§1What this business is
Silica sand, soda ash, decoloriser and cullet are weighed, mixed and melted at 1,400–1,500°C in an oil-fired tank furnace. Workers gather a gob of molten glass on iron rods and blow it into wooden or metal moulds, then the pieces are annealed in a lehr, sorted and packed. Products include decorative bottles, tumblers, lemon sets, beer mugs, ice-cream cups, jars, jugs and lantern chimneys. The furnace runs in three shifts. Households, hotels and food, drink and chemical packers buy them.
Capacity: 2,400 tonnes of hollowware a year (three shifts), valued at ₹2.16 crore.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Someone in or near a glass cluster with access to skilled blowers and a glass technologist.
Who it is not for
Someone who cannot fund a three-shift operation or keep the furnace fuelled.
Advantages
- Glassware breaks and is bought again and again
- Many products from one furnace
- Skilled glass blowers are available in clusters such as Firozabad
- Cullet from the unit's own breakage is reused
Drawbacks
- The furnace must run day and night once lit
- Fuel is a large cost and price swings hurt
- Hot, hard work for blowers; safety matters
- Machine-made glassware is cheaper for plain items
Skills you need
- Batch mixing and furnace control
- Managing a blowing team
- Annealing and quality sorting
- Selling to crockery dealers and packers
Why difficulty 4/5: Continuous furnace, large team and high fuel cost.
§3Market
Who buys
- Households through crockery shops
- Hotels, restaurants and bars
- Food, drink and chemical packers
- Lamp and lantern makers
How it sells
- Crockery wholesalers and dealers
- Direct supply to packers
- Gift and decor shops
Good to know
- The profile says demand stays steady because glassware breaks and is replaced.
- It lists BIS standards for glass tableware, ink bottles, fruit-preservation jars and wine bottles.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Oil-fired tank furnace, 5 tonnes | 1 | ₹25,00,000 |
| Chimney | 1 | ₹1,50,000 |
| Annealing lehr 4' × 75' with heater and 40 HP motor | 1 | ₹2,50,000 |
| Compressor, 50 HP | 1 | ₹2,50,000 |
| Vacuum pump | 1 | ₹60,000 |
| Oil storage tank, 50,000 litres | 1 | ₹50,000 |
| Transformer | 1 | ₹96,000 |
From: DC-MSME project profile — Glass Hollow Ware (Mouth Blown Process) (2003)
- Glass batch (silica sand, soda ash, decoloriser)200 tonnes a month at ₹2,000 a tonne
- Cullet (broken glass)100 tonnes a month at ₹1,500 a tonne
- Furnace oil50,000 litres a month at ₹7 a litre
- Packing materialbought locally
From: DC-MSME project profile — Glass Hollow Ware (Mouth Blown Process) (2003)
Suppliers in Building Business Bazaar
Centre for the Development of Glass Industry (CDGI), Firozabad · Firozabad →Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute (CSIR-CGCRI), Kolkata · Kolkata →Ajmer Mineral Grinding Corporation · Ajmer →Allied Research and Engineering (Pvt.) Ltd · Sangli →Alock and Co. (P) Ltd · Kolkata →Belpahar Refractories Ltd · Kolkata →Borax Morarji Co. Ltd · Thane →Carborundum Universal Ltd · Chennai →Import India Ltd · Vadodara →Kumar Dubhi Fire Clay and Silica Works · Dhanbad →Pioneer Chemicals Co · Delhi →Raj Kamal Silica Works · Prayagraj →
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam
- GST
- State Pollution Control Board consent (furnace emissions)
- Factory licence
- BIS standards for glass tableware and bottles where buyers ask
§6Schemes & subsidies
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
- Stand-Up IndiaCentralClosed₹10 lakh – ₹1 crore loan
Above PMEGP's ₹50 lakh limit; CGTMSE (collateral-free guarantee) and Stand-Up India (₹10 lakh–₹1 crore for SC/ST and women) fit.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: DC-MSME profile: land ₹16.00 L + building ₹15.63 L + machinery and equipment ₹36.74 L (5-tonne oil-fired tank furnace ₹25.00 L) + furniture ₹0.30 L + pre-operative ₹0.20 L = fixed capital ₹68.86 L; working capital for 3 months ₹35.70 L; total ₹104.56 L.
Working capital: ₹35.70 L for 3 months; furnace oil (₹3.50 L a month) and glass batch (₹4.00 L a month) are the main costs.
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
- Hand-blown and decorative pieces sell abroad mainly as gift and home-decor items.
- Confirm the 8-digit ITC(HS) line with DGFT or your customs broker before shipping.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Furnace breakdown or shutdown
- Fuel price rise
- Competition from machine-made glass
- Breakage in transport
§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 mouth-blown glass hollowware 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 Mouth-Blown Glass Hollowware?
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.