UL certification application process
UL certification application process
1. The applicant fills in the UL pre-application form and faxes or mails the application form, product manual and technical documents to us.
2. The technical documents that the applicant must provide include:
a. Product instruction manual.
b. Safety design documents (including key structural drawings, i.e. design drawings that reflect creepage distance, clearance, number of insulation layers and thickness)
c. Product technical requirements (or enterprise standards).
d. Product electrical schematic diagram.
e. Product roadmap.
f. List of key components or raw materials (please choose products with UL certification mark).
g. Copy of the certification of the whole machine or safety components/raw materials.
h. Description/Related Information - clearly state the product name and its intended use, including model, appropriate series description and list. If applying for different models of the same product at one time, the similarities and differences between the other models and the designated prototype should be described in detail, which will help reduce test time and reduce test costs.
3. Based on the information (in English) provided by the applicant (please indicate if you need to apply for the CUL mark at the same time), UL will determine the corresponding test standards and make a quotation (excluding the cost of the first factory inspection).
4. If the applicant accepts the quotation, he/she shall sign the quotation sheet.
5. UL issues formal agreements.
6. Carefully read and sign the application form and tracking service agreement, and pay the test fee (US dollars) and testing or agency fee (RMB) as required. Send/deliver the samples to the designated laboratory as required.
7. Conduct product inspection. If the product does not meet the requirements, UL will notify the applicant and explain the non-conformities. The applicant needs to decide whether to make changes or re-submit samples.
8. We hope that customers can purchase UL standards so that you can understand UL's requirements.
9. After the product has passed the test, the UL factory inspection department will visit the factory to determine whether the production meets the program requirements (IPI). Only after passing the IPI can the applicant ship the product with the UL mark.
10. UL factory inspection department will visit the factory regularly to help your company's listed products continue to meet UL's safety requirements. Need to pay: factory inspection fee and certificate maintenance fee.
11. Note: Components/Raw Materials List - Please provide a list of safety components or materials used in your product, including the manufacturer's name, model specifications, or other ratings, and whether it is UL approved or listed. We provide a blank component/raw materials list for your reference.
UL certification application matters needing attention
● Make UL engineers understand the product category, product performance, use and working environment you want to test
(a) The product to be tested, this seems quite simple, but due to language barriers, repeated translation from Chinese to English or from English to Chinese often leads to unexpected results. For example, a factory in Zhejiang wants to apply for UL certification for "wiring harness" (an assembly with wires and various terminals and plugs). In Zhejiang, "wiring harness" is accustomed to being called "connector". If you open a Chinese-English dictionary, you will find that the English word for "connector" is "Connector". So the factory applied for "Connector" certification, spending a lot of time and energy. The result is of course predictable. Only the "wiring terminals" (including metal plugs and plastic parts on the outside) produced by the factory are allowed to carry the UL mark, not the wiring harness. But in fact, all the "wiring terminals" (Connectors) of the factory are purchased from outside. Therefore, when applying for certification, you should ensure the correctness of the product name. Unless you are 100% sure, UL Online recommends that you confirm the English name of the product with the UL office in China in advance. This is one of the responsibilities of the office.
(b) The same product, if the potential use is different, the test method will be very different. For example, the same string of Christmas lights (Decorative Lighting Stings) has a big difference between indoor and outdoor use. To put it simply, the indoor light string does not need to be tested in the rain, but it is necessary for the outdoor light string. For another example, if the lamp holder you produce is only used for 110V voltage, you do not need to test it according to the requirements of 220V. This means that there is no need to expand the scope of use of your product unless you intend to use your product in this new condition. On the contrary, the scope of application cannot be narrowed. If the plastic you produce is used in an environment of 105 degrees, in order to save costs, you only apply for use in an environment of 90 degrees. Although your product has also passed UL certification, your customers cannot use it as a UL product in an environment of 105 degrees. This is of course what you don't want to see. Therefore, it is necessary to fully explain the scope of use of your product to avoid wasting your time and money and causing you unnecessary losses. For electrical and electronic products, these scopes of use are mainly voltage, current, power factor, ambient temperature, etc. If you are not familiar with these scopes of use, please contact your engineer.
● Explain the differences between different models
If you have multiple models of similar products applying for certification, or you have already applied for UL certification for similar products, please explain the similarities and differences between these models, which can help UL engineers decide to reduce unnecessary repeated tests to reduce your costs and testing time. For example, if there are two models of relays applying for certification, one has one set of contacts and the other has two contacts, the engineer will only pay special attention to the other set of contacts of the second model during the test, without repeating all the tests.
● Make a list of raw materials or parts for your product
UL mainly controls the entire product by controlling the raw materials or components of the product. Therefore, it requires customers to indicate the source of each component when submitting the product. Once these components are confirmed, they cannot be changed at will. If you want to use other alternative products from other factories, you must obtain UL's consent in advance and may test your product again. Otherwise, UL's inspectors will cause trouble for you. There are certain skills in compiling this list: First, you should state your parts supplier, quantity, model, main indicators and certification body in this list. If your component is UL approved, it is best to state the applicant's UL file number (FILENUMBER), which can save a lot of testing for the component. Thirdly, for some key components, it is best to select several suppliers. UL will include these qualified products in the follow-up inspection details. In this way, when you want to change a supplier, you will not cause unnecessary trouble due to the provisions of UL's details. You can make a list with reference to the table below. (For your convenience, the following table uses Chinese. When submitting your product to UL, please use the English in brackets.
Component Name (Component)
Quantity (No,)
Manufacturer (Manufacturer)
Model (ModelNo,
Main Indicators (Ratings)
Certification Agency (Certification
Enclosure 1ActiveCorpLtd、U-12105C94V-0UL(E170432) orNewCentryceleron105C94V-0UL(E14321) orWendIndustrytypeK105C94V-0UL(E187621)
Wire 2pcsZhejiangNewsGroup1007105C300VUL/CSA(E132)
Base1GEUSALexin141105C94V-0UL(E77321)
Although many people think that the more vague the list is, the better, because it can reduce restrictions on yourself. Maybe this is a technique, but the side effect is that UL engineers may write to you again and ask you to specify the suppliers of certain parts. At this time, you have no choice. This will not only do you no good, but also delay your time. UL Online only supports robust techniques.
●List all your manufacturing sites
If you produce the product you are applying for certification in several different places, please tell UL all the factory names and addresses. UL only authorizes specific factories at specific addresses to use the UL mark. Branches of the same factory at different addresses, or cooperative factories at different addresses, need to inform UL in advance, sign a follow-up inspection service agreement with UL, and include the follow-up inspection service details. Otherwise, other production locations using the UL mark are illegal production locations. UL has the right to request severe punishment under Chinese law.
●Maintain good contact with UL
After receiving the application submitted by the customer, the UL laboratory will carry out the following work. Please confirm each step in the application process: the customer consultant will write back to the customer to confirm receipt of your application, and inform you of the UL standard used to evaluate the product and the name of the person in charge of the engineering team responsible for the product submitted for inspection.
After UL engineers receive all the required technical information and develop a product inspection plan, UL will send a letter to the customer, including a brief introduction to the scope of the inspection, the name and quantity of the required samples, the estimated test cost and the advance payment. A formal application form is also attached.
The application form is in duplicate and includes the product name, model, name and address of the listed person, name and address of the manufacturer, name and address of the applicant, the applicant's file number, expected project end date and maximum cost, etc. The application form is basically a formal agreement or contract between the applicant and the UL laboratory. It includes the terms of the agreement, the parties involved and the product.
After receiving the reply letter and application form from UL, the customer must take the following steps:
Send one completed application form signed by the person in charge of the unit back to the UL engineer in charge of the project, and keep the other copy as a factory file.
Send the advance payment to UL or wire it to UL's bank account in various parts of the United States, and send or fax the remittance receipt to the corresponding UL engineer.
Send the samples you want to send directly to the UL project engineer. Please indicate the name of the UL project engineer, the name of the applicant, the file number, the project number, the sample model and quantity, etc. The samples can be directly taken from the production line or pre-produced products, or they can be specially made samples. However, the components and materials used in these samples should be the same as those of the formally produced products.
In all correspondence with UL related to your product, please indicate the file number (FILENUMBER). If it is during the testing process, please indicate the project number (ProjectNumber). This can help engineers process your letter quickly and correctly.
During the testing process, customers will receive a "Follow-up Inspection Agreement". If multiple manufacturers are involved in manufacturing similar products, they will receive multiple agreements. The agreement is marked with the name of the manufacturer and is in duplicate. The "Follow-up Inspection Agreement" should be signed by the person in charge of the manufacturer or the authorized person and sent back to the UL laboratory. UL will sign one of the copies and send it back to the factory. This is the inspection contract signed between the factory and UL, which is legally binding and should be kept properly.
If UL has certain requirements for your factory's production line or testing equipment, UL will send personnel to the factory for acceptance, so you should prepare the necessary instruments and equipment in advance. As for which equipment is needed, usually at the beginning of the project, the engineer will notify the factory. If there is no information in this regard, there are usually no requirements.
