§1What this business is
Copper and zinc are melted into brass, which is cast or rolled into sheet, then cut, shaped on a lathe, engraved or etched, polished and electroplated or lacquered. Products are idols, lamps, bells, incense holders and decorative pieces used in daily worship, festivals and home décor, and given as gifts. Buyers are puja shops in pilgrim towns such as Haridwar, households, gift buyers and export importers.
Capacity: Planned sales of 4,667 pieces worth ₹70 L a year (the profit table says 15,031 units produced); the profile speaks of about 50 product combinations.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A metal craftsman or trader in a pilgrim town who knows the puja-goods market.
Who it is not for
Someone who cannot handle furnace work and plating safely.
Advantages
- Steady religious demand all year, with festival peaks
- Pilgrim towns like Haridwar give a ready market
- Brass pooja items also sell as décor and gifts
- India is a leading exporter of brass pooja items (report)
Drawbacks
- Brass, copper and zinc prices swing
- Furnace and electroplating need pollution control
- Established brassware clusters compete hard
- Fine engraving needs skilled artisans
Skills you need
- Casting, turning and engraving brass
- Polishing, plating and lacquering
- Design that respects religious tradition
- Selling to shops, pilgrims and exporters
Why difficulty 3/5: Skilled metalwork with furnace and plating rules, in a market with strong old clusters.
§3Market
Who buys
- Puja-goods shops in pilgrim towns such as Haridwar
- Households for worship and festivals
- Gift and home-décor buyers
- Importers in the USA, Mauritius and Canada (report)
How it sells
- Retail and wholesale shops
- E-commerce
- Custom and personalised orders
- Export
Good to know
- The report puts the Indian puja-samagri business at around USD 5 billion.
- It sees demand for personalised and eco-friendly brass items rising.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Casting machine | 1 | ₹50,000 |
| Lathe machine | 1 | ₹30,000 |
| Engraving machine | 1 | ₹40,000 |
| Polishing machine | 1 | ₹25,000 |
| Cutting tools and equipment | 1 set | ₹15,000 |
| Annealing furnace | 1 | ₹35,000 |
| Brass sheet rolling machine | 1 | ₹60,000 |
| Electroplating equipment | 1 | ₹70,000 |
| Welding machine | 1 | ₹20,000 |
| Workbenches and workstations | 1 set | ₹15,000 |
| Quality-control instruments | 1 set | ₹25,000 |
| General tools and safety equipment | 1 set | ₹20,000 |
From: Uttarakhand DUY project profile — Pooja Brass Wares
- Brass sheets and ingotsthe core input; the report cites BIS IS 422 and IS 3288 for sheet and strip
- Copper and zinc (with lead or tin where needed)for alloying in-house
- Glass, stones and wooden accentsfor decoration
- Abrasive compounds, coatings and lacquerfor polishing and finishing
From: Uttarakhand DUY project profile — Pooja Brass Wares
In our raw material database
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam
- GST
- Company/firm registration (report)
- Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board consent (furnace and electroplating)
- Factory licence if the worker/power threshold is crossed
- BIS specifications IS 422 and IS 3288 for brass sheet and strip (report)
- Artisan card for craft fairs
- IEC for exports
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
PMEGP fits a new brassware unit of this size; MUDRA covers loans up to ₹20 L; CGTMSE gives a collateral-free guarantee.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Pre-operative ₹0.55 L + land & building ₹6.00 L + machinery ₹5.27 L (machines ₹4.05 L + tax/transport ₹0.81 L + wiring ₹0.41 L) + equipment & furniture ₹2.55 L (the furniture list itself totals ₹2.25 L) + working capital ₹0.80 L = ₹15.17 L. Finance: own ₹3.79 L (25%), bank ₹11.38 L (75%).
Working capital: Only ₹0.80 L — low for a unit buying ₹40.60 L of raw material a year; plan a cash-credit limit.
Year not printed on the DUY profile — check current machinery prices.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: EPCH (Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts)
- Check the exact 8-digit code in the DGFT ITC-HS list before shipping.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Metal price swings
- Pollution-board action on plating waste
- Cheaper copies from other clusters
- Working capital shortfall
§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 pooja brass wares (idols, lamps, bells) 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 Pooja Brass Wares (Idols, Lamps, Bells)?
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.