§1What this business is
Long bristle coir fibre is combed, cut and tied into tufts with small U-shaped GI wire pins. Wood is sawn, planed or turned, shaped on a jig saw and drilled; the tufts are hammered into the holes and the top is sheared level. Common products are commode, banister, floor, table, bottle, scrubbing, boot-polish and basin brushes.
Capacity: 800 brushes a shift, 2 shifts, 300 days — 4,80,000 brushes a year. Sale ₹21 and raw material ₹11 per brush.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Someone with a woodwork shop or a household-goods distribution network.
Who it is not for
Someone who cannot manage a large workforce or find wholesale buyers.
Advantages
- Brushes are an everyday household item
- Coir is a natural alternative to plastic bristles
- Unskilled workers can be trained quickly
- Many product types from the same machines
Drawbacks
- Strong price competition from plastic brushes
- Needs 25 workers — wage bill is large
- Good bristle fibre comes mainly from coir states
Skills you need
- Woodworking machines
- Fibre combing and tufting
- Wholesale selling
- Piece-rate labour management
Why difficulty 2/5: Well-known process and modest cost; the work is in selling against plastic.
§3Market
Who buys
- Households (through shops)
- Hotels, hospitals and offices
- Cleaning-supply wholesalers
How it sells
- Wholesalers and kirana/hardware shops
- Institutional supply orders
Good to know
- Both reports assume a sale price of ₹21 per brush.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Circular saw, 2 HP | 1 | ₹60,000 |
| Wood turning lathe, 2 HP | 1 | ₹1,20,000 |
| Stand drilling machine | 1 | ₹25,000 |
| Top shearing machine, 1 HP | 1 | ₹40,000 |
| Bench drilling machine | 1 | ₹40,000 |
| Wire twisting machine | 1 | ₹37,000 |
| Band saw, 2 HP | 1 | ₹70,000 |
| Planer, 2 HP (3 blade, high speed) | 1 | ₹1,00,000 |
| Jig saw, 1 HP | 1 | ₹54,000 |
| Disc scanner, 1 HP | 1 | ₹29,000 |
| Sander machine | 1 | ₹25,000 |
- Bristle coir fibrelong staple, sold in small bundles of 2 inch diameter
- Wooden logssawn into brush blocks
- GI wire, 18/20/22 gaugecut to 2 cm and bent into U-pins for tufts
- All raw material₹11 per brush in both reports
From: PMEGP project profile — Coir Brush Making / Twisted Wire Mat Production Unit (prepared by Coir Board, Ministry of MSME) (2018) · PMEGP sample project report — Coir Brush (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam registration
- GST registration
- Registration with the Coir Board (needed to export; also opens Coir Board schemes)
- Factory licence if 10 or more workers use power
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
PMEGP (this profile was made for it), MUDRA loans up to ₹20 lakh and CGTMSE cover for a collateral-free loan fit.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Coir Board profile ₹15.73 lakh (building ₹5.00 lakh, machinery ₹6.00 lakh, working capital ₹4.73 lakh). Samadhan sample report ₹18.00 lakh (building 1,500 sq ft ₹4.00 lakh, machinery ₹6.00 lakh, furniture ₹0.49 lakh, working capital ₹7.51 lakh).
Working capital: Coir Board: ₹4.73 lakh (bank ₹4.49 lakh). Samadhan: ₹7.51 lakh, of which bank finance ₹6.76 lakh.
Prices from June 2018 — machinery costs will be higher now.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: Coir Board
- Coir exporters register with the Coir Board and take its registration-cum-membership certificate.
- Confirm the exact 8-digit code in the DGFT ITC-HS schedule before you ship.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Plastic brush competition
- Wood and fibre price rise
- Machine injuries in the wood section
- Slow-paying distributors
§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 coir brush 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 registration, GST registration), 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 Coir Brush Making?
DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.
¶Sources
- PMEGP project profile — Coir Brush Making / Twisted Wire Mat Production Unit (prepared by Coir Board, Ministry of MSME) (2018)
- PMEGP sample project report — Coir Brush (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.