If you live in North America now, you will find that most of your home appliances are printed with ETL or UL marks like following:
Both of these marks prove that the product is certified by UL or ETL related laboratories.
So what are ETL and UL? What are the differences between them? How to obtain these two certificates?
In this article, we will go into in-depth study of these issues.
What is ETL?
ETL is the abbreviation of Electrical Testing Laboratories, and the mark is owned by Intertek.
If a product carries the ETL certification mark, it means that the product has been tested by an OSHA-recognized NRTL and complies with applicable U.S. and/or Canadian safety standards, such as UL in the U.S. or CSA in Canada.
Products with ETL can be sold freely in the Canadian and US markets.
The mark is often compared to China’s CCC mark: it indicates that the product meets regulatory requirements and eliminates most risks (such as fire) when used correctly, but it does not guarantee zero risk and is not exempt from the obligation to comply with local regulations for installation and use.
What is UL?
UL stands for Underwriters Laboratories.
Strictly speaking, UL itself is not a certificate but an independent organization that develops and maintains safety standards for a wide range of products.
When a product passes third-party testing and demonstrates compliance with the applicable UL standards, it may carry the UL Listed or UL Certified mark.
If the United States is your primary market, obtaining UL certification is often essential.
It confirms that your product has met some of the most stringent safety requirements in the industry and can be used with minimal risk of electric shock, fire, or other hazards.
Why do you need an ETL or UL certificate?
For producers: These two certifications are actually a “passport” to enter the North American market: once certified, the product can be placed on the shelves in the United States and Canada without restrictions; without certification, the product may be effectively blocked and deemed unsafe.
For sellers and distributors: They can sell ETL or UL listed products with confidence and avoid the potential regulatory risks of selling products that are risky to use.
For users: Compared with products without certification, products with ETL or UL certification can provide users with additional safety protection in accordance with ETL or UL standards, and users can trust that they can use these certified products safely.
In short, obtaining ETL or UL certificates is beneficial to manufacturers, distributors and end users.
7 differences between the UL and ETL certificates
There are seven main differences between ETL and UL certification, including standards, coverage, brand awareness, fees, etc. The detailed comparison is as follows:
| Item | UL | ETL |
|---|---|---|
|
Standard development |
Creates and has its own UL standards |
Adopts standards (including UL’s) from other bodies |
|
Coverage scope |
Broader (recycling, renewable energy, etc.) |
Primarily focuses on electronics |
|
Brand prestige |
Higher recognition and prestige |
Relatively lower |
|
Cost & time |
Higher cost, longer lead time |
Lower cost, faster turnaround |
|
Testing standards |
Same NRTL standards as ETL |
Same NRTL standards as UL |
|
Follow-up surveillance |
Regular quarterly inspections, etc. |
Regular quarterly inspections, etc. |
|
Certification mark |
3 types: UL Listed, UL Certified, UL Classified mark |
ETL Listed |
How to get an ETL or UL certificate?
ETL certification obtaining process:
- Contact and submit product specifications, key component list, product photos, and expected sales market (US/Canada) to Intertek,
- Intertek will return: applicable standards, test plan, quotation, and cycle estimate,
- Fill in the “Customer Information Form”,
- Send 2-3 complete sets of samples to the Intertek NRTL laboratory,
- Obtain a “Structure Data Report” (CDR) after passing,
- Review production lines, key instruments, and quality control documents;
- Perform a follow-up inspection every quarter,
- Sign the “ETL Certification Agreement”,
The normal certification cycle is 4-6 weeks, and if there is an urgent need, it can be expedited to 2-3 weeks.
UL certification obtaining process:
- Submit a “Quote Request” on the UL official website, describe the product functions and expected market,
- Send the circuit diagram, BOM, housing diagram, installation/user manual, nameplate, etc. to the UL laboratory,
- Provide samples, the number of samples is 2-6,
- Preliminary evaluation (Construction Review) and formal testing, if there are non-conformities, they need to be corrected and retested
- UL engineers will go to the factory to review the consistency, testing equipment and records, and continue to follow up inspections every quarter or half a year,
- After passing the test and factory inspection, UL will issue one of the three certificates of Listing/Classification/Recognized Component and authorize the use of the corresponding UL Mark.
The certification time required is 8-12 weeks for regular projects; 12-20 weeks for complex projects
Conclusion
In conclusion, although UL is better known and more popular than ETL, if you are looking for an economical way to enter the North American market, ETL is the better choice, and you should ask your customers whether the ETL certificate is acceptable or not.
Lorentzzi, as a leading supplier of industrial products in China, can provide high-quality temperature controllers, solid-state relays, thyristor power regulators, proximity sensors, incremental rotary encoders, timers and counters.
If you need our products to have UL or ETL certification, we can also obtain these certificates.
