UL Research Institutes is a global private safety company headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, composed of three organizations, UL Research Institutes (parent non-profit), UL Standards & Engagement (subsidiary non-profit) and UL Solutions (for-profit business controlled by the non-profits).
Established in 1894, the UL enterprise was founded as the Underwriters' Electrical Bureau (a bureau of the National Board of Fire Underwriters), and was known throughout the 20th century as Underwriters Laboratories. On January 1, 2012, Underwriters Laboratories became the parent company of a for-profit company in the U.S. named UL LLC, a limited liability company, which took over the product testing and certification business. On June 26, 2022, the companies rebranded into three distinct organizations that make up the UL enterprise.
The company is one of several companies approved to perform safety testing by the U.S. federal agency Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA maintains a list of approved testing laboratories, which are known as Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories.
History Underwriters Laboratories Inc. was founded in 1894 by William Henry Merrill. After graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a degree in electrical engineering in 1889, Merrill went to work as an electrical inspector for the Boston Board of Fire Underwriters.Engineering Progress: The Revolution and Evolution of Working for a Safer World. UL. Retrieved September 16, 2021. At the turn of the twentieth century, fire loss was on the rise in the United States, and the increasing use of electricity in homes and businesses posed a serious threat to property and human life.Knowles, Scott (2011). “Chapter 1: The Devil’s Privilege.” The Disaster Experts: Mastering Risk in Modern America. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press, pp. 21-61.
In order to determine and mitigate risk, Merrill proposed to open a laboratory where he would use scientific principles to test products for fire and electrical safety. The Boston Board of Fire Underwriters turned this idea down, perhaps due to Merrill's youth and relative inexperience at the time.
In May 1893, Merrill moved to Chicago to work for the Chicago Fire Underwriters' Association. His task was to inspect the city's fire alarm systems. He was also sent to the 1893 World's Fair to inspect the Fair's electrical installations and the Palace of Electricity. In order to determine and mitigate risk in his role as an electrical inspector, Merrill found it necessary to conduct tests on building materials and electrical components. Upon seeing a growing potential in this field, Merrill stayed in Chicago to found Underwriters Laboratories. He received initial funding from the Chicago Fire Underwriters' Association and the Western Insurance Union, a local insurance organization. With $350 of equipment, he opened a small laboratory on the third floor of a local fire insurance patrol station, signing UL's first test report on March 24, 1894.
Merrill soon went to work on developing safety standards, conducting tests, and uncovering hazards. In the early years, UL tested three main types of products: devices meant to stop fire (such as fire extinguishers), devices meant to resist fire (such as fire doors), and devices that frequently caused fire (like wires used for electrical installations). This work soon expanded, and throughout the twentieth century, UL certified many pivotal consumer technologies, such as vacuum cleaners, televisions, microwaves, personal computers, and more.
UL published its first standard, "Tin Clad Fire Doors", in 1903. In 1906, UL established a Label Service for certain product categories that require more frequent inspections. Products that passed UL's testing and regular inspections were given a UL label, which eventually evolved into the UL Mark. From 1905 to 1979, UL Headquarters was located at 207-231 East Ohio Street in Chicago.“Underwriters' Laboratories, 207-231 East Ohio Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL.” Historic American Buildings Survey, Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey, Library of Congress. Retrieved September 16, 2021. In 1979, the organization moved its headquarters to a 153-acre campus in Northbrook, Illinois, 25 miles north of its former downtown Chicago location.
UL Solutions has evolved from its roots in electrical and fire safety to address broader safety issues, such as hazardous substances, water quality, food safety, performance testing, safety and compliance education, and environmental sustainability.
On January 1, 2012, Underwriters Laboratories became the parent company of a for-profit company in the U.S named UL LLC, a limited liability corporation. The for-profit company took over the product testing and certification business.
In 2022, the company revised their go-to-market strategy to include three separate organizations - UL Solutions, UL Standards & Engagement, and UL Research Institutes.
UL Solutions became a public company via an initial public offering in April 2024 raising around $950million, valuing the company at about $7billion. The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
UL Standards
Sustainability Standards UL 106, Standard for Sustainability for Luminaires (under development) UL 110, Standard for Sustainability for Mobile Phones
Standards for Electrical and Electronic Products UL 50, Enclosures for Electrical Equipment UL 50E, Enclosures for Electrical Equipment, Environmental Considerations UL 153, Portable Electric Lamps UL 197, Commercial Electrical Cooking Appliances UL 244B, Field Installed and/or Field Connected Appliance Controls UL 410, Slip Resistance of Floor Surface Materials UL 651, Schedule 40, 80, Type EB and A Rigid PVC Conduit and Fittings UL 796, Printed-Wiring Boards
UL 962B, Outline for Merchandise Display and Rack Mounted Power Distribution Units UL 970, Retail Fixtures and Merchandising Displays UL 1026, Electric Household Cooking and Food Serving Appliances UL 1083, Household Electric Skillets and Frying-Type Appliances UL 1492, Audio/Video Products and Accessories UL 1598, Luminaires UL 1642, Lithium Batteries UL 1653, Electrical Nonmetallic Tubing UL 1995, Heating and Cooling Equipment UL 2267 Standard for Safety - Fuel Cell Power Systems for Installation in Industrial Electric Trucks UL 6500, Audio/Video and Musical Instrument Apparatuses for Household, Commercial and Similar General Uses UL 60065, Audio, Video and Similar Electronic Apparatuses: Safety Requirements UL 60335-1, Household and Similar Electrical Appliances, Part 1: General Requirements UL 60335-2-24, Household and Similar Electrical Appliances, Part 2: Particular Requirements for Motor Compressors UL 60335-2-3, Household and Similar Electrical Appliances, Part 2: Particular Requirements for Electric Irons UL 60335-2-34, Household and Similar Electrical Appliances, Part 2: Particular Requirements for Motor Compressors UL 60335-2-8, Household and Similar Electrical Appliances, Part 2: Particular Requirements for Shavers, Hair Clippers and Similar Appliances UL 60950, Information Technology Equipment UL 60950-1, Information Technology Equipment – Safety, Part 1: General Requirements UL 60950-21, Information Technology Equipment – Safety, Part 21: Remote Power Feeding UL 60950-22, Information Technology Equipment – Safety, Part 22: Equipment to be Installed Outdoors UL 60950-23, Information Technology Equipment – Safety, Part 23: Large Data Storage Equipment UL 61010-1, Safety Requirements for Electrical Equipment For Measurement, Control, and Laboratory Use; Part 1: General Requirements UL 62368-1, Audio/Video, Information and Communication Technology Equipment – Part 1: Safety Requirements
Life Safety Standards UL 217, Single- and Multiple- Station Smoke Alarms UL 268, Smoke Detectors for Fire Protective Signaling Systems UL 268A, Smoke Detectors for Duct Application UL 752, Bulletproofing standards UL 1626, Residential Sprinklers for Fire Protection Service UL 1971, Signaling Devices for the Hearing Impaired
Standards for Building Products UL 10A, Tin-Clad Fire Doors UL 20, General-Use Snap Switches UL 486E, Equipment Wiring Terminals for Use with Aluminum and/or Copper Conductors UL 1256, Fire Test of Roof/Deck Constructions
Standards for Industrial Control Equipment UL 508, Industrial Control Equipment, superseded by UL 60947-4-1 UL 508A, Industrial Control Panels UL 508C, Power Conversion Equipment, superseded by UL 61800-5-1 UL 61800-5-1, Adjustable Speed Electrical Power Drive Systems
Standards for Plastic Materials UL 94, Tests for Flammability of Plastic Materials for Parts in Devices and Appliances UL 746A, Polymeric Materials: Short-Term Property Evaluations UL 746B, Polymeric Materials: Long-Term Property Evaluations UL 746C, Polymeric Materials: Use in Electrical Equipment Evaluations. UL 746D, Polymeric Materials: Fabricated Parts UL 746E, Polymeric Materials: Industrial Laminates, Filament Wound Tubing, Vulcanized Fiber and Materials Used in Printed-Wiring Boards UL 746F, Polymeric Materials: Flexible Dielectric Film Materials for Use in Printed-Wiring Boards and Flexible Materials Interconnect Constructions
Standards for Wire and Cable UL 62, Flexible Cords and Cables UL 590J, Electric Insulating Tape UL 758, Appliance Wiring Material (AWM) UL 817, Cord Sets and Power Supply Cords UL 2556, Wire and Cable Test Methods
Standards for Alarm Systems, Installation, and Monitoring Source: UL 294, Access Control System Units (ANSI Approved: May 24, 2023) UL 365, Standard for Police Station Connected Burglar Alarm Units and Systems (ANSI Approved: January 31, 2018) UL 464, Audible Signaling Devices for Fire Alarm and Signaling Systems, Including Accessories (ANSI Approved: April 28, 2023) UL 497, Protectors for Paired-Conductor Communications Circuits (ANSI Approved: July 25, 2022) UL 497A, Standard for Secondary Protectors for Communications Circuit (ANSI Approved: October 1, 2019) UL 497B, Protectors for Data Communications and Fire-Alarm Circuits (ANSI Approved: February 7, 2022) UL 603, Standard for Power Supplies for Use with Burglar-Alarm Systems (ANSI Approved: July 6, 2018) UL 609, Standard for Local Burglar Alarm Units and Systems (ANSI Approved: March 9, 2018) UL 636, Standard for Holdup Alarm Units and Systems (DOD Approved: July 30, 1987, ANSI Approved: January 30, 2018) UL 639, Standard for Intrusion-Detection Units (ANSI Approved: October 24, 2019) UL 681, Installation and Classification of Burglar and Holdup Alarm Systems (DOD Approved: January 2, 1992, ANSI Approved: December 17, 2020) UL 827, Central-Station Alarm Services (ANSI Approved: October 19, 2023) UL 827A, UL LLC Outline of Investigation for Hosted Central Station Services UL 864, Control Units and Accessories for Fire Alarm Systems (ANSI Approved: October 9, 2023) UL 985, Household Fire Warning System Units (ANSI Approved: October 7, 2022) UL 1023, Household Burglar-Alarm System Units (ANSI Approved: May 20, 2021) UL 1034, Standard for Burglary-Resistant Electric Locking Mechanisms (ANSI Approved: June 3, 2020) UL 1037, Antitheft Alarms and Devices (ANSI Approved: August 24, 2023) UL 1076, Proprietary Burglar Alarm Units and Systems (DOD Approved: April 9, 1992, ANSI Approved: February 16, 2021) UL 1481, Standard for Power Supplies for Fire-Protective Signaling Systems UL 1610, Central-Station Burglar-Alarm Units UL 1635, Standard for Digital Alarm Communicator System Units (ANSI Approved: April 13, 2018) UL 1981, Central-Station Automation Systems (ANSI Approved: March 29, 2023) UL 2050, National Industrial Security Systems (Revised: November 7, 2010) UL 2610, Commercial Premises Security Alarm Units and Systems (ANSI Approved: April 7, 2021)