In an industry first, HARTING is able to offer two approaches that make using connectors inside control cabinets requiring UL 508 (508A, 508C) certification a practical, even superior choice. Through an initiative with UL, HARTING has succeeded in lowering an institutional hurdle that has discouraged the use of connectors in UL 508-certified panels, switchgear and other control systems. Specific connector solutions from the company’s global catalogue have been subjected to rigorous testing by UL and recognized by the latter for use inside field-assembled control cabinets, under defined conditions. HARTING connectors are the first to achieve this new status and earn the right to carry the UL mark that goes with it. North American OEMs and anyone else for whom UL 508 certification is a practical necessity now enjoy greatly expanded access to the cost and time savings of connectorbased wiring as opposed to having to hard wire connections in their panels.
UL 508 is the must-have certification standard for electrical control cabinets for OEMs in North
America in particular. HARTING has facilitated the use of specific, individual connector solutions in UL
508-certified cabinets by having them recognized through the newly launched "PVVA2" section of UL
2237, established by UL at HARTING’s command. Using components that have this new “UL
Recognized” status enables OEMs and other users to reap the benefits of connector-based wiring in the field assembly of control panels – throughout all stages of product design, fabrication, testing and commissioning.
These connector solutions have undergone rigorous testing by UL to gain UL-
Recognized status, which makes them ready for use by OEMs in accordance with specified criteria or for incorporation in a portfolio of new HARTING pre-assembled cable assemblies. HARTING intends to submit many more connector solutions for UL testing and recognition in the months and years to come.
Significance of connectors having their own UL 508 status
Until recently, industrial equipment complying with the UL 508 (508A and 508C) standard had to contain components and sub-assemblies whose product groups are listed in UL 508 Appendix A,
"Standards for Components". That presented a significant hurdle for using most industrial connectors and connector-based assemblies in a UL 508-certified panel. In the UL world, connectors, even those certified under other international certification standards for use in control cabinets, have been relegated to historical electrical interface categories such as ECBT2 (which uses UL 1977 as its base standard). Manufacturers using ECBT2-class connectors within a control panel submitted for UL 508 certification are subjected to a higher degree of end product testing. The customer’s UL field representative conducts a thorough investigation of the connector application, including the overall electrical transmission path, for possible safety issues. This usually entails extensive testing at the
OEMs expense that adds considerable time, cost and aggravation to efforts to bring that new product to market. Even OEMs that make liberal use of connector-based wiring elsewhere in their machines or plant systems often take the path of least resistance – hard-wiring internal panel connections.
New UL status facilitates customer’s compliance pathway
Telephone +1 (847) 717-9217 | Christina.Chatfield@HARTING.com | HARTING-USA.com
HARTING North America | 1370 Bowes Road | Elgin, IL 60123 | USA

HARTING sought to lower this hurdle by shifting the primary UL testing burden from the user to the connector manufacturer. UL agreed to allow HARTING to submit connectors for testing and recognition under the UL 2337 standard, a complementary standard to UL 508 that governs multipoint connections of power cables in industrial machinery.
UL 2237 describes the North American requirements for cable assemblies used to distribute power in machines. It specifies guidelines for testing the electrical path of industrial connectors, cables, cable glands and fuse elements.
Now, once a particular connector-based assembly or individual connector component is tested by UL, it is classified under either the PVVA or new PVVA2 categories of UL 2237 respectively, and becomes eligible for use in UL 508 control cabinets when employed in the prescribed manner.
PVVA status is reserved for “UL-Listed”, multi-point power transmission cable assemblies. These premade assemblies may be employed virtually without restrictions (for example, without the need for further instructions or testing) within electrical control cabinet applications where UL 508 certification is of concern. As for individual ECBT2 connectors that have passed testing by UL, they now are considered “UL Recognized” and listed under the PVVA2 category, approved for use in UL
508A (Standard for Industrial Control Panels) applications, with minimal conditions of acceptability.
That makes field wiring control cabinets and systems using such connectors a practical choice. Users get all the benefits of Plug & Play connectorization, including massive time savings during commissioning and maintenance, which produces major labor cost savings. The time-consuming process of hard-wiring is eliminated, including the risk of costly wiring errors that can add further cost and delay during assembly, commissioning and maintenance.
Expanding availability of UL-listed cable assemblies (PVVA)
Pre-made cable assemblies certainly suffice where they can adequately meet standard application challenges. A PVVA assembly has defined parameters such as wire AWG and is tested as such. UL has tested and approved over two dozen HARTING connector solutions for inclusion on the PVVA2 list.
That will allow HARTING to build up an extensive portfolio of pre-made standard cable assembly products with the UL-listed (PVVA) designation. (By comparison, competitors with products in the
PVVA space only offer a limited number of overmolded circular type cable assemblies.) A UL-listed cable assembly must have a part number assigned from the manufacturer and be produced at a defined manufacturing location, which has to be specified in the UL file. HARTING will only sell UL-
Listed cable assemblies it manufactures at its own production facilities to assure customers of the highest quality and strict UL compliance. Such cable assemblies will have their own UL certification mark.
Introducing approved individual components (PVVA2)
Sometimes project requirements call for something other than a standard cable assembly. As the global leader in industrial connector innovation, HARTING wanted to give customers a simplified and clearly understood pathway for assembling their own connector-based wiring using individual components without having to submit to extensive, supplemental testing.
Telephone +1 (847) 717-9217 | Christina.Chatfield@HARTING.com | HARTING-USA.com
HARTING North America | 1370 Bowes Road | Elgin, IL 60123 | USA

HARTING’s efforts to win UL approval for the use of individual connector components resulted in the creation of the "PVVA2" section of UL 2237. This section defines the connector components relevant for power distribution that have been subjected to rigorous testing by UL and can be used in usercreated control panels. Utilizing such a UL-Recognized component rather than just any connector reduces the effort required to attain UL 508 certification of the end-use equipment. That certification exercise can be fast-tracked since the traceability and documentation of UL-Recognized components already have been established. The user can count on their performance and be confident of the safety of the overall project. These individual components must be installed by trained technical professionals following special approval stipulations – the “Conditions of Acceptability” (CoA). Such application requirements may contain both technical and constructive design information. Example:
A connector assembly containing PVVA2 components includes the following CoA: The power distribution cables should be selected in accordance with the TC-ER declaration and the approved wire AWG cable cross-section choices. Protective devices (fuse types RK5, CC, J or T) must also be used on the cable path. The short circuit current rating (SCCR) for the PVVA2 component must also be compared with the requirements of the electrical cabinet.
UL-Recognized connectors will be identified by the HARTING identification and catalogue number, model or other designation on the product or on its packaging. In addition, they will bear UL’s Recognized Component Mark.
HARTING leads the way
So far, HARTING has obtained UL recognition status for product solutions incorporating the Han®
10A, 16A, 32A, Han®6E, 10E, 16E, 24E, 32E, 48E, Han®10EE, 18EE, 32EE, 46EE, Han 2/0, 3/0, 4/0, 5/0,
7/0, 8/0, 4/2, Han®6 HsB, 12 HsB, as well as the Han®Power Ts 3xQ4/2, 3xQ2/0 and 3xQ5/0 series.
These are all well-proven connectors used by customers in a wide range of applications, including control cabinets and switchgear certified to other international standards. Availability of these parts is always assured. The standard Han E® products provide solutions for mid-range power use up to 16 amps and 600 V UL. Han® HsB and Han® Q are intended for the compact transmission of higher currents up to 40 amps and 600 V UL. These connector product series have passed a short circuit current rating (SCCR) test by UL at a level of 65kA (SCCR). A 65kA rating is more than enough to assure a safe, reliable, long-term service life in virtually all industrial control panel applications.
HARTING opted to test to 65kA rather than a lower current level such as 5kA SCCR so as not to limit customers in their use of its components. These HARTING connectors have not undergone any design changes for UL testing, and customers need not change their wiring design because of it. UL
Recognition is an value added benefit.
Quicker initial commissioning of facilities
HARTING is the only manufacturer currently offering its customers two different options for installing connectors in electrical cabinets intended for the North American market. The time needed for testing and commissioning electrical cabinets is reduced, even while their reliability and quality increases. Besides this work accomplished for UL approvals, HARTING is actively involved in certifications for many markets around the world. Additional quality certificates are available for
HARTING products from testing institutes such as GL, DQS or Veritas.
Telephone +1 (847) 717-9217 | Christina.Chatfield@HARTING.com | HARTING-USA.com
HARTING North America | 1370 Bowes Road | Elgin, IL 60123 | USA