What Approvals are Required for Power Strips in the US?

Short answer: no federal law requires a power strip to be UL approved before it can be sold in the United States. There is no US equivalent of the CE mark. What exists instead is a system of independent laboratories recognized by OSHA — and a set of rules that make certification effectively mandatory almost everywhere the product actually gets used.

That distinction matters. It is the difference between "certification is optional" and "you can safely skip it." The first is technically true. The second will fail an inspection, void a policy, or start a fire.

Who actually certifies power strips in the US

In North America no single government lab tests every product. Safety testing is delegated to NRTLs — Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories, independent organizations authorized by OSHA to test products against published standards. When a product passes, it earns that lab's Listing mark.

Three names do most of the work in this category:

• UL (Underwriters Laboratories) — writes most of the US electrical safety standards and also tests to them. Its mark reads "UL Listed."
• Intertek — issues the ETL mark. ETL Listed means Intertek tested the product to the same UL standard. It is not a lesser mark; it is a different lab testing to the same document.
• SGS — the world's largest testing and certification company, also an OSHA-recognized NRTL for these product categories.

A common misconception is that "UL" is the only valid answer. It is not. UL writes the standard; several accredited labs are authorized to test against it.

Which standard applies to which product

"Certified" is meaningless without knowing to what. A power strip and a surge protector are tested to different documents, and a cord reel to a third.

A surge-protecting power strip should carry both UL 1363 and UL 1449. One without the other means half the product was tested.

Where CSA, CB, and FM actually fit

These three come up constantly in supplier paperwork, and they are routinely misdescribed. Here is what each one is:

• CSA — the Canadian Standards Association. CSA Group is both a standards writer and an OSHA-recognized NRTL, so a CSA mark can be valid in the US as well as Canada. For power taps the relevant Canadian document is CSA C22.2 No. 21. A product sold on both sides of the border often carries a dual mark such as "cETLus."
• CB — the IECEE CB Scheme, an international framework for mutually recognizing test reports between member countries. It is a way to reuse test data across markets. It is not a US approval and it is not a product mark.
• FM — FM Approvals, a certification body focused on industrial and property-loss prevention. It is a legitimate NRTL, but it is uncommon on consumer power strips.

If a supplier offers a CB report in place of a US listing, they have not answered the question. A CB report is an input to certification, not a substitute for it.

When certification is effectively required

The "it's not legally mandatory" answer collapses the moment the product enters a real environment:

• Workplaces. OSHA's 29 CFR 1910.303 requires electrical equipment used at work to be acceptable — in practice, approved or listed by an NRTL. An uncertified strip on a jobsite or shop floor is a citable condition.
• Fire code. NFPA 1 and NFPA 70 (the National Electrical Code) govern how relocatable power taps may be used, and adopted fire codes generally require them to be listed. Local adoption varies by jurisdiction.
• Retailers and marketplaces. Major retailers require a valid NRTL listing before they will stock an electrical product.
• Insurers. After a fire, an uncertified device in the failure path is exactly what an adjuster looks for.
• The CPSC. The Consumer Product Safety Commission can investigate and recall unsafe consumer products after the fact, whether or not they were ever certified.

So the honest framing is: certification is not a pre-market gate in the US, but it is the price of admission to workplaces, retail shelves, and insurable installations.

What to do with this

If you are buying: look for a named lab and a standard, not a generic shield graphic. "ETL Listed to UL 1363 and UL 1449" is a claim you can check. "Surge protected" with a joule number and no lab name is marketing copy. Our 3-step verification guide walks through how to confirm a specific unit.

If you are selling: pick the standard that matches your product type, have an NRTL test to it, and keep the certificate. A CB report, a factory self-declaration, or a certificate for a similar model is not the same thing.

Every certified CRST model names its testing lab — ETL (Intertek) or SGS — and the standards it was tested to, on the product page itself. Certificates and compliance documentation are issued on request. See how NRTL certification works for the full breakdown.

Frequently asked questions