Specifying authentic

What type of language do you include in specifications to prevent the use of counterfeit electrical products on your projects?

By Tom Grace, Eaton April 1, 2014

Throughout this blog series, we have discussed ways to avoid contact with electrical counterfeit products and stressed that the best way to guarantee counterfeit avoidance is to purchase products from the manufacturer’s authorized distributors or resellers.

With full traceability to the source of commerce, you can easily ensure your product is genuine. Language requiring this traceability has long been in some of the most commonly used specifications.

For example, ARCOM’s MasterSpec, requires that where products and manufacturers are named, they must be new and from a single source that allows the component to be traced back to the manufacturer. MasterSpec also includes additional criteria, such as language explaining that all panel board systems must have components that match the manufacturer of the panel board.

As counterfeit electrical products continue to become more prevalent and harder to detect, it is becoming increasingly important for this language to be included and highlighted in specifications.

Do you include this language in your specifications to prevent the use of counterfeit electrical products on your projects? What language do you think would help highlight these specifications?


As brand protection manager for Eaton’s Electrical Sector, Tom Grace oversees counterfeit awareness, training, and prevention. This involves building awareness of the risks that counterfeit electrical products present to personal safety and the economy with end customers, contractors, inspectors, and electrical resellers.