§1What this business is
Graphite powder, refractory and plastic clay, grog and silicon carbide are mixed in a pan mixer, aged, extruded in a de-airing pugmill, pressed or jiggered into crucibles, dried, glazed and fired in an oil-fired down-draft kiln. Foundries use them in furnaces up to 2,500°C.
Capacity: 800 kg a day; 2,40,000 kg a year at full capacity (40% in year 1).
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A ceramics or refractory technologist near foundry clusters (the report names Haryana, Delhi, Punjab and Maharashtra).
Who it is not for
Someone without refractory know-how.
Advantages
- Consumable product — foundries keep buying
- Growing auto-parts and casting industry (report)
- High sales value per kg
- Export potential (report)
Drawbacks
- Big kiln investment (₹15 L of the ₹30 L machinery)
- Graphite powder is about 75% of raw-material cost
- Crucible failure in a furnace is dangerous, so buyers are strict
- Kiln firing needs skill
Skills you need
- Refractory batch mixing
- Pressing and kiln firing
- Quality testing for thermal shock
- Selling to foundries
Why difficulty 4/5: Technical product with a big kiln and demanding buyers.
§3Market
Who buys
- Ferrous and non-ferrous foundries
- Auto-parts casting units
- Precious-metal melters
How it sells
- Direct sale to foundries
- Foundry-supply dealers
- Export (report)
Good to know
- The report names Haryana, Delhi, Punjab and Maharashtra as states with good demand from auto-parts makers.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Roller crusher, 350 × 300 mm, 7.5 HP | 1 | ₹1,50,000 |
| Disintegrator, 14-inch, 5 HP | 1 | ₹60,000 |
| Pan mixer, 0.5 MT, 3 HP | 1 | ₹1,40,000 |
| De-airing pugmill, 250 kg/hr, 5 HP, with vacuum pump | 1 | ₹4,50,000 |
| Hydraulic press, 1 MT/day | 1 | ₹4,50,000 |
| Oil-fired down-draft kiln, 5 tonne, with 25 m chimney and thermocouples | 1 | ₹15,00,000 |
| Other machinery and equipment | 1 lot | ₹2,50,000 |
From: PMEGP sample project report — Graphite Crucibles (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
- Graphite powder170 tonnes a year at ₹75,000 a tonne (full capacity)
- Silicon carbide granules24 tonnes at ₹70,000 a tonne
- Fireclay and plastic clay500 tonnes at ₹3,000 a tonne
- Crucible grog and fireclay grog24 tonnes at ₹7,000 and 40 tonnes at ₹2,500
- Coke dust/granules120 tonnes at ₹3,500 a tonne
- Other chemicals, consumables and packing₹4.50 L lump sum
From: PMEGP sample project report — Graphite Crucibles (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
Suppliers in Building Business Bazaar
Quality Machine Tools · Mumbai →Amic Industries (P) Ltd · Kolkata →Associated Industrial · Delhi →Batliboi and Co · Secunderabad →Bengallium Industrial Funales · Kolkata →D.K Engg. Works · Kolkata →East India Minerals · Ranchi →Elector Thermics · Hyderabad →Gloheat Instruments (P) Ltd · Bengaluru →Grindwel Narton (P) Ltd · Bengaluru →Hari Machines Ltd · Rajgangapur →Hindustan Graphite Refining · Opp. Petrol Pump →
In our raw material database
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam registration
- GST registration
- NOC from the State Pollution Control Board (named in the report)
- Factory licence
- Trademark (optional, per report)
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
- Stand-Up IndiaCentralClosed₹10 lakh – ₹1 crore loan
PMEGP fits up to its ceiling; CGTMSE for collateral-free credit; Stand-Up India for SC/ST or women owners.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Samadhan report: plant & machinery ₹30.00 L, furniture ₹2.00 L, working capital ₹7.78 L = ₹39.78 L. Land own or rented.
Working capital: Working capital ₹7.78 L (bank ₹7.00 L); 5 days' raw material and 10 days' finished stock.
Year not printed on the report — check current machinery prices.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: CAPEXIL
- 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
- Graphite price swings
- Crucible cracking and claims
- Kiln breakdown
- Imported crucible competition
§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 graphite crucibles 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 Graphite Crucibles?
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.