What does the Underwriters Laboratory logo mean?
David Jones
Updated on March 29, 2026
The UL Listed seal means that the product has been tested by UL to nationally recognized safety and sustainability standards. Additionally, it has been found to be free from a reasonably foreseeable risk of fire, electric shock in a Division 2 environment.
Who owns lab underwriters?
Underwriters Laboratories Inc.
UL, LLC is a global safety certification company headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois. It maintains offices in 46 countries….UL (safety organization)
| The UL logo | |
|---|---|
| Formerly | Underwriters Laboratories |
| Revenue | approx. US$2.5 billion (2020) |
| Number of employees | 12,000 (2013) |
| Parent | Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (non-profit) |
What year did Underwriters Laboratories start?
1894
UL/Founded
What does the symbol UL mean?
Underwriters’ Laboratories, or UL as it is universally known, tests and evaluates components and products that allows a certification mark to be placed by the manufacturer.
What is the purpose of Underwriters Laboratories?
As the global safety science leader, UL provides the expertise, insights and services necessary to solve critical business challenges. We help our customers achieve their safety, security and sustainability goals, meet quality and performance expectations, manage risk and achieve regulatory compliance.
What is the backwards RU symbol?
Why do you see this backwards RU mark on components? It’s given by Underwriters Laboratories to indicate a component has met their quality standards. It’s the equivalent of the UL mark applied to the outside of a complete product (TV, refrigerator, blender, etc.)
Why was UL created?
UL’s founder was determined to help improve the outcome of future fires. On Dec. 30, 1903, a crowd of nearly 2,000 people squeezed into Chicago’s new Iroquois Theatre, which had been proclaimed “fireproof beyond all doubt” by the local fire inspector and Chicago’s building commissioner just a few weeks earlier.
Is UL going public?
The testing company says it has no plans to go public, but there’s plenty for investors to like. Today UL, the for-profit safety testing company wholly owned by the Northbrook organization, is profitable again, with annual revenue of $2.3 billion and $700 million in cash.
What does the UL symbol mean when it is found on an electrical appliance?
The UL-Listing seal, also known as the “Underwriters Laboratory” seal, that is stamped on most electrical products is an important mark that products carry. It used to be an insurance industry organization, but now it is independent, non-profit organization.
What are laboratory underwriters?
What is the UL mission?
Our mission is working for a safer world. These principles drive every decision we make: To promote safe, secure and sustainable living and working environments for people by the application of science, hazard-based safety engineering and data acumen.
