§1What this business is

GP sheets are cut to templates, bent on a body-bending machine, riveted and made leak-proof; handles are bent from 10 mm rod and fitted with bucket ears; buckets are wired, cleaned, labelled and packed. They are used to carry water, milk and food, and in dairies and industry.

Capacity: 240 buckets a day; 72,000 a year at full capacity (45% in year 1).

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

A sheet-metal worker or hardware trader with rural and dairy dealer contacts.

Who it is not for

Someone expecting high margins — this is a volume business.

Advantages

  • Very cheap machines (₹2.01 L)
  • Durable product with rural, dairy and industrial demand
  • Simple sheet-metal process
  • Plastic buckets have not fully replaced it (report)

Drawbacks

  • Raw material, mostly steel, is over 80% of production cost — margins are thin
  • Plastic buckets compete on price and weight
  • Heavy raw-material stock to finance
  • Low first-year profit

Skills you need

  • Sheet cutting and bending
  • Riveting and leak-proofing
  • Steel buying
  • Selling to hardware dealers and dairies

Why difficulty 2/5: Simple process; the challenge is thin margin.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Rural households
  • Dairies and milk sellers
  • Industries and construction sites

How it sells

  • Hardware and utensil dealers
  • Rural haats and markets
  • Direct supply to dairies

Good to know

  • The report says plastic buckets threatened GP buckets but could not replace them because of durability and many uses.

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
Stamping machine1₹30,000
Bucket body bending machine1₹15,000
Sheet folding machine1₹12,000
Bar bending and folding machine1₹7,000
Bar cutting machine1₹7,500
Circle cutting machine1₹3,000
Bucket wiring machine1₹24,000
Treadle shearing machine1₹35,000
Weighing machine1₹15,000
Other machines and equipment1 lot₹22,000

From: PMEGP sample project report — GP Bucket (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

  • GP (galvanised plain) sheet120 MT a year at ₹53,000 per MT (full capacity)
  • Rod, 10 mm30 MT at ₹35,000 per MT
  • MS wire72 MT at ₹36,000 per MT
  • Rivets and bucket earsrivets 1.2 MT and ears 3.6 MT, each at ₹50,000 per MT
  • Wire, labels, white paint, packing and consumables₹98,000 a year together

From: PMEGP sample project report — GP Bucket (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

§5Licences & registration

  1. Udyam registration
  2. GST registration
  3. Trademark (optional, per report)
  4. Trade/factory licence
  5. BIS where a steel quality control order applies to GP sheet

We can do this registration for you

§6Schemes & subsidies

PMEGP fits; MUDRA and CGTMSE for credit.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: Samadhan report: building/shed 1,000 sq ft ₹6.00 L, plant & machinery ₹2.01 L (₹1.71 L + 18% GST), furniture ₹1.50 L, working capital ₹3.33 L = ₹12.84 L. Land own or rented.

Working capital: Working capital ₹3.33 L (bank ₹3.00 L); only 5 days' raw material and finished stock.

Year not printed on the report — check current machinery prices.

How to prepare a loan file

§8Export potential

Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export

7323.99Table, kitchen or other household articles of iron or steel — other

Export council / board: EEPC India

  • HS codes are from the WCO HS 2022 list; 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

  • Steel price rises
  • Plastic substitution
  • Rust complaints from poor galvanising
  • Dealer credit

§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan

A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.

  1. Days 1–30: Visit a working gp (galvanised) bucket making unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
  2. Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Udyam registration, GST registration), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
  3. Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.

§11Who to connect with

Not verified yet

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 GP (Galvanised) Bucket Making?

DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.

Get a DPR / loan file made

Sources

  1. PMEGP sample project report — GP Bucket (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.