§1What this business is
Glass capillary tubing is sorted, cut and a bulb is blown at one end. The bulb is filled with mercury or with red or blue petroleum spirit, air is driven out and the top is sealed. Each thermometer is then adjusted in temperature baths, waxed, graduated on a graduating machine, etched with hydrofluoric acid, inked, checked and packed. The profile covers 0–50°C, 0–110°C and 0–150°C solid-stem types sold to schools, laboratories, R&D centres and industry. It needs very skilled blowers and graduators.
Capacity: 60,000 thermometers a year, of which 54,000 are sold after 6,000 rejections; value ₹20.79 lakh.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A trained thermometer craftsman or someone who can hire skilled blowers, preferably in a cool climate as the profile suggests.
Who it is not for
Someone without access to skilled glass blowers, or who plans to rely on mercury types alone.
Advantages
- Schools, colleges and laboratories need thermometers every year
- Small rented premises are enough
- Low investment
- Spirit-filled types avoid mercury
Drawbacks
- Needs rare skills: thermometer blowers and graduators
- High rejection rate (10% in the profile)
- Digital thermometers are replacing glass ones
- Mercury is toxic and is being phased out under the Minamata Convention, which India has joined
Skills you need
- Glass blowing at the burner
- Calibration and graduation
- Safe handling of mercury and hydrofluoric acid
- Selling to schools and lab suppliers
Why difficulty 4/5: Small money but rare skills, hazardous chemicals and a shrinking market for mercury types.
§3Market
Who buys
- Schools and colleges
- Laboratories and R&D centres
- Industries that check process temperatures
- Scientific and lab-equipment suppliers
How it sells
- Laboratory equipment dealers
- School supply tenders
- Direct sales to industry
Good to know
- The profile says science teaching from primary classes keeps demand for 0–110°C and 0–150°C types high.
- It lists BIS standards such as IS 2480 (solid-stem thermometers) and IS 6274 (calibration).
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Mercury filling plant with diffusion pump and vacuum bell (imported) | 1 | ₹2,50,000 |
| Hand-operated graduating machine (imported) | 3 | ₹25,000 |
| Adjusting and testing apparatus for 30 thermometers (imported) | 1 | ₹25,000 |
| Annealing furnace, electric | 1 | ₹1,00,000 |
| Air compressor for 15–20 burners | 1 | ₹40,000 |
| LPG manifold for 15–20 burners | 1 | ₹30,000 |
| Blowing burners | 12 | ₹15,000 |
From: DC-MSME project profile — Thermometers (Up to 150°C) (2003)
- Thermometer capillary tubing (Indian and imported)about 150 kg a month at ₹250–375 a kg
- Pure triple-distilled mercury10 kg a month at ₹900 a kg (imported)
- Red and blue petroleum filling4 litres a month
- LPG cylinders30 a month
From: DC-MSME project profile — Thermometers (Up to 150°C) (2003)
Suppliers in Building Business Bazaar
Borosil Glass Works · Delhi →Japsin Products Inds · Delhi →K.G. Khosla and Co. Pvt. Ltd · Delhi →Mohan Brothers · Ambala →Oswal Scientific Stores · Chandigarh →Standard Sheet Metal Works · Ambala →Swastika Electric and Scientific Works ® · Ambala →Thermometers and Thermomatric Appliances · Delhi →Veer Workshop · Delhi →
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam
- GST
- State Pollution Control Board consent (acid and mercury waste)
- Rules on hazardous chemicals for mercury and hydrofluoric acid
- Legal Metrology registration if you sell measuring instruments
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
The ₹10.8 lakh project fits PMEGP (up to ₹50 lakh in manufacturing) and MUDRA (up to ₹20 lakh); CGTMSE can guarantee the loan without collateral.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: DC-MSME profile: machinery and equipment ₹6.57 L (imported mercury filling plant ₹2.50 L, annealing furnace ₹1.00 L) + office equipment ₹0.25 L + pre-operative ₹0.08 L = fixed capital ₹6.90 L; working capital for 3 months ₹3.89 L; total ₹10.79 L. Premises rented at ₹3,000 a month.
Working capital: ₹3.89 L for 3 months; capillary tubing and mercury (partly imported) are the main purchases.
Prices from 2003 — machinery, land and raw-material costs will be much higher now.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
- Many countries restrict mercury thermometers; spirit-filled types face fewer limits.
- Confirm the 8-digit ITC(HS) line with DGFT or your customs broker before shipping.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Rules restricting mercury products
- Shift to digital thermometers
- Loss of skilled workers
- Breakage and rejection
§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 liquid-in-glass thermometers (up to 150°c) 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 Liquid-in-Glass Thermometers (up to 150°C)?
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.