§1What this business is
A thickener solution (HEC) is made, pigments and fillers are dispersed with a high-speed stirrer, ground in a sand mill, then mixed with the rest of the water and acrylic emulsion. Thickener, defoamer and stainers set the consistency and shade before the paint is packed. Acrylic paint dries fast, resists water once dry and keeps its colour in the sun, so it is used widely on exterior walls.
Capacity: 900 litres a day; 2,70,000 litres a year at full capacity (report plans 40% in year 1 to 60% in year 5).
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Someone from the paint, hardware or building-materials trade with dealer or contractor contacts.
Who it is not for
Someone hoping to beat national brands in retail without a sales plan.
Advantages
- Paint is needed for every new and repainted building
- Simple batch process: disperse, grind, mix, pack
- Shades can be made to order with stainers
- Water-based — no solvent fire risk
Drawbacks
- Big paint brands dominate shelves and dealer networks
- Acrylic emulsion is the costliest input and its price moves with petrochemicals
- Thin margins in the first years (5% net in year 1)
- Quality testing equipment is costly
Skills you need
- Paint formulation and shade matching
- Quality testing (viscosity, scrub resistance)
- Raw material buying
- Selling to dealers and contractors
Why difficulty 3/5: Process is simple; winning dealers against big brands is the hard part.
§3Market
Who buys
- House owners and builders
- Painting contractors
- Institutions repainting buildings
How it sells
- Paint and hardware dealers
- Direct supply to contractors
Good to know
- The report prices paint at ₹80 a litre in year 1 rising to ₹88 in year 5.
- Acrylic paint is preferred over oil paint outdoors for its resistance to chalking and fading.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Sand mill with pump, 5-litre shell, 5 HP motor | 2 | ₹3,00,000 |
| Variable-speed high-speed disperser, 15 HP | 1 | ₹2,00,000 |
| Electronic weighing machine | 1 | ₹20,000 |
| Brookfield viscometer (LCV) | 1 | ₹3,00,000 |
| Weight-per-litre cup, 100 ml | 1 | ₹5,000 |
| Wet scrubbability tester | 1 | ₹25,000 |
| DM water plant, 25 litres per hour | 2 | ₹2,00,000 |
| Overhead water tank 10,000 litres and tube well | 1 | ₹80,000 |
| Other machines and equipment | — | ₹70,000 |
From: PMEGP sample project report — Acrylic Paints Manufacturing Unit (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
- Acrylic emulsion54,000 kg a year at ₹95/kg at full capacity — the largest cost
- China clay36,000 kg a year at ₹30/kg
- Calcite18,000 kg a year at ₹15/kg
- DM water1,26,000 litres a year at ₹8/litre
- HEC (thickener)1,260 kg a year at ₹450/kg
- Pine oil, wetting agent, titanium dioxide, thickener and defoamersmaller quantities; preservatives, emulsifiers and packing ₹25 L lump sum
From: PMEGP sample project report — Acrylic Paints Manufacturing Unit (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
Suppliers in Building Business Bazaar
METALAB ANALYTICAL PRIVATE LIMITED · Ahmedabad →SANRAY LABORATORIES PRIVATE LIMITED · Hyderabad →CIVIL TECH LABORATORY · Roorkee →GLOBAL TESTING AND RESEARCH LABORATORY · Patna →NBML BUILDING MATERIALS TESTING LAB LLP · Raipur →
In our raw material database
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam
- GST
- Pollution Control Board consent
- Trade licence
- BIS certification if your paint type falls under a quality control order
- Trademark for the brand (optional)
§6Schemes & subsidies
PMEGP sample project at ₹21.56 L; CGTMSE can cover the collateral-free loan.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Building/shed (800 sq ft) ₹3.00 L + plant & machinery ₹12.00 L + furniture ₹1.00 L + working capital ₹5.56 L = ₹21.56 L. Finance: own ₹2.16 L, term loan ₹14.40 L, working capital ₹5.00 L.
Working capital: Working capital ₹5.56 L, of which ₹5.00 L is bank finance; stock of 7 days finished goods and 10 days raw material.
Year not printed on the report — check current machinery prices.
§8Export potential
Export council / board: CHEMEXCIL
- The report prints no HS code; confirm the ITC(HS) line with DGFT before exporting.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Emulsion and titanium dioxide price rises
- Brand competition
- Batch quality failures
- Credit to dealers
§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan
A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.
- Days 1–30: Visit a working acrylic emulsion paint unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Udyam, GST), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
- Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.
§11Who to connect with
Associations, clusters and training institutes — the directory is being built. Connect
§12Watch
There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.
Want to start Acrylic Emulsion Paint?
DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.
¶Sources
Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.