§1What this business is
Hacksaw blades cut angle, channel, plate and rod in every workshop, garage and fitting shop. Carbon-steel or high-speed-steel strip in rolls is cut into blanks and a hole is punched at each end. Teeth are cut on a milling machine, the blades are hardened and tempered in a heat-treatment plant, and they are then cleaned, painted, printed and packed. The profile covers 250 mm hand blades and 350 mm power hacksaw blades made to IS 2594-1963.
Capacity: The capacity table lists 7,00,000 carbon-steel hand blades, 3,00,000 carbon-steel power blades and 3,00,000 high-speed-steel power blades a year; the turnover is worked out on 7,00,000, 2,00,000 and 1,00,000.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A tool trader or engineer who understands heat treatment and has links with hardware wholesalers.
Who it is not for
Someone with no way to test hardness and tooth quality.
Advantages
- Blades wear out and are bought again and again
- Used in every sector — workshops, garages, construction, railways, defence
- A small team of 10 runs the unit
- Hand and power blades come off the same line
Drawbacks
- Hand blades sell for only ₹1.25 each in the profile
- Heat treatment decides quality; a bad batch is scrap
- Many small units and well-known brands already compete
- The profile’s capacity and sales tables do not match, so rework the numbers before a loan application
Skills you need
- Milling or hobbing fine teeth
- Hardening and tempering thin strip without warping
- Hardness testing
- Selling through hardware and tool dealers and government tenders
Why difficulty 3/5: Few steps, but tooth cutting and heat treatment must be exact and the market is crowded.
§3Market
Who buys
- Engineering and fabrication workshops
- Auto repair, fitting and welding shops
- Technical institutes
- Government departments such as Railways, Defence and PWD
How it sells
- Hardware and tool wholesalers
- Government tenders and rate contracts
Good to know
- Prices in the profile: hand blade ₹1.25, carbon-steel power blade ₹22, high-speed-steel power blade ₹32.
- The profile says no pollution NOC is needed for this unit; confirm with the State Pollution Control Board because of the heat-treatment plant.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-automatic metal strip cutting machine, 50 mm, 5 HP motor | 1 | ₹3,70,000 |
| Strip straightening and cutting machine, 50 mm width, 5 HP motor | 1 | ₹4,50,000 |
| Universal milling machine with attachment, 7 HP motor | 1 | ₹4,00,000 |
| Power press, 20 tonnes | 1 | ₹4,50,000 |
| Automatic temperature-controlled heat treatment plant with 70 kVA LT transformer | 1 | ₹3,50,000 |
| Stamping machine | 1 | ₹25,000 |
| Rockwell hardness testing machine | 1 | ₹20,000 |
| Bench grinder, 250 mm wheel, 1 HP motor | 1 | ₹10,000 |
| Gauges, tools and other equipment | — | ₹50,000 |
From: DC-MSME project profile — Hacksaw Blade (2010)
- Carbon-steel strip, 12.5 mm wide x 0.60 mm thick1,200 kg a month at ₹55 a kg
- Carbon-steel strip, 25 mm wide x 1.20 mm thick2,200 kg a month at ₹48 a kg
- High-speed-steel strip, 25 mm wide x 1.20 mm thick2,600 kg a month at ₹80 a kg
- Packing material₹50,000 a month
From: DC-MSME project profile — Hacksaw Blade (2010)
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam registration
- GST registration
- Factory licence where the worker and power limits apply
- Trade licence from the local body
- BIS licence if you want the ISI mark (IS 2594)
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 ₹39.87 L the project is within the PMEGP ceiling of ₹50 lakh for manufacturing. CGTMSE can cover the bank loan without collateral. It is above the MUDRA limit of ₹20 lakh.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Fixed capital ₹23,57,500 (machines and gauges ₹21,25,000, installation and electrification ₹2,12,500, furniture and office equipment ₹20,000) + working capital for 3 months ₹16,29,000 = ₹39,86,500. Shed is rented.
Working capital: Working capital for 3 months is ₹16.29 L. Monthly running cost is ₹5.43 L: steel strip and packing ₹4.30 L, salaries ₹0.40 L, electricity and water ₹0.40 L and other expenses ₹0.33 L.
Prices from 2010–11 — machinery costs will be higher now.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: EEPC India
- The profile is written for the home market and gives no export figures.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Brittle blades breaking in use and spoiling the brand
- High-speed-steel strip prices rising
- Price competition from large blade makers and imports
- Power cuts interrupting the heat-treatment furnace
§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 hacksaw blade manufacturing 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 Hacksaw Blade Manufacturing?
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.