UL Listed Gasket Materials, UL Gaskets
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is the leader in product safety testing, from testing and qualifying final products down to the component level. Among the basic components are gasketing and rubber materials. These materials are tested for industry application as well as flammability. Stockwell Elastomerics inventories many UL recognized gasket materials.
Engineers Summary – What Engineers Need to Know
If a product will be submitted to UL for testing, using a UL recognized gasket material can save time and money since the material itself has already been qualified. Common UL listings for rubber and gasket materials include:
UL 94 for Flammability, Applies to Many Industries
- Caution point – material thickness must be considered, thinner grades of a recognized material may not meet the requirements
- Caution point – some material manufacturers have a caveat that the material “is capable” of passing UL 94. This often means it is not a UL recognized material but is expected to pass an in situ testing.
UL 50 and UL 50E for Ingress Protection for Electrical Enclosures (typically dust and water)
- Caution point – while materials may be UL 50 recognized, not all will perform well in the field and/or over time. Enclosure design plays a significant role in passing pressure jet wash down. Also, long term compression set and stress relaxation are common failure modes that do not show up in short term testing.
UL 1570 (fluorescent), UL 1571 (Incandescent), UL 1572 (HID), UL 8750 (LED), UL 1598C (LED retrofit) Applies to the Lighting Industry.
- Caution point – often RTI (Relative Temperature Index) must be considered; UL does not recognize temperature ratings on manufacturers’ datasheets.
- Caution point – often UL 94 requirements are required to be met as well
UL 508 Applies to Industrial Control Equipment
- Caution point – UL 508 is being phased out and replaced by UL 60947
UL 157 Applies to General Gasket Materials (JMLU2 and JMST2)
UL 94 Flammability Test and UL 94 Flame-Rated Materials
UL tests rubber materials (under the UL “Plastics” category) for their ability to resist flame spread and to self-extinguish. UL 94 has 12 classifications for rubber materials; the most common are shown is this table:
| UL 94 Classifications | |||||||
| Classifications Name | Description | ||||||
| UL 94V-0 | Burning stops within 10 seconds, no flaming drips allowed. | ||||||
| UL 94V-1 | Burning stops within 60 seconds, no flaming drips allowed. | ||||||
| UL 94V-2 | Burning stops within 60 seconds, flaming drips are allowed. | ||||||
| UL 94HB | Lowest UL 94 rating. Slow horizontal burn (HB) tests are considered “self-extinguishing”. | ||||||
| UL 94HBF | Horizontal burn (HB) test for low density foam (such as PORON). | ||||||
Products Commonly Stocked by Stockwell Elastomerics with UL 94 Listings
Stockell Elastomerics has in inventory the following products with UL 94 listings as described on UL’s website:
| Open Cell Foam | |||||||
| Material | UL Rating | ||||||
| F-12, Extra Soft Silicone Foam | UL 94V-0 | ||||||
| BF-2000, Ultra Soft Silicone Foam | UL 94V-0 | ||||||
| BF-1000, Extra Soft Silicone Foam | UL 94V-0 | ||||||
| HT-870, Soft Silicone Foam | UL 94V-0 | ||||||
| PORON Microcellular Urethane Foam (various firmness) | UL 94HBF | ||||||
Visit the Silicone Sponge and Silicone Foam Sheet Material Data Sheets page or the PORON Data Sheets page for detailed technical information on the above materials.
| Closed Cell Foam | |||||||
| Material | UL Rating | ||||||
| HT-800, Medium Firmness Silicone Foam | UL 94V-0 | ||||||
| HT-820, Firm Silicone Foam | UL 94V-0 | ||||||
| HT-840, Extra Firm Silicone Foam | UL 94V-0 | ||||||
Visit the Silicone Sponge and Silicone Foam Sheet Material Data Sheets page for detailed technical information on the above materials.
| Closed Cell Sponge | |||||||
| Material | UL Rating | ||||||
| R10400, Medium Firmness Silicone Sponge | UL 94V-0 | ||||||
| R10460, Medium Firmness Silicone Sponge | UL 94HBF | ||||||
| 4119-N, Neoprene Sponge | UL 94HF-1 | ||||||
Visit the Silicone Sponge and Silicone Foam Sheet Material Data Sheets page or the Closed Cell Rubber / Neoprene Data Sheets page for detailed technical information on the above materials.
| Thermal Interface (Gap Filler / Gap Pads) | |||||||
| Material | UL Rating | ||||||
| Ultra Soft V0 – Thermal Gap Pad | UL 94V-0 | ||||||
| TC2006 – Thermal Gap Pad | UL 94V-0 | ||||||
| TC3006 – Thermal Gap Pad | UL 94V-0 | ||||||
| TC-3008 – Thermal Gap Pad | UL 94V-0 | ||||||
| R10404 – Thermally Conductive Silicone Sponge | UL 94V-0 | ||||||
| TF-400 Series – Thermally Conductive Silicone Coated Fabric | UL 94V-0 | ||||||
Visit the Thermally Conductive Materials Data Sheets page for detailed technical information on the above materials.
| Liquid Silicone Compounds for Injection Molded Gaskets and Sheets | |||||||
| Material | UL Rating | ||||||
| Wacker ELASTOSIL® LR 3003 | UL 94HB | ||||||
| Dow XIAMETER™ RBL-9591-50 | UL 94V-0 | ||||||
Visit the Molding Compounds Data Sheets page for detailed technical information on the above materials.
UL 50 and UL50E Ingress Protection for Electrical Enclosures
UL 50 and UL 50E are very similar with regards to NEMA and the IEC Ingress Protection (IP) Rating, which is to define levels of protection against foreign objects entering into an electrical enclosure. This includes people, dirt, dust, water and fluids under various conditions. One significant difference is that UL 50 qualifies gasket materials whereas NEMA does not. A significant condition on the UL 50 materials is periodic recompression. A gasket material that meets the periodic recompression qualification may be used on a door gasket and/or can be serviced without replacing the gasket.
Products Commonly Stocked by Stockwell Elastomerics with UL 50 Listings and Other UL Gasketing Ratings
Stockell Elastomerics has in inventory the following products with UL 50 listings and other UL ratings for gaskets as described on UL’s website:
| UL 50 and other UL Gasket Materials | |||||||
| Material | UL Rating | ||||||
| HT-800 | UL 50, UL 50E, UL 508, UL 1570, UL 1571, UL 1572, UL 157, periodic recompression | ||||||
| HT-820 | UL 50, UL 50E, UL 508, UL 1570, UL 1571, UL 1572, UL 157, periodic recompression, previously passed UL 197 | ||||||
| HT-870 | UL 50, UL 50E, UL 508, UL 1570, UL 1571, UL 1572, UL 157, periodic recompression, previously passed UL 197 | ||||||
| R10460 | JMST2, suitable for weather seal gaskets in lighting fixtures | ||||||
| R10470 | JMST2, suitable for weather seal gaskets in lighting fixtures | ||||||
| F-12 | JMST2, suitable for weather seal gaskets in lighting fixtures | ||||||
| SNS100S | JMST2, suitable for weather seal gaskets in lighting fixtures | ||||||
| PORON 4701-30 | UL 50, UL 50E, periodic recompression | ||||||
| PORON 4701-40 | UL 50, UL 50E, periodic recompression | ||||||
| PORON 4701-50 | UL 50, UL 50E, periodic recompression | ||||||
| PORON 4790-92 | UL 50, UL 50E, periodic recompression | ||||||
| PORON 4701-41 | UL 50, UL 50E, UL 157, UL 508, periodic recompression | ||||||
| 4219 | UL 48, UL 50, UL 50E, UL 465, UL 508, UL 465, UL 984, continuous compression | ||||||
Visit the Silicone Sponge and Silicone Foam Sheet Material Data Sheets page, the PORON Data Sheets page or the Closed Cell Rubber / Neoprene Data Sheets page for detailed technical information on the above materials.
UL 508 – Gasketing for Industrial Control Equipment
Several materials are currently recognized for UL 508. It is important to note that UL will be phasing out UL 508 to harmonize with the Industrial Control Equipment standard (IEC 60947). UL 508 will be completely phased out in 2017 and new products will be tested to UL 60947 starting in 2012. UL 60947 will replace the existing UL 508 standard.
UL 48 – Gasketing for Electric Signage
UL 48 is the UL standard for electric signs; this specification addresses signage standards for a wide range of applications. View the Electric Signs UL 48 Gaskets page for more information, or request a touch brochure.
Request a Free Electric Signage
UL 48 Gasket Material Touch Brochure
Includes small samples of these gasket materials to touch and feel.
UL Terminology Notes for UL Recognized Gasket Materials
For many UL recognized materials, there is some confusion on how the UL listing should be written, particularly concerning spaces and dashes (“-“). For example, UL 94V-0 is also seen written as: UL 94 V0, UL 94 V-0, UL 94V0, UL94 V0, UL94 V-0, UL94V0, and UL94V-0. UL 50 is also seen as UL50, while UL 50E might be shown at UL50E or UL 50 E.
Contact Stockwell Elastomerics for UL Recognized Gasket Material
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ELASTOSIL® is a trademark of Wacker Chemie AG.
XIAMETER™ is a trademark of Dow.
