§1What this business is
Marble slabs of the needed thickness, sawn from blocks, are polished on an automatic polishing machine and then cut to size on cutting and edge-cutting machines. The profile plans 6" × 12", 12" × 12" and 24" × 24" tiles, sorted by size and packed. Polished marble is used in hotels, hospitals, airports, homes and for table tops, name plates and craft work. A water treatment plant recirculates the cutting water.
Capacity: 2,87,500 tiles a year (1,12,500 of 6" × 12", 1,12,500 of 12" × 12", 62,500 of 24" × 24"), valued at ₹68.63 lakh.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Someone near a marble belt (for example in Rajasthan) with links to slab suppliers and dealers.
Who it is not for
Someone without a reliable slab supply or a market for polished stone.
Advantages
- Marble has steady demand in homes, hotels and public buildings
- Small team and few machines
- Good margin in the profile
- Export demand exists for polished tiles
Drawbacks
- Slab supply and colour depend on quarries and block-sawing units
- Breakage and chipping during cutting and transport
- Vitrified tiles compete on price
- Water and slurry must be managed
Skills you need
- Judging slab quality and colour
- Polishing and cutting machine operation
- Packing to prevent breakage
- Selling to dealers and builders
Why difficulty 2/5: Few machines and a known trade; slab supply is the main thing to secure.
§3Market
Who buys
- Hotels, hospitals, railway stations and airports
- House owners and builders
- Interior designers
- Marble dealers
How it sells
- Marble and tile dealers
- Direct supply to building projects
- Exporters
Good to know
- The profile names the USA, UK, Japan, Germany, Singapore and Canada as importers of polished marble tiles.
- It says marble tiles were on the government's export-thrust list.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic marble cutting machine, 13 HP | 1 | ₹4,15,000 |
| Edge cutting machine, 10.5 HP | 1 | ₹3,75,000 |
| Automatic polishing machine, 5 HP | 1 | ₹2,00,000 |
| Overhead water tank, 2,500 litres, with pump | 1 | ₹25,000 |
| Power connection with 30 kW transformer | 1 | ₹80,000 |
From: DC-MSME project profile — Marble Tiles (2003)
- Marble slabs1,600 sq m a month at ₹135 per sq m
- Diamond saws and spares₹50,000 a month in the profile
- Lubricants and chemicals₹25,000 a month in the profile
From: DC-MSME project profile — Marble Tiles (2003)
Suppliers in Building Business Bazaar
Andhra Pradesh Mining Corporation · Hyderabad →Grant Tools Pvt.Ltd · Bengaluru →Karam Chand Mansion · Mumbai →M.I. Shah and Co Machinery) Pvt. Ltd. · Mumbai →Maharastra Steel Mining Corporation · Nagpur →Rajasthan Udyog · Jodhpur →Surfix Polix · Delhi →Ved Saso Mechanical · Kanpur →Veenedyt · Mumbai →
In our raw material database
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam
- GST
- State Pollution Control Board consent (slurry and water)
- Factory licence
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
- Stand-Up IndiaCentralClosed₹10 lakh – ₹1 crore loan
The ₹37 lakh project is within PMEGP's ₹50 lakh manufacturing limit; CGTMSE can guarantee the loan without collateral; Stand-Up India lends ₹10 lakh–₹1 crore to SC/ST and women founders.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: DC-MSME profile: land and building ₹12.60 L + machinery ₹10.15 L (cutting machine ₹4.15 L, edge cutter ₹3.75 L, polisher ₹2.00 L) + power connection, electrification, furniture and pre-operative ₹2.82 L = fixed capital ₹25.57 L; working capital for 3 months ₹11.61 L; total ₹37.17 L.
Working capital: ₹11.61 L for 3 months; marble slabs (1,600 sq m a month) are the main cost.
Prices from 2003 — machinery, land and raw-material costs will be much higher now.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: CAPEXIL
- The profile names China, South Korea and Brazil as India's main competitors abroad.
- Confirm the 8-digit ITC(HS) line with DGFT or your customs broker before shipping.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Slab price and supply
- Breakage losses
- Competition from vitrified tiles
- Slurry disposal rules
§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 polished marble tiles 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 Polished Marble Tiles?
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.