§1What this business is
Colour oxides (zirconium, cobalt, tin and others) are mixed, ground in ball mills and calcined in a furnace at 1,000–1,300 °C, then washed, wet-milled, dried and sieved. Overglaze colours are made by melting a glass flux (frit) and grinding it with the stain. Buyers are units making coloured wall tiles, sanitaryware, pottery and ceramic transfers.
Capacity: 5,000 quintals a year of pigments and glass flux (frit), as printed in the profile's capacity table.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A ceramic technologist or someone who has worked in a pottery or tile unit's glaze section.
Who it is not for
Someone without chemistry or kiln experience — shade matching cannot be learnt on the job quickly.
Advantages
- Tile, sanitaryware and pottery units buy colours all year
- Small set-up compared with a tile or sanitaryware plant
- A product sold by weight that keeps well in store
- Clusters such as Khurja and Morbi need steady supplies
Drawbacks
- Net surplus is only about 7% of sales even at full capacity
- Colour shades must match every batch or the buyer rejects them
- Furnace runs on oil or electricity — fuel cost is high
- Big pigment makers already supply most large tile plants
Skills you need
- Colour oxide chemistry and shade matching
- Furnace and kiln firing control
- Ball-mill grinding and sieving
- Selling to tile and pottery units
Why difficulty 4/5: Needs ceramic chemistry, high-temperature firing and exact shade control.
§3Market
Who buys
- Makers of coloured wall tiles
- Sanitaryware and enamel units
- Potteries and makers of ceramic transfers (decals)
How it sells
- Direct supply to ceramic units
- Ceramic raw-material dealers in pottery clusters
Good to know
- The profile names enamel slip, pottery, coloured wall tiles and sanitaryware as uses.
- Underglaze colours must stay stable when the glaze is fired up to 1,200 °C.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Ball mill, 615 kg capacity | 4 | — |
| Oil-fired crucible-type furnace | — | — |
| Rotary kiln | — | — |
| Weighing balance, mixing trays and other accessories | — | — |
| All equipment together | — | ₹6,00,500 |
From: KVIC Project Profile — Ceramic Colours Scheme (PMEGP)
- Colour oxides — zirconium oxide, cobalt oxide, tin oxide, magnesium oxide and othersground in a ball or pot mill and calcined; raw material ₹7.65 lakh a year in the profile
- Glass flux (frit)melted and ground with the stain for overglaze colours
- Packing material₹28,000 a year in the profile
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam
- GST
- Pollution control board consent (furnace emissions and dust)
- Factory licence if workers cross the limit
- Fire NOC
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
Prepared as a KVIC/PMEGP model project; MUDRA (up to ₹20 L) and CGTMSE cover the loan size.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: KVIC profile: work shed 2,000 sq ft ₹4.00 L + equipment ₹6.005 L (4 ball mills of 615 kg each, oil-fired crucible furnace, rotary kiln, weighing balance, mixing trays) = capital ₹10.005 L; working capital ₹3.75 L. Land own.
Working capital: Working capital ₹3.75 lakh; the profile works out ₹3.74 lakh per cycle (fixed cost ₹3.40 L, variable cost ₹19.02 L a year).
Year not printed on the KVIC profile — check current machinery prices.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
- Confirm the 8-digit ITC(HS) line with DGFT or your customs broker.
- You need an Import Export Code (IEC) from DGFT before the first shipment.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Batch-to-batch shade variation
- Price swings in zirconium and cobalt oxides
- Furnace fuel cost
- Slow payment from buyers
§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 ceramic colours (stains and frit) 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 Ceramic Colours (Stains and Frit)?
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.