UL vs CE -- Neutral Wire Color

[bassghost]

I have seen conflicting things on the color of the transformer neutral wiring on European products..

I inherited a design in which white wires are being used on both UL and CE compliant products. My experience has always been to use blue neutrals for European products, but I have seen debate on if CE actually mandates wire colors at all. Can anyone point me in the right direction here? Can the neutrals really be white either way?

 

[tortuga]

If I mostly exported products outside North America I would use light blue, and I still might just use light blue anyways.
light Blue can be used as a neutral in appliances in the US and in flexible cords see NEC 200.7(C)(2) and 400.22(C) --I think.

 

[AdrianWint]

As One of the "resident" Brits here on the forum.....

Our BS7671 (broadly equivalent to your NEC) does dictate wire colours - and blue is solely for Neutral.

I don't think this is a a CE marking thing but more about the rules of the Country in question.

Does UL dictate the wire colours for does the NEC?

 

[tortuga]

Does UL dictate the wire colours for does the NEC?

No, UL standards are just used inside products.
508A is the UL standard for industrial control panels
and it dictates the following for control circuits:

66.9 Internal wiring of control circuit
66.9.1 The following color coding shall be employed throughout the panel:
a) Black – all ungrounded control circuit conductors operating at the supply voltage.
b) Red – ungrounded ac control circuits operating at a voltage less than the supply voltage.
c) Blue – ungrounded dc control circuits.
d) Yellow or orange – ungrounded control circuits or other wiring, such as for cabinet lighting,
that remain energized when the main disconnect is in the ′′off′′ position.
e) White or gray or three white stripes on other than green, blue, orange or yellow – grounded
ac current-carrying control circuit conductor regardless of voltage.
f) White with blue stripe – grounded dc current-carrying control circuit conductor.
g) White with yellow stripe or white with orange stripe – grounded ac control circuit current-
carrying conductor that remains energized when main disconnect switch is in the ′′off′′ position

Other products would have other UL standards.

 

[Jraef]

CE is not a standard like UL, it just means "Conformité Européenne", that products "conform" to a standard that mostly dictates Electro Magnetic Compatibility (EMC) of devices, i.e. one device will not cause interference with another. CE is not a testing standard administered by a third uninvolved party (as UL is), the manufacturers of devices can declare CE on their own, so long as they promise to stand by that claim.

 

[AdrianWint]

CE is not a standard like UL, it just means "Conformité Européenne", that products "conform" to a standard that mostly dictates Electro Magnetic Compatibility (EMC) of devices, i.e. one device will not cause interference with another. CE is not a testing standard administered by a third uninvolved party (as UL is), the manufacturers of devices can declare CE on their own, so long as they promise to stand by that claim.

Well, kind of yeah.

It is very common for a Manufacturer to "self certify". Obviously some do this .... "better" than others!

It is also possible to employ the services of a third party testing house - this removes the responsibility for the 'declaration of conformity' to the testing house.