§1What this business is
Hard phone cases are made from polycarbonate granules. A 3D mould is designed and cut on a CNC machine, cases are injection-moulded, smoothed and polished, then painted and printed with designs before packing. Every new phone model needs new moulds. Buyers are mobile shops, accessory wholesalers and online sellers.
Capacity: 400 pieces a day on a 10-hour shift; year 1 at 30%.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Someone who follows phone launches and design trends and knows accessory wholesalers.
Who it is not for
Someone who cannot keep up with new models and designs every season.
Advantages
- Almost every smartphone buyer buys a cover
- Low break-even (23%) in the report
- Designs and prints let you charge more
- In-house CNC lets you make your own moulds
Drawbacks
- New phone models every few months mean new moulds
- Cheap imported covers compete hard
- Unsold stock for old models becomes waste
- Trends change fast
Skills you need
- CNC mould making
- Injection moulding
- Design and printing
- Wholesale and online sales
Why difficulty 3/5: Process is standard; keeping up with models and beating imports is the hard part.
§3Market
Who buys
- Mobile phone and accessory shops
- Young buyers wanting design covers
- Online sellers
How it sells
- Accessory wholesale markets
- Online marketplaces
- Custom-printed covers for brands and events
Good to know
- The report says the protective-case market was expected to grow at a CAGR of 6% over 2019–2024.
- It notes young buyers drive demand for striking designs.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Injection moulding machine | 1 | ₹9,00,000 |
| CNC machine | 1 | ₹4,00,000 |
| Automatic painting machine | 1 | ₹3,00,000 |
| Printing machine | 1 | ₹1,80,000 |
From: PMEGP sample project report — Mobile Cover (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
- Polycarbonate granulesmain raw material
- Designing ink and painting materialfor prints and finish
- Polishing oilfor smoothing
- Packaging plastics and boxesfor dispatch
From: PMEGP sample project report — Mobile Cover (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam registration
- GST registration
- State pollution control board consent
- Trademark for your brand (if needed)
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
- Stand-Up IndiaCentralClosed₹10 lakh – ₹1 crore loan
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 ₹17.80 lakh, furniture ₹0.70 lakh, working capital ₹4.70 lakh = ₹23.20 lakh. Land own or rented (not costed).
Working capital: Working capital ₹4.70 lakh, of which bank finance ₹4.23 lakh; 10 days of raw material and 10 days of finished stock.
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: 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.
- Some phone cases are classed under heading 4202; confirm the line with your customs broker.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Dead stock for outdated models
- Import competition
- Design copying
- Mould cost for each model
§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 mobile cover manufacturing unit 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
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 Mobile Cover Manufacturing Unit?
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.