•Communications cable
•Communications cable verified to UL Performance
Category Program
•Data transmission cable verified in accordance
with national or international specifications
•Community antenna television cables
•Data processing cable
•Non-power-limited fire-alarm cable
•Instrumentation tray cable
•Network powered broadband communications cable
•Optical fiber cable
•Power-limited circuit cable
The specific effort that has resulted in the holographic-label
requirement dates back to the beginning of 2010, and
likely earlier than that. In January UL issued a bulletin
to what it describes as its subscribers--cable manufacturers
that participate in UL's certification services programs.
The bulletin contained a proposal to revise the requirements
of the Mark Integrity (Follow Up) Programs for the
above-listed cable types. Over several months after
the proposed changes were made, UL held industry forums
in the United States and China to gain feedback on
the proposal. Individual subscribers not participating
in the forums also provided comments. UL said the
program it ultimately put forth incorporates some
of the suggested changes requested by industry participants.
In a bulletin to subscribers providing detail of the
revised program, UL stated that the use of holographic
labels has proven to be an effective tool in deterring
counterfeit products from entering the marketplace.
The UL mark that you often see on a cable's jacket
will remain as it has been - the letters "UL"
either within a circle or in parentheses. In a memo
to subscribers, UL reminded them that the printing
of the UL mark on a cable jacket is permissible only
when the accompanying smallest-unit container (e.g.
reel or box) also has the UL mark.
The image at the top of this page is that of a sample
holographic label UL included in a recent issue of
its newsletter The Code Authority, a quarterly publication
from UL's Regulatory Services Department as a resource
for regulatory authorities. In the article within
The Code Authority, UL explained that although manufacturers
cannot add non-holographic labels to cable after October
1, it may take some time for cable with non-holographic
UL marks to clar the supply chain.
In April 2009 UL's consumer safety director John Drengenberg
told Cabling Installation & Maintenance that communications
cable does not necessarily fit the typical profile
of a product that is counterfeited most often. Typically,
high-volume, low-priced items including consumer products
like power strips, nightlightss and decorative holiday
lights are subject to counterfeiting. Those items
carry the UL symbol on holographic labels for exactly
that reason - they are the most frequently counterfeited
items and counterfeiting a holographic symbol adds
a layer of complexity that deters many potential perpetrators.
Since the time that statement was made a year-and-a-half
ago, communications cable obviously has climbed to
a higher-profile position within UL.
The revised program includes other details about the
procedures for UL's follow-up testing procedures of
cable. In follow-up stories, we will provide more
detail on the program's changes.
For now, do not be surprised to see cable boxes and
reels from familiar manufacturers now bearing holographic
UL labels. In fact, it is probably worth questioning
your supplier if the label is not holographic. Manufacturers
were ordered to destroy non-holographic labels by
October 1 and had the opportunity to order holographic
labels beginning in June.
