§1What this business is
Steel parts are cleaned in hot alkali, etched in a chromic-sulphuric bath, plated in a hard-chrome tank with a rectifier, rinsed and, for hardened steel, baked to remove hydrogen. Hard chrome gives a thick, very hard, wear-resistant layer and is also used to build up worn parts. Customers are engineering, textile-machinery, hydraulics and tool-making units near industrial areas.
Capacity: 50 sq ft of plated surface a day; 15,000 sq ft a year; year 1 at 50%.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Someone in an industrial area with plating or engineering experience.
Who it is not for
Someone in a town without engineering units, or unwilling to invest in pollution control.
Advantages
- Steady job work wherever engineering industry is clustered
- Repair and rebuilding of worn parts adds business
- Moderate machinery cost (₹9.00 L)
- High value per sq ft plated
Drawbacks
- Chromic acid is toxic; hexavalent chrome is tightly controlled
- Needs fume extraction and effluent treatment
- Work depends on nearby industry
- Quality failures (peeling, cracks) lose customers
Skills you need
- Electroplating chemistry and bath control
- Rectifier and current settings
- Effluent and fume control
- Selling job work to factories
Why difficulty 4/5: Hazardous chemicals and strict pollution rules make it harder than it looks.
§3Market
Who buys
- Engineering and machine-tool units
- Hydraulic cylinder and piston-rod makers
- Textile machinery, roller and die users
- Repair shops rebuilding worn parts
How it sells
- Direct job work for factories
- Repeat contracts with OEM suppliers
Good to know
- The report charges ₹750 per sq ft in year 1, rising ₹30 a year.
- It says chrome layers must be at least 13 microns thick for wear resistance.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Oil-cooled silicon rectifier, 1,000 A, 12 V, with panel | 1 | ₹2,50,000 |
| Resistance board 500 A, 12 V | 2 | ₹30,000 |
| Hard chromium plating tank, 7×3×3 ft, with fume ducts and blower | 1 | ₹1,00,000 |
| Etching tank, 6×3 ft, with lip duct and blower | 1 | ₹1,00,000 |
| Anodic cleaning tank, 6×2×3 ft | 1 | ₹30,000 |
| Drag-out tank, 6×2×3 ft | 1 | ₹70,000 |
| Immersion heaters, 3 kW | 8 | ₹50,000 |
| Polishing machine, 3 HP | 2 | ₹50,000 |
| Water swill tank, 5×2×3 ft | 1 | ₹70,000 |
| Other machines and equipment | lot | ₹1,50,000 |
From: PMEGP sample project report — Hard Chromium Plating (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
- Hard chrome salt11,000 kg a year at ₹360/kg (full capacity)
- Chromic acid2,700 kg a year at ₹180/kg
- Other chemicals and consumables₹8.00 L a year lump sum
From: PMEGP sample project report — Hard Chromium Plating (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
Suppliers in Building Business Bazaar
Bright Metal Industries · Delhi →Delta Chemicals Pvt. Ltd · Mumbai →Grawer and Weil (India) Ltd · Mumbai →Hind Rectifier Pvt. Ltd · Mumbai →Jindal Electricals · Ludhiana →Platewal processes and Chemicals · Vadodara →Usha Rectifier Corporation (India) Ltd. · Faridabad →
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam
- GST
- State pollution board consent — electroplating is a red-category industry; effluent treatment is needed
- Hazardous waste authorisation for chrome sludge
- Factory licence if worker numbers cross the limit
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
- Stand-Up IndiaCentralClosed₹10 lakh – ₹1 crore loan
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
₹20.56 L project fits PMEGP and CGTMSE; MUDRA covers up to ₹20 L; Stand-Up India for SC/ST or women founders.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Report cost of project ₹20.56 L: building/shed 1,000 sq ft ₹4.00 L, plant & machinery ₹9.00 L, furniture ₹2.00 L, working capital ₹5.56 L. Finance: term loan ₹13.50 L, own ₹2.06 L, working-capital loan ₹5.00 L.
Working capital: Working capital ₹5.56 L (bank ₹5.00 L) — 15 days of chemicals and finished jobs.
Year not printed on the report — check current machinery prices.
§8Export potential
A local service — there is no goods export for this business.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Pollution board action or closure
- Worker health from chrome fumes
- Rejections and rework
- Slow orders if local industry slows
§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 hard chromium plating (job work) 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 Hard Chromium Plating (Job Work)?
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.