Tulikivi Targets US Launch in 2026 With UL Tests on Kevo Heater, Ends Russia Operations

Tulikivi Corporation, the 130-year-old Finnish soapstone company, disclosed in its Q1 2026 interim report on May 8 that it is running UL safety certification tests on its Kevo electric sauna heater collection with the aim of launching sales in North America during 2026. The company also confirmed that it ended all operations in Russia as of April 1.

The disclosure makes Tulikivi (Helsinki: TULAV) the latest European manufacturer to publicly commit to the US electric heater market, and it arrives one day after Harvia posted record Q1 revenue of EUR 58.6 million with North America heating equipment up 21.0 percent. Two Finnish companies, one demand curve, very different starting positions.

What the Report Says

Tulikivi’s Q1 revenue of EUR 6.3 million edged up 3.8 percent year over year, but the quarter posted an operating loss of EUR 0.8 million. Managing Director Heikki Vauhkonen called the result “slightly improved but at a low level” and attributed the weakness to seasonal demand patterns and low consumer confidence across the company’s main European markets. Order intake fell to EUR 6.8 million from EUR 7.8 million in the prior-year quarter.

The sauna business section of the report carried the real news. In Tulikivi’s own words: “Product development in the sauna business focused on preparing for the launch of sales in North America by carrying out the tests required under UL safety standards. The aim is to launch sales during 2026.”

The company named the Kevo electric sauna heater collection as the vehicle and highlighted what it considers competitive differentiators for North America: “high-quality design, energy efficiency, original materials and safe exterior surfaces that do not become hot.”

The Kevo Collection

Kevo is a family of tower-style electric sauna heaters that Tulikivi launched in 2024, built around a height-adjustable frame (790 to 940 millimeters) and a shared 30-kilogram stone compartment. All models run on 400-volt three-phase power, with output ranging from 4.5 kW (covering rooms of roughly 105 to 210 cubic feet) to 10.2 kW (covering up to approximately 530 cubic feet). The collection carries CE certification in Europe.

Three cladding options define the lineup:

• Kaarna (soapstone): The flagship. Available in Classic and Nobile finishes, using the same Finnish soapstone that Tulikivi has quarried and processed for over a century. The soapstone exterior stays cool during operation thanks to a multi-layer construction. Weighs 72 kilograms without stones. Safety clearance to the side wall is just 100 millimeters (roughly 4 inches).
• Pyry (cast stone): A white cast-stone surface made from recycled ceramics industry material. Lighter at 44 kilograms without stones. Side-wall clearance drops to 50 millimeters (roughly 2 inches).
• Usva (steel): Black or white powder-coated steel. The lightest option at 26 kilograms. Same tight 50-millimeter side-wall clearance as the Pyry.

All three share a touchscreen control panel that can be wall-mounted in wet or dry areas, plus WiFi app connectivity. The heating elements are adjustable within the stone compartment, allowing room temperature and steam intensity to be tuned independently.

Why a UL Listing Matters Now

Any electric sauna heater sold in the United States must carry a listing from a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory to satisfy building codes and electrical inspectors. Historically, UL 875 was the governing standard, and its requirements (including a prescriptive thermostat sensor location and a conservative auto-shutoff threshold) made certification more difficult and more expensive for European-designed heaters.

That changed in June 2025 when UL published UL 60335-2-53, a new standard harmonized with the international IEC 60335-2-53 framework that European manufacturers already build to. The new standard allows sensor relocation to the seating area, raises the high-temperature trip threshold, and adds air-venting flexibility that matches how Nordic saunas are traditionally designed.

Tulikivi’s interim report does not specify which UL standard track its Kevo tests follow, but the timing lines up. A European heater collection already carrying CE certification faces a substantially lower testing hurdle under UL 60335-2-53 than it would have under the legacy UL 875. Industry observers noted at the time of UL 60335-2-53’s publication that the new standard would likely bring more European heaters to the North American market.

Two Finnish Companies, One Market

The Tulikivi disclosure landed one day after Harvia’s Q1 2026 report showed record revenue of EUR 58.6 million, with North America growing 12.0 percent (21.1 percent in local currencies) and heating equipment specifically up 21.0 percent. Harvia called the quarter an “all-time high” and described commercial actions taken in response to tariff and currency headwinds.

The contrast is instructive. Harvia, which reported full-year 2025 revenue of EUR 198.9 million, is the dominant European heater brand in North America and has an established distribution network, a US Steam subsidiary (ThermaSol, acquired in 2024), and the pricing power to manage tariffs through commercial actions. Tulikivi, with FY 2025 revenue of EUR 29.5 million across all product lines (fireplaces, heaters, and stone products), hasn’t sold a single heater in the United States.

But Tulikivi is not trying to compete with Harvia on volume. The Kevo collection targets the premium specialty segment where soapstone cladding, minimal safety clearances, and cool-touch exterior surfaces matter. That niche has not had a strong UL-listed import competitor. Builders, installers, and high-end residential designers sourcing specialty heaters have relied on a fragmented set of smaller importers. A UL-listed Tulikivi, backed by the company’s century-plus track record in soapstone, changes the competitive set.

The Russia Exit

The interim report confirmed that operations of OOO Tulikivi, the company’s wholly owned Russian subsidiary established in 2005, ended on April 1, 2026. Tulikivi had announced plans to wind down its Russian business in 2022 following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but the process took nearly four years.

The company described the wind-down as “a deliberate, controlled, and phased process” focused on sanctions compliance, repatriation of assets to Finland, and resolution of local employment and contract obligations. EUR 0.3 million in related write-downs were recorded in FY 2025. The Russian operation included a flagship showroom in Moscow; products sold in Russia were fireplace and sauna products classified as sanction-exempt goods.

The revenue impact is modest (the company did not break out the Russian contribution), but the signal matters. Tulikivi joins a growing list of European sauna and wellness equipment manufacturers that have formally exited Russia, a realignment that SaunaNews has been tracking across the sector. The exit also clears a potential compliance overhang for any US entry, where anti-Russia trade sentiment runs high.