UL-Listing - What it means to you

HitLights is proud to offer UL-listed products that come with a 6 Year Warranty throughout most of our selections.

What is UL? and why should you or your business care? 


If we were to hand you two almost identical LED lights strips or power supplies, would you be able to tell which one is safer? Which one is less likely to overheat, fail, or worse? If you know what you’re looking for, then you might be able to make an educated guess. For everyone else, Underwriters Laboratories has already done the work for you - and has been doing so since 1894!

Headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, Underwriters Laboratories are one of a select number of organizations charged by the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to develop and test for safety standards amongst various types of products, mostly electrical. You might be familiar with the UL logo that is commonly found in household power supplies and transformers, such as those that power your laptop, phone charger, or other electronic devices.

To be authorized to display the UL logo, companies such as HitLights must manufacture their products to certain safety and reliability standards. These standards are independently developed by Underwriters Laboratories to ensure that the authorized products can be safely installed in your home or business, and that they are not susceptible to failure or hazard resulting from common forms of use (and misuse).

Examples abound. UL-Listed power supplies and transformers must automatically shut themselves off if overloaded - preventing overheating and fire hazards caused by components exceeding their power ratings. Wiring on all UL-Listed strips and power supplies must pass a 35 pound (15.9 kg) strain test by weight. Plugs and connectors must be ‘over rated’ by 20% over the listed current rating (in amps).

Obviously, products that are UL-Listed are safer and better choices than those that are not - and in most states and municipalities, any new construction requires the use of UL-Listed products, as per the National Electrical Code (NEC). You can see if your state has adopted NEC code here.

HitLights does offer some of our product range in less expensive, non-UL listed versions. We call these our ‘Standard’ lines to differentiate them from our UL-listed ‘Premium’ products. They’re fine products that are suitable for more temporary applications - we often recommend them for people who are using them outside of their home or business and are looking to spend a little less. They’re popular for lighting up costumes, bikes or ATVs, or for all manner of hobbyist use.

If you’re installing lighting in your home or business, however, there is no substitute for our Premium UL-Listed products, which will meet NEC standards, and thanks to their higher quality construction come with a two year warranty (as opposed to the Standard products which offer just a one year warranty).

You can learn a little more about Underwriters Laboratories on wikipedia. Check out our UL-Listed light strips here and our UL-Listed power supplies here, and for any questions regarding UL-listing or anything else related to LED strip light installation, get in touch with our customer service team at 1-855-768-4135 customerservice@hitlights.com.

View our UL listing directly at Underwriters Laboratories.