§1What this business is
Carnauba and paraffin wax are melted in a reactor with solvent naphtha and turpentine, a water phase with triethanolamine and boricin is mixed in, and the emulsion is cooled, filled into PVC bottles, sealed with sponge applicators and packed. Polish sells through footwear shops, general stores and wholesalers in towns and villages. Demand follows footwear sales.
Capacity: 150 litres a day, 45,000 litres a year = 4,50,000 bottles of 100 ml; year 1 at 40%.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A chemicals or FMCG trader who can run a small process plant safely and push a local brand.
Who it is not for
Someone without safety discipline for handling solvents.
Advantages
- Footwear growth in towns and villages lifts demand
- Low break-even (19%) in the report
- Bottled liquid polish is convenient for buyers
- Few local makers outside big brands
Drawbacks
- Uses flammable solvents — fire risk
- Turpentine and wax prices drive cost
- Established brands own the shelf
- 30 HP load and heating needed
Skills you need
- Emulsion process control
- Solvent handling and fire safety
- Sourcing waxes and turpentine
- Distributor selling
Why difficulty 3/5: Hot mixing of flammable solvents needs careful process and safety control.
§3Market
Who buys
- Footwear shops
- General and kirana stores
- Wholesalers
- Institutions with uniforms (schools, security agencies)
How it sells
- Distributor and wholesaler network
- Direct supply to footwear retailers
- Online sales
Good to know
- The report ties demand to growth in the footwear industry, in urban, semi-urban and rural areas.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Water storage tank | 1 | ₹15,000 |
| Chemical storage tanks | 10 | ₹3,00,000 |
| Bottle filling machine | 1 | ₹1,65,000 |
| Reactor vessel (200 litre) | 1 | ₹4,85,000 |
| Reactor vessel (100 litre) | 1 | ₹2,00,000 |
| Press fitting machine | 1 | ₹1,50,000 |
| Other machinery and equipment | 1 lot | ₹1,85,000 |
From: PMEGP sample project report — Liquid Shoe Polish (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
- Turpentine oil70,000 litres at ₹130 a litre at full capacity
- Carnauba wax4,000 kg at ₹650 a kg
- Paraffin wax15,000 kg at ₹120 a kg
- Solvent naphtha25,000 litres at ₹60 a litre
- Bees wax, boricin, stearic acid, triethanolamine, dyesbees wax 3,000 kg at ₹250; boricin 1,800 kg at ₹125; stearic acid 1,800 kg at ₹65; TEA 800 kg at ₹125
- 100 ml PVC bottles with sponge stoppers4,50,000 at ₹11 each
From: PMEGP sample project report — Liquid Shoe Polish (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
In our raw material database
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam registration (the report lists Udyog Aadhaar as optional)
- GST
- NOC from the State Pollution Control Board
- Fire NOC for solvent storage
- Trademark for your brand
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
- Stand-Up IndiaCentralClosed₹10 lakh – ₹1 crore loan
PMEGP fits; CGTMSE for a collateral-free loan; Stand-Up India for SC/ST or women founders.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Samadhan report: building/shed 1,000 sq ft ₹4.00 L, plant and machinery ₹15.00 L, furniture ₹2.00 L, working capital ₹5.00 L = ₹26.00 L.
Working capital: Working capital ₹5.00 L (bank ₹4.50 L); raw material at full capacity ₹214.42 L a year, of which turpentine oil alone is ₹91.00 L.
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: CHEMEXCIL (Basic Chemicals, Cosmetics & Dyes Export Promotion Council)
- 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
- Fire in solvent storage
- Raw material price rise
- Brand competition
- Product separation if mixing is poor
§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 liquid shoe polish 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 (the report lists Udyog Aadhaar as optional), 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 Liquid Shoe Polish?
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.