§1What this business is
Cement and sand (1:3) with water is poured into oiled iron or wooden moulds with MS rod reinforcement, smoothed with a trowel, taken out after about 24 hours and cured in water for 14 days. Jalis are panels at least 2.5 cm thick that let in light and air but keep out rain, thieves and animals; they cost less than wood or steel jalis.
Capacity: Sample report: 800 sq ft a day, 2,40,000 sq ft a year. KVIC: 3,00,000 sq ft a year.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Someone in a growing town with contacts among masons, contractors and building-material shops.
Who it is not for
Someone without yard and curing space.
Advantages
- Very low machinery cost
- Steady demand from house building
- Designs can be made to each buyer's taste
- Cheaper than wood or steel jali (report)
Drawbacks
- Heavy and breaks in transport
- Many small local makers
- Sales follow the building season
- Curing needs water and space
Skills you need
- Mould design
- Concrete mixing and curing
- Selling to contractors
- Planning orders
Why difficulty 1/5: Simple casting work with very little machinery.
§3Market
Who buys
- House owners and builders
- Masons and building contractors
How it sells
- Building-material shops
- Direct orders from sites
Good to know
- The report says Bihar uses about 1,00,00,000 sq ft of cement grills a year, with 50–60 local units and the rest brought from UP, West Bengal and Jharkhand.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Moulds / frames (iron) | 1 | ₹90,000 |
| Wooden planks | 1 | ₹15,000 |
| Concrete hand mixer | 1 | ₹40,000 |
| Vibrator with 1 HP motor and starter | 1 | ₹50,000 |
| Curing tank 10 × 5 × 3 ft | 2 | ₹80,000 |
| Pollution control equipment | lot | ₹25,000 |
| Other tools and equipment | lot | ₹60,000 |
| Moulds/frames, wooden planks, manual concrete mixer, motorised vibrator, curing tank, tools, office furniture, electrification (KVIC total) | — | ₹1,00,000 |
From: PMEGP sample project report — Cement Grill (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan) · KVIC Project Profile — Cement Jalli (PMEGP)
- Portland cement260 MT a year at ₹6,500 per MT (100% capacity)
- Sand32,000 cu ft at ₹30 per cu ft
- MS rod and wire48 MT at ₹35,000 per MT
- Other materials₹1,20,000 a year
- Cement, sand and stone powderraw material ₹29.52 lakh a year in the KVIC profile
From: PMEGP sample project report — Cement Grill (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan) · KVIC Project Profile — Cement Jalli (PMEGP)
In our raw material database
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam
- GST
- Trade licence
- Pollution Control Board consent where required
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
PMEGP and MUDRA fit both sizes; CGTMSE for a loan without collateral.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: KVIC profile (cement jalli): equipment ₹1,00,000 + working capital ₹6,25,000 = ₹7,25,000 (land own, shed not costed). PMEGP sample report (cement grill): building/shed 800 sq ft ₹4.00 L + plant & machinery ₹3.60 L + furniture ₹1.00 L + working capital ₹3.33 L = ₹11.93 L.
Working capital: Sample report ₹3.33 L (bank ₹3.00 L); KVIC ₹6.25 L.
Year not printed on either report — check current prices.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
- A heavy, low-value product — sold mostly near the plant.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Cement price rise
- Breakage
- Construction slowdown
- Credit sales
§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 cement jali and grill making 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 Cement Jali and Grill Making?
DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.
¶Sources
- PMEGP sample project report — Cement Grill (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
- KVIC Project Profile — Cement Jalli (PMEGP)
Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.