UL 60745 — The latest North American Standard for Electric Tools

With the improved manufacturing quality of electric tools in China in recent years, more and more electric tool manufacturers are able to gain a foothold in the North American market. This trend has resulted in a proliferation of applications for UL safety certifications and a corresponding increase in the types of products applying for certification. There are different standards for the numerous types of electric tools. This article introduces the North American standards for two categories of electric tools, namely Hand-Held Motor-Operated Electric Tools and Stationary and Fixed Electric Tools. We aim to help our customers identify the appropriate standards in an accurate and speedy manner, so as to complete their product design and testing, and to attain UL certification. The article will also cover the latest developments in the standards and a brief overview of the differences between the standards.

Hand-Held Motor-Operated Electric Tools:
(Remarks: The United States and Canada adopt the same standards.)

The current standard for Hand-Held Motor-Operated Electric Tools in use in the United States is: UL 60745. The latest UL 60745 standard is in its 4th edition, last updated on July 31, 2007. Between the present and June 1, 2010 new product submittals to UL must be evaluated under all requirements in this Standard or, if requested in writing, evaluated under presently effective requirements only. The presently effective requirements are contained in the second edition of UL 745-1. From June 1, 2010 onwards, UL 745 will be withdrawn and all portable electric tools must comply with UL 60745.

Differences between UL 60745 and UL 745

The UL 60745 standard is the common UL and CSA standard for Hand-Held Motor-Operated Electric Tool. A major feature is that UL 60745 is based on the IEC 60745 standard. From June 1, 2010 onwards, all portable electric tools can only apply for the UL 60745 certification. The structure of UL 745 and UL 60745 are mostly the same, with some significant differences in requirements on structures and testing methods in certain clauses. The following table summarises some of the key differences between the two standards (non-exhaustive):

Introduction to Stationary and Fixed Electric Tools Standards and Latest Updates

The U.S. standard for Stationary and Fixed Electric Tools is UL 987, which was first introduced in 1971. Its latest or 7th edition, was announced on November 5, 2007 and covers the requirements on cable connected and permanently connected electric tools, which include:

by Ben Li, UL Conformity Assessment Service, China