§1What this business is
A hinge joins a door, window or lid to its frame and lets it swing; a hasp and staple hold it shut with a padlock. The unit shears stainless steel, mild steel or aluminium sheet and extruded sections, blanks and bends the flaps on power presses and fly presses, drills and chamfers them, fits the pin, and polishes or anodises the piece before stamping the brand name. The report sizes the unit at 5,000 dozen stainless-steel hinges, 5,000 dozen aluminium hinges, 1,000 dozen hasps and 1,000 dozen staples a year, made to the Indian Standards for butt hinges and for hasps and staples.
Capacity: 5,000 dozen stainless-steel hinges, 5,000 dozen aluminium hinges, 1,000 dozen hasps and 1,000 dozen staples a year.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A press-shop owner or hardware trader who already supplies builders' hardware dealers.
Who it is not for
Someone hoping for high margins without a dealer network or tool-room support.
Advantages
- Every door, window, cupboard and box needs hinges
- Standard presses and drills do most of the work
- Outlay of about ₹58 L in a rented shed
- The same presses can make tower bolts, handles and other fittings
Drawbacks
- A crowded trade with many small units and cheap imports
- Low price per dozen, so profit depends on volume
- Press tools and dies wear and must be remade
- The sales figures in the report do not agree with one another
Skills you need
- Press tool setting and sheet-metal work
- Polishing and anodising
- Die and jig maintenance
- Selling to hardware wholesalers
Why difficulty 3/5: Standard press work, but a crowded market where price and finish decide sales.
§3Market
Who buys
- Builders' hardware wholesalers and retailers
- Door, window and furniture makers
- Builders and contractors
- Makers of boxes, trunks and cabinets
How it sells
- Hardware wholesalers and distributors
- Direct supply to furniture and door factories
- Own brand sold through hardware shops
Good to know
- Prices in the report: stainless-steel hinges ₹155.88 a dozen, aluminium hinges ₹245.85, hasps ₹125 and staples ₹176.84 a dozen.
- The report's own total of the machinery list (₹36,33,000) is ₹50,000 lower than the sum of the lines it prints.
- Imports of steel hinges were ₹91.35 crore in 2019-20 according to the report.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Power presses | 2 | ₹10,00,000 |
| Punching machine with punches, hand operated, up to 8 mm plate | 1 | ₹4,00,000 |
| Anodising bath with a complete set of polishing machines | 1 set | ₹4,00,000 |
| Universal milling machine | 1 | ₹3,00,000 |
| Hand-operated bending machines | 2 | ₹2,00,000 |
| Sheet shearing machine | 1 | ₹2,00,000 |
| Lathe, 600 mm swing | 1 | ₹2,00,000 |
| Bench drilling machines, 13 mm | 4 | ₹1,68,000 |
| Hand fly presses No. 4 | 4 | ₹1,60,000 |
| Metal-cutting circular saws, 250 mm | 2 | ₹1,20,000 |
| Horizontal extrusion machine | 1 | ₹1,00,000 |
| Double-ended buffing machines | 2 | ₹50,000 |
| Riveting machine | 1 | ₹40,000 |
| Arbor press, 500 kg | 1 | ₹20,000 |
| Hand tools, cutters, dies and precision instruments | LS | ₹2,00,000 |
From: DC-MSME import-substitution DPR — Hinges, Hasps and Staples (2020)
- Stainless steel, mild steel and aluminium alloy sheet, bars, rods, wire and extruded sections for flaps, pins, hasps and staples2 tonnes a month, ₹3,00,000
- Chemicals for anodising₹30,000 a month
- Packing material and miscellaneous items₹20,000 a month
From: DC-MSME import-substitution DPR — Hinges, Hasps and Staples (2020)
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam registration
- GST registration
- Factory licence
- State Pollution Control Board consent (anodising and polishing)
- BIS licence where an ISI mark is wanted (IS 1341 steel butt hinges, IS 12817 stainless-steel butt hinges, IS 363 hasps and staples)
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 ₹57.51 lakh the project is above PMEGP's ₹50 lakh ceiling for manufacturing. CGTMSE can back the bank loan without collateral.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Machinery and equipment ₹36,33,000 (presses, milling, drilling, shearing, anodising bath, lathe, tools, office equipment and installation, as totalled in the report) + working capital for 3 months ₹21,18,000 = ₹57,51,000. The shed is rented at ₹30,000 a month.
Working capital: Recurring cost is ₹7,06,000 a month (wages ₹3,05,000, raw material ₹3,50,000, utilities ₹9,000, other ₹42,000); the report provides for 3 months, ₹21,18,000.
The report is not dated; its registration data runs to June 2020, so prices are from about 2020 — machinery costs will be higher now.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
- HS codes in the report: 83021010 steel hinges, 83021020 brass hinges, 83021090 hinges of aluminium and other base metals.
- The report lists hasps and staples under 83052000.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Swings in stainless steel and aluminium prices
- Undercutting by cluster units and imports
- Hand injuries on power presses
- Anodising effluent discharged without treatment
§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 hinges, hasps and staples (builders' hardware) 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 Hinges, Hasps and Staples (Builders' Hardware)?
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.