§1What this business is
The DC-MSME profile is filed as 'Ceramic Capacitors', but the product it costs is ceramic cores for resistors — rods and tubes of steatite porcelain. China clay, talc, steatite, alumina and other powders are wet-ground in ball mills, passed over a magnet and sieve, filter-pressed, extruded through dies on a de-airing pugmill, dried and fired at about 1,300°C in a shuttle kiln, then trimmed. Makers of electronic components and instruments buy them.
Capacity: 600 tonnes of cores a year, valued at ₹72 lakh.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A ceramic engineer or technician with links to electronic component makers.
Who it is not for
Someone without ceramic training or any buyer in the electronics trade.
Advantages
- Technical ceramics sell to industry, not to the crowded consumer market
- Raw materials are Indian clays and minerals
- Same plant can make other extruded ceramic parts
- Firing runs round the clock, so output per kiln is high
Drawbacks
- Buyers test hard on size, shrinkage and water absorption
- Kiln fuel is a big running cost
- Electronics buyers may import cheaper parts
- Needs a trained ceramic technologist
Skills you need
- Ceramic body preparation and extrusion
- Kiln firing schedules
- Laboratory testing (shrinkage, water absorption)
- Selling to component makers
Why difficulty 4/5: Technical process, kiln control and demanding industrial buyers.
§3Market
Who buys
- Resistor and electronic component makers
- Makers of electronic instruments
- Electrical equipment makers
How it sells
- Direct supply against purchase orders
- Approved-vendor lists of component makers
Good to know
- The profile ties demand to growth of India's electronics industry.
- Buyers usually ask for test reports on every lot.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Ball mill 1350 × 1200 mm, porcelain-lined, 10 HP | 3 | ₹2,25,000 |
| Filter press | 2 | ₹1,50,000 |
| De-airing extruder for 1–25 mm rods and tubes, 50 kg/hr | 2 | ₹2,00,000 |
| Shuttle kiln on LDO with blower and burners | 1 | ₹10,00,000 |
| Agitator, 1,000 litres, 3 HP | 2 | ₹70,000 |
| Vibrating screen | 2 | ₹40,000 |
| Laboratory testing equipment | 1 lot | ₹50,000 |
From: DC-MSME project profile — Ceramic Capacitors (2003)
- China clay and ball clay29 tonnes and 3 tonnes a month
- Calcined high alumina10 tonnes a month
- Steatite and calcite9 tonnes and 3 tonnes a month
- LDO for the kiln10,000 litres a month
From: DC-MSME project profile — Ceramic Capacitors (2003)
Suppliers in Building Business Bazaar
Ashok Minerals and Grinding Ind · Udaipur →Associated Industrial Furnace Pvt. Ltd. · Ghaziabad →Bombay Furnace (P) Ltd · Mumbai →Colkem India Ltd · Udaipur →Electrotherma Furnace (P) Ltd · Bengaluru →Gujarat Minerals · Kalol →Jivanlal Shiv Panchal · Ahmedabad →Lokmanya Engg. Works · Ahmedabad →Modern Engg. and Fabrication Works · Ahmedabad →Sharma Kiln Technology · Ahmedabad →Tehla Ram and Sons · Bikaner →
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam
- GST
- State Pollution Control Board consent (kiln emissions)
- Factory licence
§6Schemes & subsidies
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
- Stand-Up IndiaCentralClosed₹10 lakh – ₹1 crore loan
Above PMEGP's ₹50 lakh limit; CGTMSE (collateral-free guarantee) and Stand-Up India (₹10 lakh–₹1 crore for SC/ST and women) fit.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: DC-MSME profile: land and building ₹22.00 L + plant and machinery ₹23.35 L (shuttle kiln on LDO ₹10.00 L, 3 ball mills ₹2.25 L) = fixed capital ₹45.35 L; working capital for 3 months ₹12.12 L; total ₹57.47 L.
Working capital: ₹12.12 L for 3 months; kiln fuel (₹1.50 L a month) costs more than the raw material.
Prices from 2003 — machinery, land and raw-material costs will be much higher now.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
- Check whether your buyer classifies the part as a technical ceramic (6909) or an insulating fitting (8547).
- Confirm the 8-digit ITC(HS) line with DGFT or your customs broker before shipping.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Rejection of whole batches for size faults
- Fuel price rise
- Import competition
- Dependence on a few 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 steatite ceramic cores for resistors 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 Steatite Ceramic Cores for Resistors?
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.