In other phrases, if it be predominant to come to a choice between purchasing an item with a UL trace versus the same form item with out that trace, go for the one with it.
The variation between ‘UL Listed’ and ‘UL Known’
Let’s divulge you own shut a refrigerator. That that you can per chance per chance merely glimpse “UL Listed” on the trace affixed to the equipment’s vitality cord. And whilst you were at it, you also sold a washing machine, which has “UL Known” stickers on a number of person substances. What’s the variation between the two?
In accordance to UL, “UL Listing implies that UL has tested representative samples of a product and determined that the product meets explicit, outlined requirements.” In the meantime, “UL Component Recognition implies that UL has evaluated substances or provides intended to be used in a complete product or system. These substances are intended merely for pause-consume products that will probably be eligible for UL certification.”
So frequently, “UL Listed” means they tested the product (as a complete) and it in actuality works safety, while “UL Known” labels are space on explicit substances of a product that are tested.