What does UL Listed (UL 1026 / UL 60335-2-9) require and does it protect your family?
Type
Regulation / Standard
Sources
12 cited
UL Listed means an independent safety lab has tested a product against verified electrical, fire, and mechanical hazard standards. For kitchen appliances, UL 1026 and UL 60335-2-9 are the governing benchmarks. No UL mark means no independent verification.
Renee · Founder, R3
Also known as: UL certification, UL mark, Underwriters Laboratories Listed, UL 1026 certified, cUL Listed (Canada)
Reality Check
What brands claim
If an air fryer says UL on the box, it has been independently safety certified.
What it actually means
The box claim and the actual certification are two different things. Counterfeit UL marks are documented on imported appliances, and a UL Recognized mark (on a component) does not mean the finished appliance is UL Listed. The only way to confirm real certification is to find the four-element UL Listed mark on the product itself - not just the packaging - and verify the control number in UL's Product iQ database. For air fryers specifically, the mark should reference UL 1026.
In 1893, the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago lit up the night sky with 100,000 incandescent bulbs - a marvel of the era that also scared every insurance underwriter in the country. Electrical fires were burning buildings down faster than anyone could catalog the risk. A young engineer named William Henry Merrill was sent to inspect the wiring. He found so many hazards that he stayed, rented space above a fire patrol station, and on March 24, 1894 opened the Underwriters' Electrical Bureau with $350 in equipment and two employees. That organization became Underwriters Laboratories - UL.
More than 130 years later, the UL Listed mark on a kitchen appliance is the visible end product of a testing process that Merrill would still recognize: take the device, push it to its limits, make it fail safely, and only then say it's fit for a home. For parents buying air fryers and kitchen appliances for their families, the UL Listed mark is one of the most actionable signals on the box.
UL Listed is a specific tier of approval granted by UL Solutions (the for-profit certification arm of the UL enterprise) to finished, consumer-ready products that have passed testing against a relevant UL safety standard. The mark applies to the whole product as sold - not just a component inside it.
The designation means three things have happened:
Importantly, UL certification is voluntary in the United States for most consumer appliances. There is no federal law requiring an air fryer to be UL Listed before it can be sold. What UL Listed provides is independent verification - a third party with no financial interest in the product's success concluded it passed a defined set of safety tests. Without it, the only safety claim comes from the manufacturer itself.
UL 1026, formally titled "Standard for Safety for Household Electric Cooking and Food Serving Appliances," is the primary safety standard governing countertop cooking appliances in the United States and Canada. Published and maintained by UL Standards and Engagement, it covers appliances rated at 250V or less that are used in ordinary household locations - including appliances designed for casual outdoor use.
Air fryers, toaster ovens, slow cookers, pressure cookers, electric griddles, and similar countertop cooking devices fall within UL 1026's scope. The standard specifically excludes household electric ranges, microwave ovens, commercial cooking equipment, and several categories with their own dedicated standards.
Key requirements under UL 1026 include:
UL 60335-2-9 is UL's adoption of IEC 60335-2-9, the international standard specifically titled "Household and Similar Electrical Appliances - Safety - Part 2-9: Particular Requirements for Grills, Toasters and Similar Portable Cooking Appliances." This standard sits within the broader IEC 60335 family - the global benchmark for household appliance safety - and addresses portable countertop appliances with cooking, baking, roasting, and grilling functions rated up to 250V.
Air fryers are explicitly covered by IEC/UL 60335-2-9. The standard applies to the specific hazard profile of appliances that combine a heating element, a fan system, and an enclosed cooking cavity - the combination that defines how an air fryer works and also defines its failure modes.
The 2023 revision (BS EN IEC 60335-2-9:2023) is the current international version. The UL adoption allows manufacturers targeting both North American and international markets to use a single testing pathway. In practice, products sold in the US typically carry UL 1026 certification; products sold in the EU carry EN IEC 60335-2-9; products sold in both markets may carry both.
For air fryers and kitchen appliances sold in the United States, look for UL 1026. UL 60335-2-9 (or its ETL equivalent) indicates international standard compliance. Either mark from an OSHA-recognized Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) - UL, ETL/Intertek, CSA - provides independent verification of the same fundamental safety requirements.
UL testing is not a checkbox exercise. It is an adversarial process designed to find the ways a product can harm people and then verify that those failure paths have been closed.
Electrical safety testing verifies that the product cannot deliver a lethal shock under foreseeable use conditions. This includes insulation resistance testing, dielectric strength testing (applying voltage well above rated levels across insulation barriers), leakage current measurement, and grounding continuity verification. An air fryer that grounds its metal basket and housing correctly is one that won't deliver current to a user who touches it while standing on a wet kitchen floor.
Fire hazard testing verifies both ignition resistance and failure containment. UL 94 flammability testing classifies the plastic materials used in the product enclosure - a material rating of V-0 means it self-extinguishes within 10 seconds after a flame is applied and does not drip flaming particles. Beyond material testing, UL engineers deliberately operate appliances in overloaded or blocked states to verify that thermal cutoffs and fuses trigger before surrounding materials reach ignition temperature. An air fryer's fan path, basket, and heating element assembly all undergo this analysis.
UL certification addresses physical safety - fire, electrical shock, and mechanical injury - rather than chemical or nutritional health concerns. The relevant health concern for UL Listed appliances is injury prevention: house fires, electrical burns, shock injuries, and lacerations from failed appliance components. The CPSC estimates major appliances cause more than 150,000 residential fires annually in the US. Appliances that have not undergone independent safety certification have no third-party verification that their overheating protection, electrical insulation, or structural integrity meets any defined standard. This is a household safety issue with direct implications for families, particularly in homes with children where kitchen appliances are in frequent use.
To use UL certification effectively as a safety filter: - Search productiq.ulprospector.com before purchasing - enter the brand name and model number to confirm active certification status and the specific standard tested. - When the listing says UL Listed, find the control number on the physical product label and cross-reference it in Product iQ - the model you are buying should match the certified model. - ETL Listed (Intertek) and CSA Certified are full equivalents to UL Listed for North American safety purposes. All three organizations are OSHA-recognized NRTLs testing to the same underlying standards. - For air fryers specifically, look for UL 1026 certification. This standard's abnormal operation and overheating protection requirements are the most relevant to the failure modes documented in air fryer recalls. - If purchasing from an online marketplace, prefer fulfilled-by-retailer listings from established brands over third-party marketplace sellers for certified appliances - counterfeit marks are more prevalent in the third-party channel.
Look for these
Watch out for
Chemical safety of nonstick coatings - UL does not test for PFAS, PTFE breakdown products, or other coating chemistry at cooking temperaturesFood contact material safety - governed by FDA standards, not ULEnergy efficiency or power consumption - covered by Energy Star separatelyLong-term durability or build quality beyond safety-critical component enduranceEnvironmental or sustainability claimsCooking performance, temperature accuracy, or capacity claimsEU market access - CE marking with EN IEC 60335-2-9 compliance is required separately for the European market
UL Product iQ database (productiq.ulprospector.com) is the primary verification tool - free, public, and searchable by brand, model number, or the four-character control number printed on the product's certification mark. A valid search returns the certification file number, the standard(s) tested against (e.g., UL 1026), the scope of coverage, the manufacturer's name and facility, and the certification status. Active means currently certified with ongoing factory follow-up. If the search returns no result for a specific model, the UL mark on that product is not valid regardless of appearance. For ETL-certified products, Intertek maintains an equivalent database at intertek.com/product-certification-marks. For CSA-certified products, use the CSA Group certified product listing at csagroup.org. UL also operates a consumer verification hotline at 877-854-3577.
| Certification | Electrical Safety | Chemical Safety | Mandatory (US) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UL Listed (UL 1026 / UL 60335-2-9)(this page) | — | — | — | See details above |
| UL Listed | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | |
| ETL Listed | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | |
| CSA Certified | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
1894
Underwriters Laboratories Founded
William Henry Merrill opens the Underwriters' Electrical Bureau on March 24, 1894, in Chicago - founded after inspecting the dangerous electrical installations at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. The organization incorporates as Underwriters Laboratories in 1901.
1920s-1950s
Consumer Appliance Testing Expands
As household electrification spreads, UL develops standards for electric irons, toasters, and cooking appliances. The UL mark becomes a recognized signal of electrical safety on consumer products across North America.
1971
UL 1026 First Published
UL publishes the Standard for Safety for Electric Household Cooking and Food Serving Appliances (UL 1026), establishing the primary benchmark for countertop cooking appliances in the US market.
2004
IEC 60335-2-9 Edition 5
International Electrotechnical Commission publishes Edition 5 of IEC 60335-2-9, covering grills, toasters, and similar portable cooking appliances - the international standard that air fryers fall under as countertop convection cooking devices.
2023
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Every product scored on safety, efficacy & value - so you know which products to trust around ul listed (ul 1026 / ul 60335-2-9).
UL Listed is the gold standard for North American markets, but ETL Listed (issued by Intertek) and CSA Certified are functionally equivalent - all three organizations are OSHA-recognized Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTLs) that test to the same underlying standards, including UL 1026 for cooking appliances. What matters is that the mark comes from one of these three recognized bodies, is the Listed mark (not Recognized or Classified), appears on the product itself with a verifiable control number, and can be confirmed in the issuing lab's public certification database.
UL Listed applies to complete, finished products ready for consumer use - an air fryer, a toaster, a hair dryer. UL Recognized applies to components and subassemblies, not finished products - a power supply module, a motor, a thermal fuse inside an appliance. A product listing that shows a UL Recognized mark for a component inside the device is not the same as the whole appliance being UL Listed. When shopping for kitchen appliances, the mark you need to find on the product label is UL Listed, specifically with the word LISTED.
Go to productiq.ulprospector.com and search by brand name, model number, or the four-character alphanumeric control number printed next to the UL circle mark on the product itself. A legitimate certification returns an active listing showing the brand, model, the standard tested against (should be UL 1026 for a countertop air fryer), and the manufacturer's facility. If the search returns nothing for that model or control number, the mark is not genuine. Also check that the mark on the physical product - not just the box - shows the word LISTED and the staggered U-L logo, not Approved, Certified, or a side-by-side U and L.
UL 1026 requires that air fryers and similar countertop cooking appliances pass electrical safety testing (insulation resistance, dielectric strength, leakage current), fire hazard testing (material flammability, overheating protection, thermal cutoff performance), and abnormal operation testing - meaning the appliance is deliberately operated with blocked vents, without food load, and in other stress conditions to verify that safety systems trigger before dangerous temperatures are reached. This abnormal operation testing is specifically relevant to air fryers because the enclosed cavity and fan system create higher thermal concentrations than open-element cooking. The standard also requires endurance testing to verify safety-critical components function through the product's expected service life.
No - UL certification is voluntary for most household appliances in the United States under federal law. The CPSC sets mandatory standards for some product categories (mainly children's products and specific high-risk items), but countertop cooking appliances like air fryers are not subject to mandatory federal certification requirements. However, in practice, major retailers require NRTL certification as a condition of shelf placement, and local electrical codes often require listed appliances. The practical consequence of no certification is that no independent party has verified the product's safety claims - the only safety assurance comes from the manufacturer.
The CE mark (Conformite Europeenne) is a European regulatory marking indicating that a product meets EU health, safety, and environmental requirements. For household appliances, CE marking with compliance to EN IEC 60335-2-9 is mandatory for EU market access. However, CE is largely a self-declaration by the manufacturer - it does not require independent testing by a third party in most cases. CE does not substitute for UL Listed, ETL Listed, or CSA Certified in the North American market. A product with only a CE mark has not been independently tested to North American standards. Look for both marks if you are evaluating a product sold internationally.
Yes. Certification at the time of approval does not prevent all future failures. The CPSC's 2023-2024 air fryer recalls involved brands including Cosori (approximately 2 million units), Insignia, Secura, and PowerXL. Recall causes included overheating wire connections, melting handles, and shattering glass components - failure modes that well-designed safety testing is meant to catch. These recalls demonstrate that UL certification is a necessary safety floor, not a guarantee of perfection, and that ongoing factory follow-up inspections (part of the certification maintenance process) matter as much as the initial certification approval.
UL 60335-2-9 is the North American adoption of the international standard IEC 60335-2-9, which covers portable cooking appliances including grills, toasters, and air fryers. It is the standard used for international market access, particularly in the EU and Australia. UL 1026 is the US-specific standard for household electric cooking appliances, developed and maintained independently by UL Standards and Engagement. The two standards overlap significantly in scope and requirements for air fryers, but UL 1026 is the primary certification for the US domestic market. Products targeting both US and international markets may carry both certifications. For a US consumer evaluating an air fryer, UL 1026 certification is the primary signal to look for.
Because appliance fires and electrical injuries are real health and safety risks. The CPSC estimates major appliances cause more than 150,000 residential fires annually. Children are in kitchens where air fryers, toaster ovens, and multicookers operate daily. An appliance without independent safety verification has no third-party-validated overheating protection, electrical insulation, or structural integrity. That said, UL certification does not address chemical exposure from coatings or food contact materials - for those concerns, see our guides on [PFAS](/learn/ingredients/pfas) and coating materials. Both dimensions of safety - physical and chemical - deserve attention.
The primary U.S. safety standard for materials used in commercial food equipment. NSF/ANSI 51 verifies that coatings, plastics, metals, and sealants in food contact zones won't leach harmful substances into food. For families, it's the baseline certification to look for on air fryer components, cookware coatings, and food prep surfaces - but it does not on its own guarantee PFAS-free materials.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission sets mandatory safety standards for consumer products. A General Certificate of Conformity (GCC) is a written self-certification manufacturers issue for general-use products. For children's products, a stricter Children's Product Certificate (CPC) is required, backed by independent third-party lab testing. Neither certificate guarantees a product was actually tested correctly - but they do establish legal accountability.
The current edition is the 6th edition, published in 2012 and last revised September 29, 2023. A 2025 proposal is in the UL CSDS (Collaborative Standards Development System) pipeline.
Mechanical testing addresses the physical hazards of a product in normal and foreseeable misuse. This includes structural integrity under load, sharp edge testing (no exposed edges that could cut during normal handling), stability testing (the product must not tip under defined lateral forces), and verification that protective guards and barriers remain in place during use.
Component failure testing is where UL's methodology distinguishes itself from self-certification. Engineers deliberately introduce component failures - short circuits, open circuits, motor stalls, sensor failures - and verify that the product 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 ignition.
Endurance and lifecycle testing verifies that safety-critical components - particularly thermal cutoffs and overload protectors - function correctly throughout the product's expected service life, not just on day one.
These three marks are frequently confused and the distinction matters when evaluating a product.
UL Listed applies to complete, finished, consumer-ready products. It is the mark you find on an air fryer, a hair dryer, or a toaster. It means the whole product as sold has been tested and verified as safe for its intended use. This is the mark to look for when buying kitchen appliances.
UL Recognized (marked with a backward R inside a circle) applies to components and subassemblies, not finished products. A power supply module, a motor controller, or a thermal fuse inside an air fryer might carry a UL Recognized mark - meaning that component met UL's requirements when incorporated into a properly designed end product. A UL Recognized power supply inside an appliance does not mean the appliance itself is UL Listed. An unscrupulous listing might show a UL Recognized mark for a component and imply it means the whole product is certified.
UL Classified applies to products tested for specific, limited properties rather than comprehensive safety. It appears on materials, fire containment products, and products evaluated for a single defined hazard rather than overall suitability. Not applicable to consumer kitchen appliances.
The practical takeaway: for air fryers and cookware appliances, look specifically for the UL Listed mark. The presence of a UL Recognized mark on a component shown in a product listing does not substitute.
Products sold in both the US and Canada often carry the cUL or cULus mark. The "c" prefix indicates the product has also been certified to Canadian Standards Association (CSA) requirements under the C22.2 electrical safety series. For families in Canada, this is the equivalent signal to UL Listed in the US. ETL Listed (issued by Intertek) and CSA Certified marks are functionally equivalent - all three organizations are OSHA-recognized NRTLs testing to the same underlying standards.
The UL mark is one of the most counterfeited certification symbols in the consumer products space. A genuine UL Listed mark contains four required elements:
To verify independently: UL maintains a free public database called Product iQ at productiq.ulprospector.com. Enter the brand name, model number, or control number from the mark on the product. The database returns the certification file, the specific standard(s) tested against, the scope of the certification, and the manufacturer's facility address. If the product or model does not appear in Product iQ, the mark is not genuine regardless of how convincing it looks on the box.
UL also operates a phone verification line at 877-854-3577 for cases where the database search is inconclusive.
The CPSC documented in a major enforcement action that Amazon was held responsible for hazardous products sold through third-party marketplace sellers. Amazon itself seized more than 15 million counterfeit products in 2024 - more than double the prior year. Electrical safety marks are among the most commonly counterfeited labels on products imported from offshore manufacturers with no genuine certification.
Warning signs of a counterfeit or misleading UL claim:
The CPSC does not require UL certification for most household appliances, which means a product without a genuine UL mark is not automatically illegal - it simply provides no independent safety evidence. The burden is on the buyer to verify.
Air fryers represent a distinct risk profile among kitchen appliances. The combination of a resistive heating element operating at high temperatures, a high-speed recirculation fan, an enclosed cooking cavity, and a plastic external housing creates multiple thermal and electrical failure pathways that are not present in a standard electric skillet or slow cooker.
The CPSC recall record for air fryers illustrates what happens when these failure pathways are not adequately addressed:
All of these recalls involved products that were in distribution and in homes. The UL certification process - particularly abnormal operation testing and component failure analysis - is specifically designed to catch these failure modes in the laboratory rather than in a customer's kitchen. A certified product does not guarantee zero failures, but the independent scrutiny of the certification process substantially raises the bar for safety-critical design decisions.
UL certification addresses physical and electrical safety hazards. It does not address:
When evaluating an air fryer or kitchen appliance:
| CE Mark | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
UL Listed
Electrical
✕Chemical
✕Mandatory
✕ETL Listed
Electrical
✕Chemical
✕Mandatory
✕CSA Certified
Electrical
✕Chemical
✕Mandatory
✕CE Mark
Electrical
✕Chemical
✕Mandatory
✕UL 1026 Revised and Air Fryer Recalls Peak
The 6th edition of UL 1026 is revised in September 2023. The same year, CPSC issues major recalls for Cosori (approximately 2 million units), Secura, and other air fryer brands for fire and burn hazards - demonstrating what happens when certification testing gaps are not caught before market.
2024
CPSC Marketplace Enforcement and Continued Recalls
CPSC holds Amazon responsible for hazardous products sold by third-party sellers. Additional air fryer recalls issued for Insignia and PowerXL brands. UL 60335-2-9 international harmonized edition updated. Amazon reports seizing more than 15 million counterfeit products including those with fraudulent safety marks.