§1What this business is
Food-grade PP or ABS granules are weighed into the hopper of an injection-moulding machine, melted and injected into a die, cooled with water and ejected. Runners and burrs are removed, rejects are ground for reuse and the containers are packed. The report covers containers of up to about 200 g on a single machine.
Capacity: 1,89,000 pieces in year 1 at 70%, rising to 2,43,000 in year 5 at 90%.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Someone with plastics or kitchenware trade experience and a design eye.
Who it is not for
Someone with no route to retail shelves.
Advantages
- Every kitchen uses storage containers
- Rejects are ground and reused
- Same machine can mould other items with new dies
- Light, unbreakable product — easy to ship
Drawbacks
- High break-even (54%)
- Big brands and cheap imports compete
- Moulds are costly and designs date fast
- PP price follows crude oil
Skills you need
- Injection-moulding operation
- Mould design and upkeep
- Quality checks on lids and fit
- Retail and distributor sales
Why difficulty 3/5: One moulding line; die design and sales volume decide profit.
§3Market
Who buys
- Households
- Shops selling kitchenware
How it sells
- Utensil and general stores
- Wholesalers and supermarkets
- Online marketplaces
Good to know
- The report quotes the food-container market growing at over 4.5% a year from 2016 to 2023.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Injection-moulding machine | 1 | ₹12,50,000 |
| Grinder (for rejects) | 1 | ₹65,000 |
| Water chiller | 1 | ₹25,000 |
| Dies and other equipment | LS | ₹3,00,000 |
From: PMEGP sample project report — Food Storage Containers (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
- PP or ABS granules (food grade)54,000 kg a year at ₹65/kg = ₹35.10 L at full capacity
- Plasticisers6,000 kg a year at ₹120/kg = ₹7.20 L
- Packing material₹5.00 L a year (lump sum)
From: PMEGP sample project report — Food Storage Containers (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
In our raw material database
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam registration
- GST registration
- State Pollution Control Board consent (CTE/CTO)
- Trademark for your brand (optional)
- Legal Metrology registration for packed goods
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
- Stand-Up IndiaCentralClosed₹10 lakh – ₹1 crore loan
Built for PMEGP; at ₹24.11 L it is above the MUDRA limit, so CGTMSE or Stand-Up India suit the loan.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Plant & machinery ₹16.40 L + furniture ₹1.60 L + working capital ₹6.11 L = ₹24.11 L; land own or rented. Finance: own ₹2.41 L, term loan ₹16.20 L, working-capital loan ₹5.50 L.
Working capital: Working capital ₹6.11 L (bank ₹5.50 L); raw material ₹47.30 L a year at full capacity.
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
- HS codes are from the WCO HS 2022 list; 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
- Polymer price rise
- Low capacity use
- Design copied by others
- Machine downtime
§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 plastic food storage containers 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 Plastic Food Storage Containers?
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.