UL Certificate: Get Ready For Debunking The Secret

Sharline Shaw

The world is FULL of products. But what makes a product DIFFERENT from others?

Especially when the products are SIMILAR. 

The answer is the UL certificate. 

Leeline Sourcing is an EXPERT in providing UL certified products. We have DECADES of experience in product certifications.

So, if you want to SOURCE properly CERTIFIED products, Leeline is the BEST OPTION. 

You will never face a PRODUCT REJECTION again. 

But what is a UL CERTIFICATE?

You will gain EXTENSIVE knowledge about a UL certificate in this article. You will know its IMPORTANCE and how to GET it. You will also know the SERVICES of this certification and the TYPES of UL ratings. 

Let’s start. 

UL Certificate

What is a UL certificate? 

What is a UL certificate

A UL certificate is a type of product certification. Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a third party certification company, issues this certificate.

UL is expected to TEST products for SAFETY. They begin safety evaluation by performing product safety TESTING. 

UL research institutes or the UL labs issue certain UL marks on the UL certified items. 

The CERTIFICATE comes for the products that demonstrate compliance with the UL STANDARDS. 

A UL certificate also ensures the product was manufactured in a SAFE environment. 

A UL listed product undergoes UL tests. These tests check for safety standards. 

So, this certificate is a safety STANDARD for CONSUMERS and MANUFACTURERS. 

Suppose you want to buy an ELECTRIC TOASTER for your FAMILY. Would you be worried about its applicable healthcare SAFETY STANDARDS? 

Yes, I guess. 

I think you would choose a toaster that is CERTIFIED for SAFETY. 

That’s what a UL certificate is all about. 

Why is a UL certificate important? 

Why is a UL certificate important

A UL certificate can play a huge role in a RETAIL business. Let me tell you what I experienced by selling an uncertified and a UL certified product. 

  • Ease of Marketing 

Marketing products with a UL listed seal is way EASIER than uncertified ones. When I knew my products had a UL certification, I mentioned it in my campaigns. I was successful in attracting MORE CUSTOMERS. 

  • Increased Customer Confidence 

UL certifies products for SAFETY evaluation. The consumer and retailer are happy with a UL tested or UL listed certification. 

A UL listed mark helps mitigate risk while using a product with a UL stamp. 

Many of my customers felt HESITATED when buying uncertified products. But the products with UL certifications sold QUICKLY. My customers felt CONFIDENT in buying certified products. 

  • Prevents Liability and Legal Action 

Some of my ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES malfunctioned during their use. So, I got into HOT WATERS for uncertified products after COMPLAINTS. 

But the products with UL certifications prevented all the LEGAL ACTIONS. 

UL website ensures UL partners for global public safety. UL certificate is set for maintaining compliance with the American National Standards Institute. 

I even sold my health administration products SAFELY in the European Union. 

  • More Sales 

I experienced a visible difference between the UL certified and non-certified products. The products with a UL certificate sold like HOT CAKES. I made more REVENUE and PROFITS by selling certified products. 

  • Safety for Buyers and Sellers 

Buyers feel SAFE about buying certified products. That’s a fact! But as a retailer, I also felt SAFE for SOURCING products with a UL certificate. I knew I could sell these products easily without any PROBLEMS. 

  • Positive Feedback and Image

I noticed that certified products gathered more POSITIVE FEEDBACK from my customers. My customers loved the SAFETY feature of those products. The feedback enhanced the IMAGE of my business. I gathered more LOYAL CUSTOMERS. 

  • Increased Referrals 

My customers also REFERRED my shop to their social circle. As a result, I got more customers without even ADVERTISING. 

  • Competitive Advantage 

I had to STRUGGLE HARD to compete with my competitors. But with UL certified products, it got EASIER for me. I KNOCKED OUT my competition even without offering DISCOUNTS. 

Inspection, Supplier Audit, Product Testing in China & Asia

We focus exclusively on QUALITY CONTROL. Today hundreds of clients worldwide have selected to trust Leeline Service as their partner for supply chain Management.

What kind of services does UL certification provide?

What kind of services does UL certification provide

The UL certificate provides multiple SERVICES for a wide range of INDUSTRIES. The most important services of the UL certification are mentioned below. 

Product Testing and Certification 

Underwriters Laboratories (UL) provide testing and certification of a product. It tests products to make sure that the product complies with APPLICABLE STANDARDS. The most common INDUSTRY standards include ELECTRICAL safety, FIRE safety, and CHEMICAL safety. 

If a product PASSES the safety requirements, it becomes UL certified. 

Let’s say your business involves selling ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES. I will ADVISE you to get UL certification. This is especially TRUE if you sell these appliances in FIRST WORLD countries. 

Inspection Services 

UL also provides inspection services. These inspection services are mainly meant for MANUFACTURING SITES. UL ensures that these sites are manufacturing the products in a SAFE environment. This service is to ensure the safety of WORKERS and STAFF. 

UL offers system certification to perform SITE EVALUATIONS. You get the FACILITY certification and the PROCESS certification from the UL. They also provide a PERSONNEL certification. 

UL’s personnel certification ensures OCCUPATIONAL safety. 

But why should a RETAILER be worried about the SAFETY of workers? 

An end user should only be concerned about consumer safety. 

Trust me!

Educated consumers care for the SAFETY of MANUFACTURING SITES too. They want to know if the product was manufactured in a SAFE ENVIRONMENT. 

First-world customers give much importance to the SAFETY of WORKERS too. 

Advisory Services

What if a manufacturer does not know how to COMPLY with UL requirements? 

Before working with Leeline Sourcing, I was in direct contact with manufacturers. One of my manufacturers did not know about the UL certification. I advised him to utilize UL’s ADVISORY SERVICES. 

He contacted the UL. They helped him NAVIGATE complex requirements. They guided him to develop EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES for managing RISKS. 

UL’s advisory services include CONSULTING, TRAINING, and AUDITING services. A business can easily FOLLOW all the REQUIREMENTS using UL’s advisory services. 

One of my direct manufacturers had to design a product with UL requirements. He contacted UL. They CONSULTED him to fulfill ALL the DESIGNING requirements. UL also offered him TRAINING and EDUCATION services to meet the UL STANDARDS.

Auditing Services 

UL also provides auditing services to assess if a business is on the right track. UL auditing services ensure COMPLIANCE. Compliance with the UL standards or industry standards. 

Let me give you another example. One of my direct manufacturers in China had tried to COMPLY with all the UL requirements. Still, he was not sure if his facility was UL-compliant. 

As I wanted to get my products UL certified, I told him to get UL auditing services. UL checked his facility and made some RECOMMENDATIONS. 

He made the suggested CHANGES. His facility became FULLY COMPLIANT with the UL’s requirements. 

Supply Chain Services

UL offers supply chain services. These services help businesses manage risk. They also ensure safety throughout the SUPPLY CHAIN process. 

These services include supplier evaluations and material testing

Let me state another example to ELABORATE. 

Recall the MANUFACTURER who applied for a UL certification upon my suggestion. A few of his products did not get approved by the UL. The main objection was the REJECTION of the product’s material. 

I gave him another piece of ADVICE. I told him to get his material approved by UL’s supply chain services.

He was purchasing raw materials from other suppliers. Upon UL’s recommendations, he asked for changes in his RAW MATERIALS. This solved his problem, and his FINAL PRODUCT got APPROVED. 

Environmental Services 

UL also evaluates businesses to check their IMPACT on the ENVIRONMENT. They provide consultancy for SUSTAINABILITY. 

Suppose you run a business that claims to be SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE. But how do you CERTIFY it?

I recommend you get a CERTIFIED claim for environmental safety. 

Only that way people are going to BELIEVE you more. 

UL can provide you with an ENVIRONMENTAL CERTIFICATE. 

For example, the manufacturers of chemical products get a UL GREENGUARD certificate. 

Now, I work with many suppliers for chemical products that hold a UL Green Guard certificate. 

Steps to get UL certified

Steps to get UL certified

So, you have decided to get a UL certificate. What next? 

You would have to go through a detailed UL certification process.

I PROCESSED the UL certification for one of my SUPPLIERS. Let me share the steps I followed. 

Step 1. Identify the UL STANDARDS for your product

UL has multiple standards for DIFFERENT products. So, I had to decide which UL standard applied to my particular product. 

My supplier used to manufacture DEHUMIDIFIERS. I found out that UL 60335-2-40 covered the SAFETY features of dehumidifiers. This standard is also applicable to air-conditioners and electric heat pumps. 

So, I applied for the certification of UL 60335-2-40. 

Step 2. Develop a TESTING plan

The next STEP involved developing a TESTING plan. I had to specify which kind of TESTING I required. My supplier wanted to test for the SAFETY features of dehumidifiers. 

So, I mentioned that I wanted to get the UL certification for the safety of my dehumidifiers. 

Step 3. Submit the testing REQUEST

I submitted the testing request with my product samples. The UL decided on the authorized LABORATORY nearest to my supplier’s location. 

My supplier was in China. So, they decided to get his products tested by UL Shanghai laboratory. UL also has a certified laboratory in Shenzhen. 

Step 4. Rectify any OBJECTIONS. 

After testing your products, UL may specify any improvements in the products. For example, UL may ask you to add a security feature to IMPROVE your product. They may also ask you to change your product’s DESIGN or manufacturing PROCESS. 

My dehumidifiers did not get any objections. 

Step 5. Obtain the UL certificate

After your products get APPROVED, UL will issue a certificate. In my case, we got the UL 60335-2-40 certificate we had APPLIED for. 

This certificate is ACCEPTABLE internationally. 

My supplier could confidently sell his DEHUMIDIFIERS in the US and Canada. 

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Different Types of UL Ratings

Different Types of UL Ratings

UL certification is not a GENERAL certificate. It applies differently to different types of products. 

For example, there will be a separate UL certificate for a manufacturer and end-user. 

So, UL provides DIFFERENT certificates for FACTORIES and CONSUMERS. 

Here are the following THREE CLASSIFICATIONS of a UL certificate. 

1. UL Recognized Products

UL recognized certification is the requirement of a MANUFACTURER. A UL Recognized certificate identifies a product’s safety features. So they are safe for the manufacturing process. 

Suppose a manufacturer wants to get UL recognized. They will apply for a UL recognized certificate. They can use those UL recognized components in their manufacturing process after APPROVAL. 

These products will have a UL recognized component mark.

A UL recognized component is typically used in manufacturing units. A typical example of a UL Recognized product is a POWER SUPPLY or a SWITCH. 

These products with UL recognition are used in factory machinery. So, UL ensures that these products are SAFE to use. 

A UL recognized product will have UL marks with a UL logo. 

2. UL Listed Products

UL listed products are meant for end users or consumers. UL listed products involve more rigorous testing compared to a UL Recognized product. 

Examples of UL listed products include a WIDE range. For example, fire extinguishers and electrical appliances get UL listed. 

UL 60335-2-40 is an example of a UL listed product. These products have a specific UL mark as a STAMP. 

A UL logo or specific UL marks will appear on your UL listed products. 

3. UL Classified 

Some products have a classification of UL mark. This certificate is different from UL listing and UL recognition. 

The products with the UL mark are checked by the UL. These UL classified products undergo UL testing SAFETY tests.

This classification of the products is based on the general testing and ANALYSIS by the UL. 

For example, UL can test a fire-rated door or a glass and will share its report. UL will also share the PROPERTIES of that product. 

Any other product with SIMILAR properties may qualify for a UL classification. 

A UL classified fire-resistant door will bear SPECIFIC conditions. Other products must bear the same conditions to fall under the SAME CLASSIFICATION. 

FAQs about UL Certificate

1. Is a UL certificate necessary in the US?

No. A UL certificate is not necessary in the US. You will find many RETAILERS selling products with no safety CERTIFICATE. The US government also does not require a UL certificate. 
But if you have this certificate, it is considered a COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE. 

2. Does Amazon require UL certification?

Amazon does not require a UL certificate for EVERY product. But a UL certificate is MANDATORY if you sell particular items. These items include electronic equipment, safety items, and hazardous products. 
A retailer must provide a UL certificate to avoid TROUBLE. Amazon may also CANCEL the product listings based on non-compliance. 

3. How much does UL certification cost?

A UL certificate is generally considered EXPENSIVE. A UL certificate’s exact cost depends upon the UL testing type and product. The general testing and certification costs may be around $2000-$3000. 
But some tests and certifications may cost you even more. 

4. Who is responsible for UL certification?

The responsibility to provide a UL certification lies with the SELLER. Retailers expect MANUFACTURERS to provide a UL certification. 
But the CONSUMERS would expect  RETAILERS to provide the UL certificate. They will not ask the MANUFACTURERS for the UL certificate. 

What’s Next

Getting a UL certification is a TECHNICAL TESTING PROCESS. It is also quite EXPENSIVE for new businesses. 

From where can you get a UL certified product?

Only the EXPERTS. 

Leeline Sourcing has been providing UL certified products for YEARS. 

Call us to get your FREE QUOTE now. 

Do you want a successful import business?

sharline

Hey, I’m Sharline, co-founder of  LeelineSourcing. We’ve helped 2000+ customers import from China.

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Sharline

Article by:

Sharline Shaw

Hey I'm Sharline, the founder of Leeline Sourcing. With 10 years of experience in the field of sourcing in China, we help 2000+ clients import from China,Alibaba,1688 to Amazon FBA or shopify. If you have any questions about sourcing , pls feel free to contact us.