Verifying an NRTL listing is real: UL, ETL and the databases that check them

Compliance · 2026-10-16

The published figures

Thirteen marks, and which of our channels names each one

Certification is model-specific, not company-wide. Tell us the model and the destination market and we will confirm what we can supply for it. Six further marks — ISO 9001, BSCI, FCC, SAA, PSE and INMETRO — are named by third-party databases and not by either of our own channels, so they are not listed here.

Why ETL and UL are not interchangeable to a retailer

Both are NRTL marks recognised under the same US OSHA framework for electrical safety. The difference is not technical quality — it is which retailer's specification sheet names which one.

ETL is accepted by most US and Canadian retailers. UL is the default text that many retailer specification sheets still reference literally. If your retailer names UL in its vendor compliance requirements, an ETL-only product creates a paperwork problem that a better product does not fix. Ask your retailer which NRTL marks its specification accepts before you order, not after.

What the certificate actually tells you, and what it does not

An NRTL certificate covers a named model or series, a defined scope, an issuing body and a validity period. Those four things are exactly the four things to read off it.

It does not cover your variant. A machine with a different plug, a different voltage build, a different boiler or a different cord set is not automatically inside the scope of a certificate issued for the model you saw listed. This is the single most common way a compliant programme becomes a non-compliant shipment: the sample was the certified configuration and the production order drifted from it.

The two-certificate problem, illustrated by one of our listings

One of our electric grill listings states CE, CB and ETL on the same listing, with a detachable VDE plug. That combination is the practical part: CE and CB cover the European side, ETL covers the North American side, and the detachable VDE plug is what lets the same certified machine be offered into a European socket without the appliance itself being retested.

That is the argument for reading the mark list rather than assuming one mark covers a destination. The buyer moving the machine between markets is buying a certified chassis plus a changeable cord, not a second certification.

Certification is model-specific, which is why we ask for the model first

We publish thirteen marks because we hold them: CE, CB, GS, RoHS, LFGB, EMC, LVD, ERP, UL, ETL, KC, REACH and FDA. Each entry on our compliance page records which of our two channels names it — the corporate site, the Global Sources profile, or both.

We do not publish ISO 9001, BSCI, FCC, SAA, PSE or INMETRO. Those are named by third-party databases about us, and not by either of our own channels, so until we confirm they are current and in scope they do not appear anywhere on this site. If a supplier lists them for you, the verification burden moves to them.

What to request, and what to check on it

Request the certificate number, not a logo. Then check four fields on it: the exact model or series, the scope, the issuing body and the validity date.

Then compare those four fields against your production specification. A certificate that names a 220 V EU build does not cover a 110 V US build of the same model number, and that difference has to be closed before the order, not at customs.

Finally, confirm the certificate in the NRTL's own online directory rather than only against a PDF the supplier sends you. A supplier sending you a document is not the same as a certificate being traceable.

The part we cannot answer for you

Whether ETL satisfies a given retailer's vendor compliance requirement is a question for that retailer. We publish that we hold UL and ETL and which of our channels names each one. What your retailer's specification accepts is a decision you have to get in writing from them, and it is worth getting before tooling rather than after.

Where the figures behind this came from

Every number on this page traces to one of these.

Models this guide applies to

Coffee Makers

Primary line. Parts-intensive, so the spares plan is designed with the product.

Grills & Baking

Primary line. Seasonal shape, pairs with pizza makers and air fryers.

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