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North American component certification program

UL is the preeminent brand in safety and product testing and certification in North America. The expertise and integrity behind its Mark is UL's most powerful and important asset.

UL's North America component certification program covers a wide range of component types, ranging from plastics and printed wiring boards to complex high tech sub assemblies and industrial controls.

UL's Component certification programs create value for end-product manufacturers by eliminating redundant testing and surveillance for the commercially available components employed in their products. It also adds confidence to supply chain integrity by having the component testing and surveillance conducted where the components are manufactured, rather than when they are already being used in an end-product.

The program additionally creates value for component suppliers by providing them with an independent and objective means to demonstrate to end-product manufacturers that their components comply with the applicable component requirements and enables their buyer's access to the information through UL's online certification directories.

Reducing certification costs

• UL's Component Certification program can help to reduce the cost of end-product certification through the elimination of redundant testing and follow-up surveillance for commercially available components.
• The end-product evaluation price is less since the components do not need to be separately evaluated during the end-product evaluation.
• Since the components have already found to be in compliance with the applicable component requirements, costly redesign issues that may identified during the certification process relating to components may be minimized.

Reducing time to market

• UL's Component Certification program can help to reduce the time to market for end-products by increasing the effectiveness of component sourcing and reducing the complexity of the end-product evaluation.
• Initial component sourcing time can be reduced since UL's Component program enables end-product manufacturers to identify components that already comply with safety requirements needed for end product compliance.
• The time required to complete the end- product evaluation is reduced since the component has already been found to be in compliance with applicable requirements.  Also by using the components that have already been found to comply with applicable safety requirements, potential delays associated with product redesign may be minimized preventing in getting to market as planned.
• During production, the use of UL Certified components help to reduce costs and time to market since it minimizes variation notices and associated potential downtime.

Ensuring supply chain integrity

UL's Component certification program increases supply chain and product integrity. Through UL's rigorous follow up surveillance program, manufacturers who produce end products employing UL Certified components can be confident that  those components fully complied with UL's requirements at the time they were produced.

During UL's long history, UL has developed follow-up programs that address the specific issues related to the product and industry. Through a combination of unannounced in factory inspections, production  line testing, manufacturer follow-up testing, and UL follow-up testing, UL verifies the component fully comply with UL's requirements at the time of manufacture.

UL's supply chain traceability programs drive integrity into the supply chain by providing validation of the sub-contractor activities.

North America Certification Marks

The certification program includes two marks. The traditional UL in a Circle Mark which is intended for end-products and complete components and the backwards "UR" Mark which is for components intended to be installed into another device or product. UL Listed Components are suitable for both field and factory installations. UL Recognized Components are suitable for factory installation only since they have conditions of use, also known as Conditions of Acceptability; that need to be met in the end product application. Learn more.