§1What this business is

Melamine crockery is a hard, near-unbreakable plastic tableware. Melamine powder is weighed, pre-heated and pressed in shaped dies; a decal paper design is laid on and pressed again, then the edges are trimmed and polished. The report's product is a 30-piece set (4 full plates, 6 quarter plates, 8 bowls, 12 spoons). Buyers are caterers, hotels, hospitals, schools and households.

Capacity: 200 sets a day, 60,000 sets a year at full capacity; year 1 at 40% (24,000 sets).

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

Someone with links to caterers, hotels, crockery wholesalers or institutional buyers.

Who it is not for

Someone with little working capital — the raw material bill is large.

Advantages

  • Strong demand from caterers and wedding services
  • Product does not chip or break easily
  • One main press makes many shapes by changing dies
  • Good DSCR in the report

Drawbacks

  • Raw material (melamine powder) is about 80% of sales — thin margin
  • Melamine powder price follows chemical markets
  • Cheap imported crockery competes
  • Needs design and print variety to sell

Skills you need

  • Press and die handling
  • Quality checks for food-contact ware
  • Design selection
  • Wholesale and institutional sales

Why difficulty 3/5: Simple pressing process, but high raw material cost leaves a thin margin.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Wedding and corporate caterers
  • Hotels, restaurants, hospitals, schools and care homes
  • Households, through crockery shops

How it sells

  • Crockery wholesalers and distributors
  • Direct institutional supply
  • Online marketplaces

Good to know

  • The report says melamine suits busy dining places and outdoor catering because it rarely breaks when dropped.

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
Melamine crockery making machine1₹26,60,000
Scrap grinder1₹50,000
Profile dies4₹3,00,000
Other equipment and hand toolslot₹40,000

From: PMEGP sample project report — Melamine Crockery (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

  • Melamine powder2,40,000 kg a year at full capacity, ₹120 a kg
  • Decal paper6,00,000 pieces a year, ₹15 each
  • Methanol2,400 kg a year, ₹30 a kg
  • Packing material₹4.00 lakh a year (lump sum)

From: PMEGP sample project report — Melamine Crockery (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

§5Licences & registration

  1. Udyam registration
  2. GST registration
  3. State pollution control board NOC
  4. Trademark for your brand (if needed)

We can do this registration for you

§6Schemes & subsidies

PMEGP (the report is a PMEGP sample), CGTMSE for loans without collateral, and Stand-Up India for SC/ST and women founders.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: Report: plant & machinery ₹30.50 lakh, furniture ₹1.50 lakh, working capital ₹7.78 lakh = ₹39.78 lakh. Land own or rented (not costed).

Working capital: Working capital ₹7.78 lakh, of which bank finance ₹7.00 lakh; 5 days of raw material and 5 days of finished stock.

Year not printed on the report — check current machinery prices.

How to prepare a loan file

§8Export potential

Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export

3924.10Tableware and kitchenware, of plastics

Export council / board: PLEXCONCIL

  • 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

  • Melamine powder price spikes
  • Low-cost imports
  • Quality complaints about food contact
  • Unsold design stock

§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan

A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.

  1. Days 1–30: Visit a working melamine crockery unit unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
  2. Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Udyam registration, GST registration), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
  3. Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.

§11Who to connect with

Not verified yet

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 Melamine Crockery Unit?

DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.

Get a DPR / loan file made

Sources

  1. PMEGP sample project report — Melamine Crockery (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.