§1What this business is
The workshop builds a steel body on the truck chassis, lines it with thermofoam insulation and a stainless-steel inner skin, and fits a small refrigeration set: a 5 BHP air-cooled diesel engine driving a 3 HP Freon compressor, condenser blower, thermostat, valves, racks and shelves. Buyers are makers, exporters and traders of marine food, perishable food, vegetables and processed food. Note: the profile uses Freon-22 (R-22), which India is phasing out — modern units use newer refrigerants.
Capacity: 96 refrigerated truck bodies a year, valued at ₹336 L (the turnover line shows ₹307.20 L).
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A body builder or refrigeration engineer with links to truck dealers and cold-chain operators.
Who it is not for
Someone without engineering staff — poor insulation or welding leaves the buyer's cargo spoiled.
Advantages
- Cold-chain transport is needed by fish, dairy, fruit, vegetable and frozen-food businesses
- Each order is large, so a few dozen bodies make a year's turnover
- The profile shows a low 31% break-even
Drawbacks
- Needs a refrigeration engineer as well as sheet-metal staff
- Working capital is large — chassis-ready orders, steel and refrigeration parts
- The profile's R-22 refrigerant and engine-driven set are outdated designs
Skills you need
- Sheet-metal and welding work
- Insulation and panel fitting
- Refrigeration installation and gas charging
- Dealing with truck dealers and fleet owners
Why difficulty 4/5: Combines vehicle body work with refrigeration, and needs large working capital.
§3Market
Who buys
- Marine food makers and exporters
- Traders of perishable food and vegetables
- Processed-food companies
- Cold-chain transport operators
How it sells
- Orders through truck dealers
- Direct orders from fleet owners and food companies
Good to know
- The profile plans 96 bodies a year.
- Turnover in the profile is ₹307.20 L a year.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| TIG welding equipment, 500 A | 1 | — |
| Arc welding transformer, 3-phase, oil-cooled | 1 | — |
| Portable spot welding guns | 2 | — |
| Double-ended bench grinder, 8 inch | 1 | — |
| Heavy-duty portable electric shear | 2 | — |
| Universal sheet worker with electric motor and starter | 2 | — |
| Universal hand shearing machine | 1 | — |
| Air compressor, 5 HP, double cylinder | 1 | — |
| Pneumatic riveting and chipping hammers, saws, drills, tapping machine, sander and other tools | set | — |
| Total machinery and tools | — | ₹6,92,000 |
From: MSME-DI Hyderabad project profile — Refrigerated Trucks
- CR steel sheet, 8 SWG, with channels and barsabout 550 sq ft per truck body
- Thermofoam insulationabout 550 sq ft per body
- Stainless steel sheet, 20 SWG, for inner liningabout 500 sq ft per body
- Refrigeration set: 5 BHP air-cooled diesel engine, 3 HP Freon compressor, 1 HP condenser blower, thermostat, receiver and valvesone set per body
- Refrigerant (Freon-22), couplings, racks and shelves20 kg refrigerant per body
From: MSME-DI Hyderabad project profile — Refrigerated Trucks
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam registration
- GST registration
- Factory licence
- State Pollution Control Board consent (welding and painting)
- Compliance with the truck body code (AIS-093) under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules
- Trade licence
§6Schemes & subsidies
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
- Stand-Up IndiaCentralClosed₹10 lakh – ₹1 crore loan
At ₹64.61 L the project is above the PMEGP and MUDRA limits; a bank loan with CGTMSE cover or Stand-Up India (SC/ST and women founders) fits.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Total capital investment ₹64.61 L as printed: workshop machinery and tools ₹6.92 L + working capital for 3 months ₹44.48 L; the remaining ₹13.21 L is not itemised (land and the workshop shed are listed without a cost).
Working capital: ₹44.48 L for 3 months. Each body needs about 550 sq ft of CR steel sheet (8 SWG) with channels and bars, 550 sq ft of thermofoam, 500 sq ft of 20 SWG stainless sheet, a diesel engine, Freon compressor, blower, thermostat, valves, couplings, racks and 20 kg of refrigerant.
Year not printed on the MSME-DI Hyderabad profile; the prices are 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
- Body building is usually done on chassis in India; exports are rare.
- 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
- Orders depend on truck sales and cold-chain investment
- Specialist reefer-body makers and imported units compete
- Refrigerant rules change (R-22 phase-out)
- Warranty claims for cooling failures
§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 refrigerated truck body building 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 Refrigerated Truck Body Building?
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.