§1What this business is
Enamelled winding wire, also called magnet wire, is copper or aluminium wire with a thin baked coat of insulating varnish. It is wound into the coils of motors, transformers, fans, pumps, chokes and auto electricals. The unit draws 8–12 mm rod down on a rod breakdown machine, anneals the copper to soften it, draws it again to fine sizes, and passes it through an enamelling machine that applies polyester varnish in several coats and bakes each one. The wire is then tested for elongation, tensile strength and breakdown voltage and wound on spools. The report plans 300 tonnes a year, half copper and half aluminium, made to IS 13730. Its study focuses on fine sizes of SWG 25 to 35.
Capacity: 300 tonnes a year: 12,500 kg of super-enamelled copper wire and 12,500 kg of super-enamelled aluminium wire a month; turnover about ₹18.38 crore.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A wire-and-cable maker or metal trader with strong bank limits who wants to move into fine winding wire.
Who it is not for
Anyone who cannot fund about ₹1.3 crore of copper and aluminium every month or manage solvent fumes safely.
Advantages
- Every motor, transformer, fan, pump and appliance needs winding wire
- Electric vehicles add new demand for motors and chargers
- Fine sizes are still imported, so there is a gap to fill
- The repair and rewinding trade buys steadily
Drawbacks
- Outlay of ₹6.76 crore, with a ₹2 crore imported enamelling machine
- Raw material is 80–90% of cost, so the margin is about 9%
- The unit falls in the red pollution category
- The power bill is about ₹12 L a month
Skills you need
- Rod breakdown and fine wire drawing
- Annealing and enamelling oven control
- Testing for elongation, breakdown voltage and pin-holes
- Buying copper and aluminium against metal price swings
Why difficulty 4/5: Costly imported enamelling plant, red-category pollution rules and very heavy metal stocks on a thin margin.
§3Market
Who buys
- Motor, pump and fan makers
- Transformer, choke and ballast makers
- Auto-electrical and appliance factories
- Motor rewinding and repair shops
- Electricity boards, railways and public-sector units
How it sells
- Direct supply to motor and transformer factories
- Winding-wire dealers serving the repair trade
- Tenders of public-sector buyers
Good to know
- Prices in the report: super-enamelled copper wire ₹850 a kg and super-enamelled aluminium wire ₹375 a kg.
- The report says existing fine-wire units run at only about 50–60% of capacity because of demand swings and raw-material problems.
- It names Elantas Beck India as the main seller of wire enamels.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Fine-wire enamelling machine, 40 lines (imported) | 1 | ₹2,00,00,000 |
| Rod breakdown machine with pneumatic spooler, 150 HP and 10 HP motors and AC-drive panel | 1 | ₹30,74,301 |
| 200 kVA diesel generator | 1 | ₹11,00,000 |
| Fine wire-drawing machine with die sets and AC-drive panel | 1 | ₹5,99,000 |
| Bright annealing machine, fixed type | 1 | ₹3,00,000 |
| Digital tensile strength tester | 1 | ₹2,30,000 |
| Elongation testing machine | 1 | ₹50,000 |
| High-voltage tester | 1 | ₹25,000 |
| Tools, dies, jigs, fixtures and measuring instruments | LS | ₹1,00,000 |
| Work tables and racks | LS | ₹80,000 |
From: DC-MSME import-substitution DPR — Winding Wire (Enamelled, Copper and Aluminium) (2021)
- Copper12,500 kg a month at ₹700 a kg = ₹87,50,000
- Aluminium wire rod, EC grade12,500 kg a month at ₹200 a kg = ₹25,00,000
- Polyester enamel varnish2,460 kg a month at ₹106 a kg = ₹2,60,760
From: DC-MSME import-substitution DPR — Winding Wire (Enamelled, Copper and Aluminium) (2021)
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam registration
- GST registration
- Factory licence
- State Pollution Control Board consent (red category)
- BIS licence to IS 13730 where the buyer or a quality control order requires it; fire NOC
Start it in your state
Pick your state: today’s cost, central + state subsidy, raw material, land and help, on one page.
§6Schemes & subsidies
At ₹6.76 crore the project is far above PMEGP's ₹50 lakh ceiling. CGTMSE covers collateral-free loans up to ₹10 crore, which can take in the term loan and much of the working-capital limit.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Fixed capital ₹2,84,14,131 (machines and equipment ₹2,55,58,301 including an imported 40-line fine-wire enamelling machine at ₹2 crore, office furniture ₹2,00,000, 10% electrification and installation ₹25,55,830, pre-operative ₹1,00,000) + working capital for 3 months ₹3,92,87,280 = ₹6,76,01,411. The shed is rented at ₹50,000 a month.
Working capital: Recurring cost is ₹1,30,95,760 a month, of which metal and varnish are ₹1,15,10,760; the report provides for 3 months, ₹3,92,87,280. It notes that 80–90% of the cost of the finished wire is raw material.
Prices from April 2021 — copper, aluminium and machinery prices have moved since.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
- The report uses HS 85441990 for winding wire.
- It was prepared to reduce imports of fine enamelled wire; no export target is set.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Copper and aluminium prices moving between purchase and sale
- Enamel defects causing rejections by motor makers
- Fire and fumes from varnish solvents
- Pollution-control action if emissions are not arrested
§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 enamelled winding wire (copper and aluminium) 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
§12Watch
There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.
Want to start Enamelled Winding Wire (Copper and Aluminium)?
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.