§1What this business is
Coir needled felt is soaked with phenol formaldehyde resin to make 'prepreg' sheets, which are cut, stacked and pressed in a hot compression moulding machine. The profile's product is a round 12-inch or 10 × 13-inch coir moulded tray. The same coir-composite method can make boards and other parts.
Capacity: 80 trays a shift, 2 shifts, 300 days — 48,000 pieces a year. Sale ₹110 and raw material ₹45 per piece.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Someone with moulding or plastics experience who can find bulk buyers for trays.
Who it is not for
A first-time founder with no product-selling network.
Advantages
- Good margin per piece (₹110 sale vs ₹45 material)
- Replaces wood and plastic with a coir product
- Small team of 9
- Dies can be changed for new products
Drawbacks
- Break-even is high in the first year (69%)
- Phenol formaldehyde resin needs careful, safe handling
- Market for coir composites is still small and must be built
Skills you need
- Hot press moulding
- Resin mixing and curing
- Quality testing
- B2B selling
Why difficulty 4/5: Technical process with resin and heat, and a market that still needs to be developed.
§3Market
Who buys
- Hotels and restaurants (serving trays)
- Gift and home-décor shops
- Eco-product retailers
How it sells
- Direct sales to institutions
- Wholesale and online shops
Good to know
- The profile presents coir composites as a way to save timber.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Coir mat impregnating machine | 1 | ₹1,50,000 |
| Hot compression moulding machine | 1 | ₹7,00,000 |
| Humidity oven | 1 | ₹2,25,000 |
| Edge trimming machine | 1 | ₹2,00,000 |
| Dies | 5 | ₹2,00,000 |
| Testing equipment | 1 | ₹5,000 |
| Weighing balance | 1 | ₹7,500 |
| Electrical fittings and accessories | — | ₹1,73,500 |
From: PMEGP project profile — Coir Diversified Product Production Unit (prepared by Coir Board, Ministry of MSME) (2018)
- Coir needled feltnon-woven sheet made from coir fibre; the reinforcement
- Phenol formaldehyde resinbinds the felt under heat and pressure
- All raw material₹45 per tray
From: PMEGP project profile — Coir Diversified Product Production Unit (prepared by Coir Board, Ministry of MSME) (2018)
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam registration
- GST registration
- State Pollution Control Board consent (check the category for your process)
- Factory licence if 10 or more workers use power
- Registration with the Coir Board (needed to export; also opens Coir Board schemes)
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
- Stand-Up IndiaCentralClosed₹10 lakh – ₹1 crore loan
PMEGP (this profile was made for it), MUDRA loans up to ₹20 lakh and CGTMSE cover fit; Stand-Up India suits women and SC/ST founders.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Coir Board profile: building ₹5.00 lakh + machinery ₹16.61 lakh + working capital ₹3.39 lakh = ₹25.00 lakh.
Working capital: Working capital ₹3.39 lakh (bank ₹3.22 lakh).
Prices from June 2018 — machinery costs will be higher now.
§8Export potential
Export council / board: Coir Board
- Coir exporters register with the Coir Board and take its registration-cum-membership certificate.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Slow market acceptance
- Resin price changes
- Worker safety with chemicals and heat
- Die cost for each new design
§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 composite moulded products 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 Composite Moulded Products?
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.