What does UL 1026 (Electric Household Cooking Appliances) require and does it protect your family?
UL 1026 (Electric Household Cooking Appliances)
Type
Regulation / Standard
Sources
13 cited
UL 1026 is the primary U.S. safety standard for countertop electric cooking appliances, including air fryers. Published by UL Standards and Engagement, it requires independent testing for overheating protection, electrical safety, fire hazard containment, and mechanical integrity. It does not test coating chemistry, PFAS, or food contact safety.
Also known as: UL 1026 standard, Electric Household Cooking and Food Serving Appliances standard, UL cooking appliance standard, UL 1026 Edition 6, ANSI/UL 1026
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Reality Check
✕What brands claim
My air fryer is UL certified, so it's been tested for safety.
✓What it actually means
UL 1026 certification means the air fryer was independently tested for electrical safety, overheating protection, fire hazard containment, and mechanical integrity - all genuine and important safety properties. It does not mean the nonstick basket coating was tested for PFAS or chemical safety at cooking temperatures. A UL 1026-certified air fryer with a PTFE-coated basket has passed rigorous electrical and fire safety testing and still needs to be evaluated separately for coating chemistry. Additionally, verify the specific model in Product iQ - the UL mark on the box and genuine UL 1026 certification for that exact model are two different things.
What is UL 1026 (Electric Household Cooking Appliances)?
When an air fryer lands on a recall list, the failure mode is almost always one of three things: wires that overheat and catch fire, a fan assembly that stalls and lets the cavity temperature spike, or an insulation failure that puts current on metal surfaces a hand can touch. These are exactly the failure pathways that UL 1026 was designed to catch - in a laboratory, before the appliance reaches a family's kitchen counter.
UL 1026 is the full formal name for what most people mean when they say an air fryer is "UL certified for cooking appliances." Understanding the standard specifically - not just the mark in general - tells you what testing actually happened and, equally important, what it did not address.
What UL 1026 Is
The formal title is "Standard for Safety for Electric Household Cooking and Food Serving Appliances." UL Standards and Engagement (ULSE) publishes and maintains it. The current version is the 6th edition, ANSI-approved on September 29, 2023. A new proposal is in the UL Collaborative Standards Development System (CSDS) pipeline for future revision.
The standard covers household electric cooking and food serving appliances rated at 250 volts or less, for use in ordinary household locations - including appliances designed for casual or permanent outdoor use. It is the governing benchmark for the most common countertop cooking categories sold in North America today.
What UL 1026 explicitly covers:
Air fryers and countertop convection ovens
Slow cookers and multicookers
Electric pressure cookers
Toaster ovens (with toaster oven-specific requirements in Supplement SB)
Household electric ranges and wall ovens (separate standards apply)
Microwave cooking appliances
Commercial cooking equipment
Coffee makers and brewing appliances
Electrode-type appliances
Appliances already covered under their own individual UL standard
This scope matters for one practical reason: an air fryer that carries a UL listing for a different standard - or carries only a component-level UL Recognized mark - has not been tested against UL 1026's specific requirements for countertop cooking appliances.
The Test Battery: What Actually Happens in the Lab
UL 1026 testing is an adversarial process. Engineers deliberately try to make the appliance fail in ways that harm people, then verify that its safety systems prevent those outcomes. For air fryers, the risk profile is specific: a heating element at high temperature, a high-speed recirculation fan, an enclosed cooking cavity, and a plastic external housing create thermal and electrical failure pathways that don't exist in a standard slow cooker or electric kettle.
Overheating Protection Testing
This is the test category most directly relevant to air fryer fires. UL 1026 requires that appliances with overheating risks - which explicitly includes toaster ovens and countertop convection ovens - have overheating protection systems. These are typically thermal cutoff fuses or temperature-limiting controls that interrupt power before surfaces reach ignition thresholds.
The standard requires testing under both normal and abnormal use conditions. For a toaster oven-type appliance, the heating element must be capable of reaching operating temperature without the overheating protection triggering during normal use, while that same protection must trip reliably when abnormal conditions develop.
Abnormal Operation Testing
This test category is the one that catches design failures that normal operation testing misses entirely. UL engineers deliberately induce conditions the appliance might encounter in real use:
Blocked vents: The air fryer's intake and exhaust vents are deliberately obstructed to simulate what happens when the unit is pushed against a cabinet wall or placed on a towel. The test verifies that thermal protection engages before temperatures reach dangerous levels.
Stalled fan: The recirculation fan is prevented from operating, eliminating the convection that makes an air fryer work - and also eliminating the primary mechanism that keeps the heating element from overheating the cavity. Protection systems must trigger before the cavity or external surfaces reach ignition temperatures.
Empty cavity operation: The appliance is run without food load, which changes the thermal dynamics of the cavity and represents a foreseeable scenario when a user starts the unit before loading food.
Component failure simulation: Engineers deliberately introduce component failures - short circuits, open circuits, sensor malfunctions - and verify that the appliance fails safely rather than dangerously. A properly designed air fryer with a failed temperature sensor should trip a thermal fuse and stop heating, not continue until it ignites.
Temperature Limits for External Surfaces
UL 1026 specifies maximum temperature rise limits for surfaces that users can reasonably be expected to touch during normal operation. The relevant benchmark is Table 42.1 of the standard, which establishes surface temperature maximums by material and location.
For surfaces without a "CAUTION - Hot Surface" warning marking, temperature rise must remain below specified thresholds. For surfaces that carry a "CAUTION - Hot Surface" warning in letters not less than 3/32 inch (2.4 mm) high, the maximum temperature rise is 100 degrees C (180 degrees F) above ambient. Handles, knobs, and user-interface surfaces have stricter limits than side panels or rear surfaces.
This matters for air fryers because the combination of high cooking temperatures and a relatively compact plastic enclosure creates surface temperature challenges that larger appliances with more insulation don't face.
Electrical Safety: Insulation, Grounding, and Leakage Current
Three distinct electrical safety requirements in UL 1026 work together to prevent shock:
Insulation resistance and dielectric strength: The standard requires testing the electrical insulation between live circuits and accessible conductive parts. Dielectric strength testing applies voltage substantially above the rated operating level across insulation barriers to verify they won't break down under normal service conditions. The leakage current measurement instrument types are explicitly specified in UL 1026 to ensure consistent testing methodology.
Grounding continuity: Metal parts of an air fryer that could become live if an internal component fails must be properly grounded. The standard requires grounding continuity verification - confirming that the electrical path from each metal housing component to the ground pin of the power cord is complete and has resistance below specified maximums. An air fryer that correctly grounds its metal basket housing won't deliver current to a user who touches it while standing on a wet kitchen floor.
Leakage current limits: Safety standards limit the amount of current that can flow from the power supply to the chassis or any accessible surface. UL 1026 specifies leakage current maximums that prevent shock injury even when holding the appliance in less-than-ideal conditions.
Fire Enclosure Requirements
The standard requires that the plastic materials used in an appliance's external housing meet UL 94 flammability classifications. For cooking appliances, V-0 is the applicable rating: the material must self-extinguish within 10 seconds after a flame is applied and must not drip flaming particles.
Beyond material classification, the fire enclosure requirement addresses whether the product's overall construction can contain a fire that starts internally. UL engineers deliberately operate appliances in overloaded or blocked states and verify that thermal cutoffs engage before surrounding materials reach ignition temperature. The fire enclosure framework asks: if something fails inside this appliance, does the outer housing prevent that failure from becoming a house fire?
This is directly relevant to the mechanism behind major air fryer recalls. The 2023 Cosori recall of approximately 2 million units involved wire connections that could overheat and cause fire. The 2024 Insignia recall involved overheating that melted handles and shattered glass doors. Both failure modes are precisely what fire enclosure and overheating protection testing under UL 1026 is designed to catch.
Endurance Cycling Tests
Appliances must survive a defined cycle count of operation - switching on and off repeatedly across the rated number of operating cycles - without safety-critical failure. This test is specifically about whether safety components remain functional throughout the product's expected service life, not just on day one.
For thermal cutoffs and overload protectors - the components that prevent overheating fires - this is critical. A thermal cutoff that works perfectly when new but degrades after 200 cycles provides no protection for the majority of the appliance's service life. Endurance testing verifies that these safety-critical components maintain their rated performance across the appliance's designed lifespan.
Permanency of Markings
The 2023 edition revision added UL 969A as an alternative method for verifying permanency of marking requirements on cord tags. This addresses the practical reality that safety warnings and certification marks must remain legible throughout the product's normal service life - a label that rubs off in six months provides no ongoing safety information to users.
UL 1026 and IEC 60335-2-9: The International Relationship
UL 1026 is the primary U.S. standard. IEC 60335-2-9 is the international standard published by the International Electrotechnical Commission, formally titled "Household and Similar Electrical Appliances - Safety - Part 2-9: Particular Requirements for Grills, Toasters and Similar Portable Cooking Appliances." This international standard explicitly covers air fryers as countertop convection cooking appliances.
The relationship between these standards reflects a broader international harmonization project. UL has adopted IEC 60335-1 (the general requirements standard) as UL 60335-1, creating a tri-national standard alignment between the U.S. (UL 60335-1), Canada (CAN/CSA-C22.2 No. 60335-1), and Mexico (NMX-J-521/1-ANCE). However, the United States does not recognize all IEC Part 2 standards - meaning IEC 60335-2-9 does not automatically confer U.S. market access.
In practice:
U.S. market: UL 1026 is the applicable standard. Products must be tested against UL 1026 and certified by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) for U.S. compliance.
Slow cookers and multicookers - covered under UL 1026's scope
Electric pressure cookers - covered, with specific Supplement SA requirements
Health concerns & context
Health concerns
UL 1026 addresses physical safety hazards - fire, electrical shock, burns from hot surfaces, and structural failures - rather than chemical or nutritional health concerns. For families, the direct health relevance is injury prevention: house fires from appliance failures, electrical burns from shock or surface contact, and laceration or crush injuries from structural failures. The CPSC documents thousands of appliance-related injuries and fires annually, with cooking appliances representing a significant category. Air fryers specifically have generated hundreds of incident reports across multiple brands in the 2022-2024 period, spanning fire, burn, and laceration hazards. UL 1026 certification is the primary independent check that overheating protection, electrical insulation, and structural integrity have been verified by a third party - not just claimed by the manufacturer. What the standard does not address is the chemical safety of nonstick coatings - PFAS, PTFE, and coating breakdown products are entirely outside UL 1026's scope.
How to reduce exposure
To use UL 1026 certification as an effective safety filter for air fryer purchases:
- Before buying, search productiq.ulprospector.com by brand name and model number. Confirm the result shows UL 1026 as the tested standard and the certification status is Active.
- Find the four-element UL Listed mark on the physical appliance, not just the box. The control number from that mark is the most reliable search input for Product iQ.
- ETL Listed (Intertek) and CSA Certified marks are equivalent to UL Listed for U.S. market purposes - all are OSHA-recognized NRTLs testing to the same UL 1026 requirements.
- For air fryers purchased from online marketplace third-party sellers, prefer brands with a verifiable Product iQ record and a physical certification mark on the unit.
- UL 1026 certification is a meaningful electrical and fire safety baseline - but it is separate from and does not address coating chemistry. After confirming UL 1026 certification, evaluate the basket material separately: stainless steel or verified PFAS-free ceramic presents fewer coating concerns than PTFE-coated baskets.
Who is most at risk?
Households using uncertified air fryers purchased through online marketplace third-party sellers - no independent verification of overheating protection or electrical insulation
Families with air fryers that carry only a CE mark without UL 1026, ETL, or CSA certification - CE is a European self-declaration, not independent North American testing
Households that have not verified the UL Listed mark against Product iQ - counterfeit UL marks on imported cooking appliances are documented by CPSC and Amazon enforcement actions
Consumers who purchased any of the recalled air fryer models (Cosori 2023, Secura 2023, Insignia 2024, PowerXL 2024) - these products were in distribution with safety failures that the recall process is designed to remediate
Renters and homeowners whose insurance coverage may be limited if an uncertified appliance causes a fire
How to read the label
Look for these
UL Listed with UL 1026 cited in the Product iQ certification record - the specific standard designation matters, not just the UL mark
ETL Listed (Intertek) - equivalent NRTL certification, tests to the same UL 1026 requirements
CSA Certified or cUL/cULus mark - Canadian equivalent, aligned standards
The four-character alphanumeric control number on the physical appliance's rating label - required element of a genuine UL Listed mark
Active certification status in UL Product iQ - confirms ongoing factory follow-up inspections are current
Watch out for
CE mark only with no UL/ETL/CSA mark - CE is a European self-declaration, not independent North American NRTL testing
UL Recognized mark (backward R) without a UL Listed mark - applies to a component inside the appliance, not the finished product
Meets UL standards or UL tested - marketing language that does not constitute NRTL certification
UL mark with no control number or with a control number that returns no result in Product iQ
What this does NOT cover
Chemical safety of nonstick coatings - UL 1026 does not test for PFAS, PTFE breakdown products, or any coating chemistry at cooking temperaturesFood contact material safety - governed by FDA 21 CFR regulations and separate frameworks like NSF/ANSI 51, not UL 1026Energy efficiency or power consumption - covered by Energy Star separatelyLong-term durability or build quality beyond safety-critical component endurance testingCooking performance, temperature accuracy, capacity, or feature comparisonsEnvironmental, sustainability, or recyclability claimsEU market access - EN IEC 60335-2-9 compliance and CE marking are required separately for European marketCommercial cooking equipment - separate UL standards apply
How to verify
UL Product iQ (productiq.ulprospector.com) is the primary verification tool - free, public, and searchable by brand, model number, or the four-character control number from the product's UL mark. A valid result returns the certification file number, the standards tested against (should include UL 1026 for air fryers), the scope of certification, the manufacturer name and facility address, and the certification status. Active status means ongoing factory follow-up inspections are current. If the search returns no result for a specific model, or the control number matches a different brand or product, the UL mark is not valid. For ETL-certified products, Intertek maintains an equivalent database at intertek.com/product-certification-marks. UL's consumer verification hotline is 877-854-3577. For Canadian certifications, CSA Group's certified product listing is available at csagroup.org.
Timeline
1971
UL 1026 First Published
UL publishes the first edition of the Standard for Safety for Electric Household Cooking and Food Serving Appliances, establishing the primary U.S. benchmark for countertop cooking appliance safety. The standard addresses the growing market for electric slow cookers, griddles, and countertop cooking devices entering American homes.
2004
IEC 60335-2-9 Edition 5
The International Electrotechnical Commission publishes Edition 5 of IEC 60335-2-9, covering grills, toasters, and similar portable cooking appliances. This international standard explicitly covers the appliance type that would later be marketed as the air fryer - countertop cooking devices with heating elements and fan-driven convection systems.
2012
UL 1026 6th Edition Published
UL publishes the 6th edition of UL 1026. This edition establishes the framework that will govern air fryer safety testing throughout the category's rapid growth period, including the overheating protection, abnormal operation testing, and fire enclosure requirements most relevant to air fryer failure modes.
2020-2022
Air Fryer Market Surge
Air fryer sales surge in the United States as pandemic-driven home cooking increases demand. The category grows from a niche product to a mainstream kitchen appliance, with hundreds of new models from established brands and new market entrants entering the U.S. market - creating pressure on certification infrastructure and product quality oversight.
R3 Bottom Line
What this means for your family
1UL 1026 is the standard that actually governs air fryer safety certification in the U.S. - when you verify UL Listed status in Product iQ, confirm the record references UL 1026 specifically, not just a generic UL mark or a component standard
2The standard's abnormal operation and overheating protection tests are the most directly relevant to the failure modes that caused major air fryer recalls from 2022 to 2024 - these tests are what a well-designed certification process is supposed to catch before the appliance reaches your kitchen
3UL 1026 certification tells you nothing about nonstick coating chemistry - a PTFE-coated air fryer basket that passes all UL 1026 tests is still a PTFE-coated basket that needs to be evaluated separately for PFAS concerns
4Verify certification at productiq.ulprospector.com before purchasing - the four-character control number on the physical appliance is your most reliable search input, and an active certification record for the specific model is the only meaningful confirmation
5ETL Listed (Intertek) provides equivalent assurance to UL Listed for UL 1026 requirements - both are OSHA-recognized NRTLs testing to the same standard, and either mark from either organization represents genuine independent safety verification
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Every product scored on safety, efficacy & value - so you know which air fryer to trust around ul 1026 (electric household cooking appliances).
What appliances does UL 1026 cover - and is my air fryer included?
UL 1026 covers household electric cooking and food serving appliances rated at 250 volts or less, for use in ordinary household locations. Air fryers fall squarely within this scope as countertop convection cooking appliances. The standard also covers slow cookers, electric pressure cookers, toaster ovens, electric griddles, indoor grills, fondue pots, woks, corn poppers, and food warmers. It specifically excludes household electric ranges, microwave cooking appliances, coffee makers, commercial cooking equipment, and appliances covered by their own individual UL standards. If your air fryer is sold in the United States with a UL Listed mark, UL 1026 is the standard it was tested against - you can confirm this in Product iQ.
What is Edition 6 of UL 1026, and why does the 2023 revision matter?
The 6th edition of UL 1026 is the current version of the standard, originally published in 2012 and revised with ANSI approval on September 29, 2023. The 2023 revision added supply cord requirements specific to slow cookers, updated stay-on function requirements for toaster ovens, added UL 969A as an alternative method for verifying permanency of markings on cord tags, and made other targeted updates to overheating protection and redundant control requirements. The revision came in the same year as major air fryer and countertop appliance recalls, reflecting ongoing development of the standard based on real-world incident data. A new revision proposal is in the UL CSDS pipeline.
Does UL 1026 certification mean my air fryer is safe from PFAS in the basket coating?
No. UL 1026 addresses electrical safety, fire hazard containment, overheating protection, and mechanical integrity. It does not test the chemistry of nonstick coatings on the basket or any other food-contact surface. A UL 1026-certified air fryer with a PTFE-coated basket has passed independent testing for fire and electrical hazards - and the PTFE coating is a separate question that UL 1026 was never designed to answer. For coating chemistry concerns, the relevant frameworks are FDA food contact regulations, [NSF/ANSI 51](/learn/standards/nsf-ansi-51) for food equipment materials, and for a PFAS-free signal, explicit manufacturer testing data or NSF 537 certification. See our [PFAS guide](/learn/ingredients/pfas) for more detail.
How is UL 1026 related to IEC 60335-2-9?
They are parallel standards developed by different standards bodies for overlapping product categories. UL 1026 is the U.S. standard, maintained by UL Standards and Engagement. IEC 60335-2-9 is the international standard published by the International Electrotechnical Commission, covering grills, toasters, and similar portable cooking appliances - including air fryers. The U.S. has adopted IEC 60335-1 (the general requirements standard) into the UL system as UL 60335-1 but does not recognize all IEC Part 2 standards as direct substitutes for specific U.S. product standards. For air fryers sold in the United States, UL 1026 is the applicable standard. For products sold in the EU, EN IEC 60335-2-9 compliance is required. Products targeting both markets may carry both certifications.
How do I verify that a specific air fryer model is actually UL 1026 certified?
Use UL's free Product iQ database at productiq.ulprospector.com. Find the four-character alphanumeric control number on the rating label on the physical appliance - typically on the base or rear panel - and search that number in Product iQ. A genuine certification record will show the brand, model, standard (UL 1026), and certification status (should be Active). If the search returns no result, or the result doesn't match the brand and model you're evaluating, the UL mark on that product is not a genuine UL 1026 certification. [ETL Listed](/learn/certifications/etl-certified) products can be verified through Intertek's equivalent database at intertek.com/product-certification-marks.
What specific tests does UL 1026 require for air fryers that make it relevant to fire safety?
Several test categories in UL 1026 directly address air fryer fire hazard scenarios. Abnormal operation testing runs the appliance with blocked vents, stalled fans, and empty cavity to verify that overheating protection engages before temperatures reach ignition thresholds. Component failure testing deliberately introduces short circuits, open circuits, and sensor failures to verify the appliance fails safely rather than dangerously. Fire enclosure requirements verify that plastic materials meet UL 94 V-0 flammability classification and that the overall housing can contain an internal failure. Endurance cycling tests verify that safety-critical components like thermal cutoffs maintain their rated performance throughout the product's service life. These are the failure modes behind the major air fryer recalls of 2022-2024.
Is ETL Listed the same as UL Listed for air fryer safety purposes?
Yes. Both ETL Listed (issued by Intertek) and UL Listed are certifications from OSHA-recognized Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTLs) testing to the same underlying standards, including UL 1026 for countertop cooking appliances. The choice between the two marks reflects which NRTL the manufacturer chose to work with - not a meaningful difference in the safety testing performed. A UL Listed air fryer and an ETL Listed air fryer that both reference UL 1026 in their certification records have been through equivalent independent safety evaluations. CSA Certified is another equivalent mark. See our [ETL Certified guide](/learn/certifications/etl-certified) for more detail on how these marks compare.
What does the CPSC's involvement with UL 1026 tell me about the standard's authority?
CPSC staff actively participates in UL 1026 standards development and issues formal letters to UL Standards and Engagement when field safety data suggests test requirements need updating. In August 2024, CPSC staff issued a letter recommending specific changes to pressure cooker test requirements within UL 1026. This engagement demonstrates that UL 1026 is a voluntary standard with meaningful federal oversight: CPSC can recommend, petition, and compel recalls, but the standard itself is developed through the UL standards body process. CPSC's authority to recall products - including UL 1026-certified products - exists independently of the standard, under the Consumer Product Safety Act. The standard and CPSC enforcement authority work in parallel, not as substitutes for each other.
European Union market: EN IEC 60335-2-9 compliance is required, typically demonstrated through CE marking with a Notified Body involved for higher-risk categories.
Canadian market: CSA C22.2 No. 60335-2-9 applies, and products often carry a cUL or cULus mark that covers both U.S. and Canadian requirements in a single certification.
Dual-market products: Manufacturers targeting both the U.S. and international markets may carry both UL 1026 and IEC 60335-2-9 certification, representing two separate testing pathways to two different standards bodies.
ETL certification through Intertek tests to the same underlying UL 1026 standard. ETL Listed and UL Listed marks provide equivalent safety assurance for U.S. market appliances - both testing bodies are OSHA-recognized NRTLs.
Verifying UL 1026 Certification via Product iQ
UL maintains a free public certification database called Product iQ at productiq.ulprospector.com. This is the only authoritative way to confirm that a specific air fryer model is genuinely certified under UL 1026.
How to use Product iQ for air fryer verification:
1.Find the UL Listed mark on the physical appliance - typically on a rating label on the base or rear panel. Identify the four-character alphanumeric control number printed near the UL circle mark.
2.Navigate to productiq.ulprospector.com and search by brand name, model number, or the control number from step one.
3.Confirm the result shows "UL 1026" as the standard - not UL 60335-2-9 exclusively, not a component standard, not a different product category.
4.Verify the certification status shows "Active" - meaning ongoing factory follow-up inspections are current.
5.Cross-reference the manufacturer name and facility against what appears on the product packaging.
If no result appears for a specific model, or if the control number doesn't return the expected brand and product, the UL mark on that product is not valid regardless of how it looks. UL's consumer verification hotline at 877-854-3577 can assist with inconclusive searches.
Key distinction: A UL Recognized mark (backward R in a circle) on a component inside the air fryer does not mean the finished appliance is UL Listed under UL 1026. The UL Listed mark must appear on the complete, finished product as sold - not just on a power adapter or motor controller inside it. Some sellers on online marketplaces list a component's UL Recognized mark while implying the whole appliance is certified. Product iQ exposes this misrepresentation immediately.
What UL 1026 Does NOT Test
This is where the standard's boundaries matter most for families making purchase decisions around cooking safety.
Coating chemistry and PFAS: UL 1026 does not test the nonstick coating on an air fryer basket for chemical safety. It does not evaluate whether PTFE or other PFAS compounds are present in the coating, whether they break down at cooking temperatures, or whether breakdown products migrate into food. A UL 1026-certified air fryer can have a PTFE-coated basket. Electrical and fire safety certification is completely separate from coating chemistry evaluation.
Food contact material safety: The safety of materials that come into contact with food - the basket lining, the drip tray, the interior cavity coating - is governed by FDA food contact regulations, not UL standards. NSF/ANSI 51 is the relevant framework for food equipment materials, and even that standard has its own limitations around fluoropolymer coatings.
Energy efficiency: UL 1026 certification has no bearing on power consumption or energy efficiency. Energy Star certification covers efficiency claims separately.
Long-term durability: Endurance testing verifies that safety-critical components function through the product's rated operational life. It does not address overall build quality, longevity, or non-safety-related mechanical durability.
Cooking performance: Temperature accuracy, even cooking, capacity claims, and performance comparisons are entirely outside the standard's scope.
Environmental and sustainability claims: Eco-friendly claims, recyclability, and sustainability certifications are separate from UL 1026 safety certification.
Why This Standard Matters Specifically for Air Fryers
Air fryers have a more demanding safety profile than most countertop cooking appliances. The combination of a resistive heating element operating at sustained high temperatures (400 degrees F and above in many models), a high-speed recirculation fan, an enclosed cooking cavity, and a compact plastic external housing creates thermal and electrical failure pathways that simply don't exist in a slow cooker or electric griddle.
The CPSC recall record illustrates what happens when these failure pathways aren't caught in testing:
Approximately 2 million Cosori air fryers recalled in February 2023: wire connections that could overheat, posing fire and burn hazards. CPSC received 205 reports of units catching fire, burning, melting, overheating, or smoking.
Insignia air fryers and air fryer ovens recalled by Best Buy in 2024: overheating caused handles to melt or break and glass doors to shatter - fire, burn, and laceration hazards in a single product.
Secura air fryers recalled in 2023 for fire and burn hazards.
PowerXL dual-basket air fryers recalled in 2024 for burn hazards from a failing connector component.
Each of these recall scenarios maps to a specific test category in UL 1026: wire connection overheating is an abnormal operation and component failure test scenario; handle and enclosure failure from overheating is a fire enclosure and surface temperature scenario; connector failures map to electrical safety and endurance cycling.
UL 1026 certification does not guarantee zero failures - certified products appear in recall notices. But the independent scrutiny of the certification process substantially raises the bar for safety-critical design decisions, and the recall rate for certified products is meaningfully lower than for uncertified ones.
The CPSC Staff Letter: Where the Standard Goes Next
In August 2024, CPSC staff issued a formal letter to UL Standards and Engagement regarding UL 1026. The letter focused on pressure cooker requirements within the standard - specifically the test forces applied to cover opening tests for both internally and externally heated pressure cookers. CPSC staff recommended that test forces be standardized at 100 pounds or higher across both categories, reflecting the agency's view that consumer ability to open a pressure cooker lid while under pressure represents a consistent hazard regardless of heating method.
This type of CPSC staff engagement in the voluntary standards process is the primary mechanism through which federal safety concerns get incorporated into UL standards. The interaction demonstrates the relationship between UL 1026 as a voluntary industry standard and CPSC's mandatory safety oversight authority: CPSC can recommend, petition, and issue recalls, but UL 1026 itself is developed through a standards body process that CPSC staff participates in without controlling.
Electric griddles, indoor grills, and contact grills
Food warmers and chafing dishes
Toaster ovens - covered with additional toaster oven-specific requirements in Supplement SB
Certification marks: UL 1026 appears in the Product iQ database record for any listed cooking appliance
No third-party certification mark of any kind - no independent safety verification has been conducted
February 2023
Cosori Recall: 2 Million Air Fryers
CPSC issues one of the largest air fryer recalls in U.S. history: approximately 2 million Cosori air fryers recalled by Atekcity due to fire and burn hazards from wire connections that could overheat. CPSC receives 205 reports of units catching fire, burning, melting, overheating, or smoking, including 10 reports of minor burn injuries and 23 reports of minor property damage.
2023
Secura Air Fryer Recall and UL 1026 Revision
CPSC issues a recall of Secura air fryers due to fire and burn hazards. In the same year, UL revises the 6th edition of UL 1026 with ANSI approval on September 29, 2023. The revision adds slow cooker supply cord requirements, stay-on function requirements for toaster ovens, and updates permanency of marking requirements to include UL 969A as an alternative method for cord tags.
2024
Insignia and PowerXL Recalls; CPSC Staff Letter to UL
Best Buy recalls Insignia air fryers and air fryer ovens for fire, burn, and laceration hazards due to overheating that caused handles to melt and glass doors to shatter. Empower Brands recalls PowerXL dual-basket air fryers for burn hazards from a failing connector component. In August 2024, CPSC staff issues a formal letter to UL Standards and Engagement regarding UL 1026, recommending standardized test forces of 100 pounds or higher for pressure cooker cover opening tests across heating configurations.
2025 (pending)
UL 1026 Revision Proposal in CSDS
A revision proposal for UL 1026 is in the UL Collaborative Standards Development System (CSDS) pipeline. The CPSC staff letter from August 2024 and ongoing marketplace safety data from air fryer recalls are expected to inform the next revision cycle.