§1What this business is
Quartz and feldspar are crushed and mixed with china clay and talc in water, screened and passed through magnetic separators, filter-pressed into cakes, de-aired in a pug mill, shaped by pressing, jiggering or slip casting, dried, finished and fired. Buyers are laboratories in schools and colleges, research institutes, and chemical, fertiliser and petrochemical plants.
Capacity: Lab porcelain worth ₹6.62 lakh a year at full capacity (cost of production; no piece count printed).
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A ceramic technologist or someone from a pottery cluster who knows porcelain bodies.
Who it is not for
Someone without ceramics training — lab ware rejects are high.
Advantages
- Steady institutional demand from labs
- Small staff
- High net surplus — about a third of sales at full capacity
- A niche few small units make
Drawbacks
- Lab ware must meet tight standards for heat and chemical resistance
- Equipment prices in the profile are clearly outdated
- Needs a high-temperature kiln
- Selling to institutions means tenders and slow payment
Skills you need
- Porcelain body preparation
- Jiggering and slip casting
- High-temperature firing
- Selling to laboratory suppliers
Why difficulty 4/5: Technical ceramic product with strict quality needs.
§3Market
Who buys
- School and college laboratories
- Scientific and industrial research labs
- Chemical, fertiliser and petrochemical plants
How it sells
- Laboratory equipment suppliers
- Institutional tenders
Good to know
- The profile describes it as a white, vitrified, dense, translucent body, glazed or unglazed.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Jaw crusher | — | — |
| Ball mill | — | — |
| Screw blunger | — | — |
| Electromagnetic separator | — | — |
| Agitator | — | — |
| Filter press and diaphragm pump | — | — |
| De-airing pug mill | — | — |
| Vibrating screen | — | — |
| Jigger and jolley | — | — |
| All equipment together | — | ₹65,000 |
From: KVIC Project Profile — Chemical Porcelain (MBI) (PMEGP)
- China clay, ball clay, feldspar, quartz, talcporcelain body; raw material ₹2.50 lakh a year in the profile
- Bauxite, zircon sand, fire clay, chemicalsadditives
- Labels and packing material₹10,000 a year in the profile
From: KVIC Project Profile — Chemical Porcelain (MBI) (PMEGP)
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam
- GST
- Pollution control board consent (kiln)
- Trade licence
§6Schemes & subsidies
KVIC/PMEGP model project; MUDRA covers the size, but budget for current machinery prices.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: KVIC profile: equipment ₹65,000 (jaw crusher, ball mill, screw blunger, electromagnetic separator, agitator, filter press, diaphragm pump, de-airing pug mill, vibrating screen, jigger and jolley) + working capital ₹1.10 L = ₹1.75 L. Land own, no work-shed cost.
Working capital: Working capital ₹1.10 lakh; the profile works out ₹1.10 lakh per cycle.
Year not printed on the KVIC profile — an equipment list this long for ₹65,000 means the prices are old; check current prices.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: CAPEXIL
- 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
- Quality rejection by labs
- Real machinery cost far above the profile
- Competition from glass and imported ware
- Tender delays
§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 chemical porcelain (laboratory ware) 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 Chemical Porcelain (Laboratory Ware)?
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.