§1What this business is
Belt fasteners are small metal hooks and plates used to join the two ends of a flat belt on conveyors and machines. Cold-rolled carbon steel strip is sheared, bent on power and hand presses, and formed into hooks on a special hook-making machine; the pieces are electroplated, inspected and packed in boxes. Buyers are mills, mines, factories with conveyors and belting dealers.
Capacity: 36,000 boxes a year.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Someone who knows conveyor belting, mill stores or the industrial hardware trade.
Who it is not for
Someone without contacts among factories, mines or belting dealers.
Advantages
- Needed for repairs as well as new belts, so demand repeats
- Simple press work with a short machine list
- Small, light product that is easy to store and ship
Drawbacks
- A narrow product sold to a specialised set of buyers
- Electroplating adds pollution rules
- Branded and imported fasteners compete on quality
Skills you need
- Press tool setting and die care
- Electroplating
- Checking hook strength and finish
- Selling to industrial stores and dealers
Why difficulty 3/5: Simple press work, but a narrow industrial market and plating rules.
§3Market
Who buys
- Factories and mills that run belt conveyors
- Mines, quarries and crushers
- Belting and mill-store dealers
How it sells
- Industrial hardware and belting dealers
- Direct supply to plant maintenance departments
Good to know
- Fasteners are packed and sold by the box.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Foot-operated treadle shearing machine | 1 | — |
| Special-purpose hook making machine | 1 | — |
| Power press, 15 tonnes | 1 | — |
| Fly press No. 1 | 1 | — |
| Fly press No. 2 | 2 | — |
| Fly press No. 3 | 2 | — |
| Electroplating plant | 1 set | — |
From: NSIC project profile — Belt Fasteners — private guide — confirm locally
- Carbon steel strip (cold rolled)
- Carbon steel wire
From: NSIC project profile — Belt Fasteners — private guide — confirm locally
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam registration
- GST registration
- Consent to establish and operate from the State Pollution Control Board — electroplating is usually a red-category activity, so check your state's list early
- Factory licence if your worker count crosses the Factories Act limit
§6Schemes & subsidies
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
- Stand-Up IndiaCentralClosed₹10 lakh – ₹1 crore loan
CGTMSE for a loan without collateral; Stand-Up India for SC/ST and women founders. At ₹51.2 lakh the project is just above the PMEGP manufacturing limit of ₹50 lakh.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: The NSIC profile prints one figure for machinery and equipment plus 3 months' working capital (raw material, utilities and salary): ₹51.2 lakh. It gives no split between the two, and land and building are not included.
Working capital: Working capital for 3 months (raw material, utilities and salary) is inside the ₹51.2 lakh total; the profile prints no separate figure.
Year not printed on the NSIC profile (an older NSIC Training-cum-Incubation Centre sheet) — check current machinery and material prices.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: EEPC India
- Confirm the 8-digit ITC(HS) line with DGFT or your customs broker before shipping.
- You need an Import Export Code (IEC) from DGFT before the first shipment.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Hooks that open under load lose the customer
- Steel strip price rises
- Plating effluent rules
- Dependence on a few 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 belt fasteners unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Udyam registration, GST registration), 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 Belt Fasteners?
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.