With our deep expertise in the plastics industry, UL Solutions can support you in evaluating whether your standardized, engineering and high‑performance polymeric materials meet global compliance requirements. Our testing and certification services are designed to help customers reduce material, component and product risks related to fire, electric shock, personal injury and environmental hazards. We collaborate with organizations across the value chain — including compounding, extrusion and injection‑molding operations, as well as raw material suppliers and automotive manufacturers.
Testing services for engineered materials
Our services are built to simplify the testing process while helping you consistently achieve your performance and safety objectives for plastics and engineered materials.
Materials and plastics testing services
We offer a wide range of materials and plastics testing services — covering flammability, electrical, mechanical, thermal, environmental and performance‑related evaluations.
Flammability and fire testing services
UL 94, the Standard for Tests for Flammability of Plastic Materials for Parts in Devices and Appliances, flammability testing (horizontal and vertical flame, self‑extinguishing behavior)
- Fire/combustion testing programs for polymeric materials
- Ignition-resistance testing (electrical ignition sources such as overloads, arcing, hot components)
- Glow‑wire, needle‑flame and hot‑wire ignition tests (IEC 60695 series)
Electrical property testing
- Electrical tracking and Comparative Tracking Index (CTI) testing
- Dielectric and electrical ignition resistance evaluations (UL 746A, the Standard for the Polymeric Materials — Short Term Property Evaluations/IEC equivalents)
Thermal and aging tests
- Long‑term thermal aging (air‑oven aging for relative thermal index (RTI) evaluations)
- Accelerated aging tests for thermal degradation and heat resistance
- Ball pressure testing (dimensional stability under high temperature)
- NanoFlash® thermal diffusivity and conductivity testing
Environmental resistance testing
- Water absorption and dimensional change tests
- Ultraviolet (UV) exposure, cold resistance, moisture and environmental durability
Physical and mechanical property testing
- Dimensional stability at elevated temperatures
- Density measurements (hydrometer and other methods)
- Surface scratch resistance testing
Specimen preparation and analytical testing
- Sample preparation services for consistent data quality
- Analytical identification tests, including:
- Infrared (IR) spectroscopy
- Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)
- Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)
Recycled plastics testing
- Testing of mechanically recycled plastics under UL 746S, the Standard for Evaluation of Sustainable Polymeric Materials for Use in Electrical Equipment
- Evaluation of batch consistency, flammability, ignition and other short‑term properties
Polymeric material evaluation (UL 746 series testing)
- These services span across multiple tests depending on material type and application:
- Short‑term evaluations – UL 746A
- Long‑term evaluations – UL 746B, the Standard for Polymeric Materials — Long Term Property Evaluations
- Electrical equipment evaluations – UL 746C, the Standard for Polymeric Materials — Use in Electrical Equipment Evaluations
- Fabricated parts testing – UL 746D, the Standard for Polymeric Materials — Fabricated Parts
- Non‑halogenated materials – UL 746H, the Outline of Investigation for Non-Halogenated Materials)
- Restricted substances – UL 746R, the Outline of Investigation for Restricted Use Substances in Polymeric Materials)
- Sustainable materials – UL 746S
Certification services
- UL Solutions Yellow Card™ plastics recognition program
- UL Solutions Blue Card plastics for additive manufacturing
- Material performance testing for compliance with UL, International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and other industry specific standards.
We test to standards and requirements for polymeric products destined for North American, European and Asian markets, including the following:
Category | Standards |
Flammability | UL 94; UL 1694, the Standard for Tests for Flammability of Small Polymeric Component Materials; IEC 60695 series |
Decorative products (polymer components) | UL 588, the Standard for Seasonal and Holiday Decorative Products |
Short-term properties | UL 746A |
Long-term properties | UL 746B |
Electrical equipment suitability | UL 746C |
Fabricated parts | UL 746D |
Laminates, tubing,
| UL 746E, the Standard for Polymeric Materials — Industrial Laminates, Filament Wound Tubing, Vulcanized Fibre, and Materials Used In Printed Wiring Boards |
Non-halogenated materials | UL 746H |
Restricted-use substances | UL 746R |
Sustainable, recycled plastics | UL 746S |
Ignition, electrical safety | UL 746A, IEC 60112, IEC 60695, IEC 60950 |
Krefeld lab specifications brochure English
6.3 MB
Material testing services for electric vehicles (EV) and the automotive industry
Sample preparation and specimen production
- Preparation and production of samples for testing
- Injection‑molded test specimen production
UL Solutions evaluates how materials perform under real‑world automotive environmental conditions:
Environmental exposure testing
- Artificial weathering (UV exposure)
- Thermal aging
- Moisture cycling
- Ozone stress testing
Automotive environmental influences
- Temperature fluctuations
- UV weathering
- Humidity and moisture exposure
Automotive volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and interior emissions testing
- VOC emission testing to validate compliance with original equipment manufacturer (OEM) interior emission specifications. Examples include fogging, odor and emissions testing typically required by major OEMs
Mechanical testing of automotive materials
UL Solutions offers a full suite of mechanical and polymer testing services:
General mechanical testing
- Rheology testing
- Mechanical performance characterization
- Fire and flame performance testing (related to materials)
- Media resistance testing
- Surface performance testing
Surface testing of automotive components
- Destructive and non‑destructive surface performance evaluation
- Testing of coatings, surface treatments and finishes
- Chemical and physical surface parameter investigation
Automotive textile testing
- Physical and performance testing of textiles according to automotive testing standards
- Used for interior textiles, seat fabrics, headliners, etc.
Battery enclosure material screening (BEMS)
- Thermal runaway performance evaluation for EV battery enclosure materials
- Based on UL 2596, Test Method for Thermal and Mechanical Performance of Battery Enclosure Materials
Development, execution and management of test programs
UL Solutions supports the development of a lifecycle testing program, including:
- Development of custom automotive material test programs
- Execution and documentation of multi‑stage test protocols
- Alignment with global and local standards, regulations and OEM requirements
OEM‑specific automotive approvals and compliance testing
UL Solutions is approved by multiple OEMs and supports:
- Requirements from major automotive OEMs
- Compliance for materials used in interior, exterior and structural automotive parts
- Support throughout the production part approval process (PPAP)
Automotive Testing and Engineering Services
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Automotive material product standards and requirements
We test according to standards, requirements and methodologies for automotive material products destined for North American, European and Asian markets, including the following:
Mechanical standards
- ISO 527
- DIN EN 20527
- DIN 53455/53457
- DIN EN 61
- ASTM D638
- ISO 6603‑2
Battery material specifications
- UL 2596
OEM material standards
- Volkswagen Prüfverfahren (PV) standards (e.g., PV 3942)
- BMW GS 93016
Other automotive standard types
- OEM‑defined emission and VOC standards
- OEM‑defined mechanical, surface and environmental specifications
- Global and local automotive environmental durability standards
- Requirements embedded in PPAP compliance programs
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