This is the compliance checklist we walk US customers through before production, covering UL 9990 itself and the other US requirements that sit alongside it.
What UL 9990 Is
UL 9990 is the US national standard for evaluating the safety of ICT (information and communication technology) power and charging cable assemblies — the category that includes USB Power Delivery cables. It was first published in 2017 and issued as the first edition of ANSI/UL 9990 in July 2023, making it an American National Standard. The 4th edition (2021) extended the covered power range up to 250W and split cables into Type I and Type II depending on power level.
The important thing to understand is that UL 9990 evaluates safety, not signal performance. It is not a speed or protocol certification. A cable can pass UL 9990 and still be a slow USB 2.0 cable. Its job is to reduce the risk of a cable overheating, igniting, or damaging the connected device.
Scope notes that surprise buyers:
- It covers cables with no more than one connector per end (so no multi-tip or "universal" cables).
- It excludes so-called "cheater" cables designed to put a device into an unintended mode.
- It applies to circuits up to 60V DC and 8A; above 100W the additional Type II requirements apply.
The Seven Core Tests
A UL 9990 report is built from a defined test series:
1. VW-1 flame test — the jacket and any decorative covering must meet at least VW-1 flame rating.
2. 12mm flame test — a small-scale flame test on materials.
3. Cord pull / strain relief test — verifies the assembly, components and wiring stay intact under tension.
4. Flexing test — a specified number of flex cycles; broken conductors or insulation fail the test. Type II raises the requirement to around 1,000 cycles.
5. Temperature rise test — under load, the cable temperature must not exceed ambient by 30°C (54°F).
6. Dielectric withstand test — 500V DC applied for one minute with no arcing or breakdown.
7. Fault current test — 8A DC applied for at least 30 minutes with the cable covered in cheesecloth; the cable must not ignite, emit flame or molten metal, and the cheesecloth must not char.
Type II (higher-power) cables add arc-resistance requirements for plastic parts (HAI performance level 3 or an end-product arc-resistance test) and a connector crush test.
Two structural requirements matter commercially:
- The E-marker must match the rating. A cable advertising 100W with a 3A marker fails.
- Packaging must carry specified markings — cable length and the tested maximum voltage and current — so the end user and an inspector can identify the product.
Other US Requirements That Travel With a Cable
UL 9990 is the headline, but a complete US compliance file usually includes:
| Requirement | When it applies | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| UL 62368-1 / IEC 62368-1 | Devices and assemblies with active electronics | The US safety standard for audio/video and ICT equipment; 100W is the boundary above which requirements tighten |
| FCC Part 15B | Anything that can radiate unintentionally | Electromagnetic emissions limits for the US |
| UL 94 V-0 / VW-1 materials | Jacket and connector plastics | Flammability ratings for the materials themselves |
| California Prop 65 | Any product sold in California | Warning requirement for listed chemicals, driven by jacket, pigment and solder materials |
| CPSIA | Products marketed for children under 12 | Lead and phthalate limits, plus tracking labels |
| MFi | Any Lightning cable | Apple's separate licensing requirement |
If your SKUs include both a USB-C cable and a USB-C to Lightning cable, you will typically need a UL 9990 report and the MFi certificate on the same product. Our MFi certification guide for US brands covers that side in detail.
How to Get a UL 9990 Report
The report does not have to be issued by UL itself. Amazon accepts a report from any ISO 17025 / NRTL-accredited laboratory. The practical process:
1. Pick an accredited lab and confirm they test to ANSI/UL 9990.
2. Prepare the technical file — specification sheet, BOM including the connector's UL yellow card, material composition reports for jacket and connector plastics, internal structure drawings and label artwork, and the E-marker details with the rated voltage and current.
3. Submit samples — typically 10–20 finished units covering every length and colour in the programme, identical in materials and construction to what will ship. Some laboratories offer an express service that accepts fewer units.
4. Test in two layers: basic flame tests (VW-1 and the small-scale flame test, historically the most common failure point) then the full safety series.
5. Receive the English report with lab accreditation number, test items, product identification, conclusion and issue date, stamped and signed.
6. Upload to Amazon Seller Central compliance and keep a copy in your vendor file.
Cost and timeline: a report is priced per construction. Budget a few hundred US dollars per construction family for a properly accredited report, with turnaround typically two to four weeks once samples are accepted, and service from some laboratories faster. The biggest schedule risk is a flame or temperature-rise failure that forces a material change and a retest.
Saving money on scope: the same construction in several lengths or colours can normally be covered by one report, but a different connector or power class needs its own — a 100W USB-C cable and a 27W Lightning cable are two reports, not one. Design the SKU architecture with that in mind rather than discovering it after the first quote.
What Usually Fails (and How to Avoid It)
- Cheap PVC with weak flame performance. The single most common failure. Specify VW-1-rated jacket compound from the start.
- Thin conductors at rated current. Fails temperature rise. This is a wire-gauge decision, not a test-lab problem — see USB cable AWG and voltage drop.
- E-marker mismatch. The cable claims 100W, the chip says 3A. Fix the chip spec before testing.
- Missing packaging markings. A technically compliant cable can still be non-conforming if the label lacks length and ratings.
- Sample/production drift. The tested sample is fine, mass production uses a different jacket supplier. Lock the BOM to what was tested.
A Buyer's Verification Checklist
When a supplier hands you a UL 9990 report:
- Is the lab ISO 17025 / NRTL accredited, and does the report say ANSI/UL 9990?
- Does the model or SKU on the report match your order, not a sibling model?
- Is the rated voltage and current on the report at least your advertised rating?
- Does the report identify the E-marker and match it to your cable?
- Is the date current and the construction the same as what will be produced?
Keep those answers in your compliance file. When a platform or a retail buyer asks, a supplier that can respond within a day is a supplier worth keeping.
Getting the Compliance Path Right First Time
The expensive mistake is designing and tooling a cable, then discovering it fails flame or temperature-rise testing. We build the compliance path into the sample stage for US customers — jacket compound selection, conductor gauge and E-marker matched to your advertised rating — and then coordinate the UL 9990 test with an ISO 17025 / NRTL-accredited laboratory using units taken from the production construction, with FCC and Prop 65 documentation prepared alongside tooling. Review how to test USB cable quality before mass production, or send us your specification and we will confirm the certification scope, sample quantity and timeline before you commit.
