§1What this business is
Medium-carbon steel strip is cut to shape on power presses, holes for rivets are punched, and the parts are heat treated and electroplated. The cutting edges are ground on a double-ended grinder with fixtures, the parts are assembled with bought-out rivets and pins, inspected and despatched. Buyers are wholesalers of cosmetics, general stores and personal-care brands.
Capacity: 15,000 gross a year (1 gross = 144 pieces).
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Someone with press-tool and heat-treatment experience and access to cosmetic or general-store wholesalers.
Who it is not for
Someone who cannot compete on price with imported cutters.
Advantages
- Every household buys nail cutters
- Small product, easy to store and ship
- Can be sold under your own brand or made for others
Drawbacks
- Cheap imports set a very low price
- Heat treatment and grinding decide quality — hard to get right
- Plating brings pollution rules
- The printed investment figure needs checking with NSIC
Skills you need
- Press tool and die making
- Heat treatment and hardness testing
- Grinding sharp cutting edges
- Packaging and selling through wholesalers
Why difficulty 3/5: Heat treatment and edge grinding need skill, and imports keep prices low.
§3Market
Who buys
- Cosmetic and general-store wholesalers
- Personal-care and grooming brands
- Gift and promotional item buyers
How it sells
- Wholesale markets for cosmetics and general goods
- Making for other brands under their label
- Online marketplaces under your own brand
Good to know
- Nail cutters are counted and traded by the gross.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Power press, 20 tonnes | — | — |
| Hand press No. 6 | — | — |
| Fly press No. 4 | — | — |
| Fly press | — | — |
| Electric single-chamber muffle furnace, 300 × 300 × 450 mm, with quenching tank | — | — |
| Double-ended bench grinder with form wheel | — | — |
| Electroplating plant with rectifier | — | — |
| Buffing and polishing machine | — | — |
| Bench drill | — | — |
| Hardness testing machine | — | — |
| Dies, fixtures and measuring instruments | — | — |
From: NSIC project profile — Nail Cutters — private guide — confirm locally
- Medium-carbon steel strip, 16 to 18 SWG
- Bought-out rivets, pins and similar parts
From: NSIC project profile — Nail Cutters — private guide — confirm locally
Suppliers in Building Business Bazaar
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam registration
- GST registration
- Consent to establish and operate from the State Pollution Control Board — electroplating is usually a red-category activity, so check your state's list early
- Factory licence if your worker count crosses the Factories Act limit
- Trademark for your brand name (optional)
§6Schemes & subsidies
CGTMSE for a loan without collateral. The printed ₹191.30 lakh is above the PMEGP, MUDRA and Stand-Up India limits; if NSIC confirms a smaller figure, PMEGP may fit.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: The NSIC profile prints one figure for machinery and equipment plus 3 months' working capital (raw material, utilities and salary): ₹191.30 lakh. No split is given, and land and building are not included. This figure is far above what the profile's 6-person, 20 KW unit suggests — confirm it with NSIC before you plan on it.
Working capital: Working capital for 3 months (raw material, utilities and salary) is inside the ₹191.30 lakh total; the profile prints no separate figure.
Year not printed on the NSIC profile (an older NSIC Training-cum-Incubation Centre sheet) — check current machinery and material prices.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: EEPC India
- Confirm the 8-digit ITC(HS) line with DGFT or your customs broker before shipping.
- You need an Import Export Code (IEC) from DGFT before the first shipment.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Blunt or soft cutters lead to returns
- Price war with imports
- Plating effluent rules
- Planning on a project cost that may be misprinted
§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 nail cutters 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 Nail Cutters?
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.