§1What this business is
Uppers are cut, skived and stitched, pulled over PVC lasts, and soles are cemented on in a press, then finished, foil-stamped and boxed. Soles are usually PVC or rubber; leather soles can be made to order. Buyers are footwear shops, wholesalers and school-shoe buyers.
Capacity: 30,000 pairs a year.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Someone from a footwear cluster such as Agra or Kanpur with shop contacts.
Who it is not for
Someone who cannot fund large stocks of material.
Advantages
- Children outgrow shoes every year
- Low machinery cost
- Small team
- School-shoe orders can be large
Drawbacks
- Very high working capital — ₹13 lakh
- Net surplus under 9% of sales
- Cheap factory-made and imported shoes compete on price
- Sizes multiply stock
Skills you need
- Upper cutting and stitching
- Lasting and sole cementing
- Size-wise stock planning
- Selling to shops and schools
Why difficulty 3/5: Skilled work and heavy working capital.
§3Market
Who buys
- Parents buying for children
- Schools
How it sells
- Footwear shops
- Footwear wholesalers
Good to know
- The profile says new units will not find it hard to market children's shoes because they are easy to wear and protect the feet.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Upper sewing machine (power) and treadle upper sewing machine | — | — |
| Skiving machine | — | — |
| Cementing press with compressor | — | — |
| Combined finishing machine with 1 HP motor | — | — |
| Foil stamping machine | — | — |
| PVC shoe lasts (₹400 a pair) | 200 pairs | — |
| Hand tools, office and workshop furniture | — | — |
| All equipment together | — | ₹3,23,000 |
From: KVIC Project Profile — Children Shoe (PMEGP)
- PVC or rubber soles (leather soles on request)raw material ₹48.00 lakh a year at full capacity in the profile
- Upper material, lining, thread and adhesivefor uppers and cementing
- Labels and packing material₹25,000 a year
From: KVIC Project Profile — Children Shoe (PMEGP)
Suppliers in Building Business Bazaar
Coats India Ltd · Bengaluru →S.P. Engg. Co · Kanpur →Alpha Global · Bengaluru →Amjad Finished Leather Co · Chennai →Anka India Ltd · Gurugram →APL Poly Fab Pvt. Ltd · Kolkata →Arkay Leathers · Chennai →Asia International · Delhi →Atlanta Trading Company · Mumbai →Chem Crown India Ltd · Chennai →Enkay HWS India Ltd · Delhi →Flexolle Raman Ltd · Mysuru →
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam
- GST
- Trade licence
- BIS licence if the footwear Quality Control Order covers your product — check before you start
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
KVIC/PMEGP model project; MUDRA (up to ₹20 L) and CGTMSE fit the ₹16.23 L size.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: KVIC profile: equipment ₹3.23 L (upper sewing machines, skiving machine, cementing press with compressor, combined finishing machine with 1 HP motor, foil stamping machine, 200 pairs of PVC lasts at ₹400, hand tools, furniture) + working capital ₹13.00 L = ₹16.23 L. Land own, no work-shed cost.
Working capital: Working capital ₹13.00 lakh — four times the machinery cost; the profile works out ₹13.56 lakh per cycle. Raw material is ₹48 lakh a year at full capacity.
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
Export council / board: CLE
- Shoes with leather or textile uppers go under 6403 or 6404 — the upper material decides the line.
- 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
- Stock stuck in slow sizes
- Price competition
- Material price rise
- Credit to shops
§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 children's shoes 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 Children's Shoes?
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.