§1What this business is

GRC is cement mortar reinforced with glass fibre. It is far lighter than precast concrete, strong, water resistant and easy to mould into detailed designs. In the method described in the profile, a job frame is made in light wood or tin for the chosen design, resin is applied on it, glass fibre mat is laid, and a cement and sand mix is applied over the mat. The piece is dried, cured by spraying water for about a week, then finished with putty and paint. Products include facade panels, window surrounds, column covers, cornices, domes, railings, pillars, planters, fountains and dust bins. Buyers are builders, tent houses, hotels, marriage halls, institutions and clubs. The profile is written for small and medium towns of Tamil Nadu.

Capacity: 67,200 sq ft of GRC products a year; single shift, 300 days. Annual sales ₹80.64 L.

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

A mason, sculptor or FRP worker who can make moulds and has links with builders and architects.

Who it is not for

Someone looking for a standard product that sells off the shelf.

Advantages

  • Starts with about ₹2.7 lakh of hand power tools and a mixer
  • Light products are cheap to transport and easy to fix on site
  • Any design can be copied once a mould is made
  • Demand from builders, mandaps, hotels and institutions

Drawbacks

  • Each new design needs a new mould and a skilled hand
  • Resin, gel coat and glass fibre are costly inputs
  • Work is order-based and slows in the rains
  • No BIS standard to prove quality, so reputation matters

Skills you need

  • Pattern and mould making
  • Laying glass fibre and mixing mortar in the right ratio
  • Curing, putty and paint finishing
  • Site measurement and fixing

Why difficulty 2/5: Low investment and hand tools, but mould making needs craft skill.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Builders, architects and interior contractors
  • Tent houses and marriage mandap owners
  • Hotels, clubs and recreation centres
  • Educational institutions, factories and corporate offices

How it sells

  • Orders against a chosen design
  • Supply and fixing contracts on building sites
  • Display at the workshop and through building material dealers

Good to know

  • The profile prices GRC products at ₹120 per sq ft.
  • It allows about 2% wastage of raw material and says tools and materials are available with local dealers.

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
Concrete mixer with motor1₹38,000
Weighing machine, 300 kg1₹50,000
Compressor1₹13,500
Hammer drill2₹17,000
Sander2₹17,000
Jigsaw2₹10,400
Stand drill, 1 inch, with motor1₹12,500
Water pump with 1 HP motor1₹4,300
Marble cutter1₹3,600
Hand grinder1₹2,250
Blower2₹3,800

From: MSME-DI Chennai project profile — Glass Reinforced Cement Products (2021)

  • White cement1,200 kg a month at ₹14 a kg = ₹16,800
  • Sand1,500 kg a month at ₹2 a kg = ₹3,000
  • Gel coat320 kg a month at ₹300 a kg = ₹96,000
  • Glass fibre310 kg a month at ₹350 a kg = ₹1,08,500
  • Fibre mat400 kg a month at ₹300 a kg = ₹1,20,000
  • General-purpose resin850 kg a month at ₹170 a kg = ₹1,44,500
  • Catalyst, cobalt, thinner and waterproofing compoundsmall quantities; about ₹6,000 a month together

From: MSME-DI Chennai project profile — Glass Reinforced Cement Products (2021)

§5Licences & registration

  1. Udyam registration
  2. GST registration
  3. Trade licence from the local body
  4. Consent from the State Pollution Control Board where the state asks for it

We can do this registration for you

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 ₹14.58 lakh the project fits PMEGP (ceiling ₹50 lakh for manufacturing) and a MUDRA loan (up to ₹20 lakh). CGTMSE can cover the loan without collateral.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: Fixed capital ₹2.67 L (machinery with tax ₹2.27 L, tools and office furniture ₹0.20 L, pre-operative ₹0.20 L; shed rented) + working capital for 2 months ₹11.91 L = ₹14.58 L.

Working capital: Monthly recurring cost ₹5.95 L, of which ₹4.95 L is raw material. The profile takes 2 months: ₹11.91 L.

How to prepare a loan file

§8Export potential

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

6810Articles of cement, concrete or artificial stone, whether or not reinforced
  • The profile is written for the local building market and does not discuss exports.

§9Risks — where people fail

  • Cracks from poor curing
  • Breakage in transport and fixing
  • Orders drying up when building work slows
  • Builders delaying payment

§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 glass reinforced cement (grc) products 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

§12Watch

There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.

Want to start Glass Reinforced Cement (GRC) Products?

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

Get a DPR / loan file made

Sources

  1. MSME-DI Chennai project profile — Glass Reinforced Cement Products (2021)

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