§1What this business is
A small machining unit turns, drills, cuts and threads mild-steel rod and sheet into nuts, bolts, screws, washers, clips and rivets. The profile names bicycle and vehicle makers, body builders, construction, electrical and other industries as the usual buyers, and says these items sell well in the local market.
Capacity: 2,500 kg of nuts, bolts, washers etc. a month at ₹90 a kg (₹2,25,000 a month). Year 1 at 60% of installed capacity, with sales of ₹27.00 L.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A lathe operator or machinist with contacts among local workshops, vehicle body builders or contractors.
Who it is not for
Someone with no machining skill — size and thread errors make the goods unsellable.
Advantages
- Fasteners are used by almost every industry
- Small machine set — a lathe, drills, grinders and a riveting machine
- Easy to start with job orders from local workshops
- Low project cost
Drawbacks
- Large fastener makers sell cheaply in bulk
- Raw material is ₹19.52 L of the ₹23.69 L production cost in the profile
- Thin margin per kilogram
- Buyers expect exact sizes and threads
Skills you need
- Lathe turning, drilling and threading
- Reading drawings and checking sizes
- Buying steel at good rates
- Selling to workshops and hardware dealers
Why difficulty 3/5: Needs real machining skill and competes on price with large makers.
§3Market
Who buys
- Bicycle and vehicle makers
- Vehicle body builders
- Construction contractors
- Electrical and other light and heavy industries
How it sells
- Direct supply to factories and workshops
- Hardware and fastener dealers
Good to know
- The profile says these products have good demand in the local market.
- The profile's machinery total is ₹3,00,000; the itemised lines do not add up to it and thread rolling has no price.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Lathe machine | 1 | ₹1,25,000 |
| Thread rolling | — | — |
| Stand drill | 1 | ₹9,500 |
| Hand grinders | 2 | ₹13,000 |
| Hand drillers | 3 | ₹16,000 |
| Hammer and tools | lot | ₹6,000 |
| Rivet machine | 1 | ₹8,000 |
| Cutting machine | 1 | ₹8,000 |
| Sheet cutters | 2 | ₹3,750 |
| Transport, erection and sales tax | — | ₹3,250 |
From: ni-msme project profile — Light Engineering (Nuts, Bolts, Washers, Rivets etc.)
- Mild steel (MS)1,675 kg a month in the profile
- Metal sheet1,100 kg a month in the profile
- Other itemslump sum ₹10,000 a month
From: ni-msme project profile — Light Engineering (Nuts, Bolts, Washers, Rivets etc.)
Suppliers in Building Business Bazaar
Central Institute of Tool Design, Hyderabad · Hyderabad →Central Tool Room & Training Centre (CTTC), Kolkata · Kolkata →Central Tool Room & Training Centre, Bhubaneswar · Bhubaneswar →Tool Room & Training Centre, Guwahati · Guwahati →MSME Technology Centre, Pudi, Vizag · Visakhapatnam →MSME Technology Centre, Bhopal · Bhopal →MSME Technology Centre, Rohtak · Rohtak →MSME Technology Centre, Kanpur · Kanpur →MSME Technology Centre, Baddi · Baddi →MSME Technology Centre, Durg · Durg →MSME-Testing Centre (NR), New Delhi · New Delhi →MSME-Testing Centre (WR), Mumbai · Mumbai →
In our raw material database
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam registration
- GST registration
- State Pollution Control Board consent where the state requires it
- Factory licence if worker numbers cross the Factories Act limit
- BIS certification if a Quality Control Order covers the fastener type you make — check with BIS
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
- Stand-Up IndiaCentralClosed₹10 lakh – ₹1 crore loan
PMEGP and MUDRA fit a ₹6.29 L manufacturing project; CGTMSE for a loan without collateral; Stand-Up India for SC/ST and women founders.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Plant & machinery ₹3,00,000 + working capital ₹3,29,200 = ₹6,29,200. Land free-hold and building rented (not costed). The profile's printed grand total is misprinted, so this is the sum of its two cost lines.
Working capital: Working capital ₹3,29,200; raw material (mild steel and metal sheet) ₹1,62,225 a month.
Year not printed on the ni-msme profile, and its prices look old — 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
- Steel price swings
- Price cutting by large makers
- Rejections for poor threads or sizes
- Late payment from industrial buyers
§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 nuts, bolts, washers and rivets (light engineering) 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 Nuts, Bolts, Washers and Rivets (Light Engineering)?
DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.
¶Sources
- ni-msme project profile — Light Engineering (Nuts, Bolts, Washers, Rivets etc.)
- SIDBI Stand-Up Mitra project profile — Light Engineering (Nut, Bolt, Washer, Rivets) (2018)
Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.