§1What this business is
Dense soda ash and silica sand are mixed in a batch house and melted at 1,200–1,400°C in a continuous glass tank furnace. The melt is drawn off, shattered with water or cooled in moulds, and dissolved with steam in dissolving tanks; the solution is settled and adjusted to the required gravity. The ratio of soda to silica decides the grade (neutral or alkaline). Soap and detergent makers, silica gel, textile, foundry, welding electrode, ceramic, refractory and cement users buy it. It is packed in 200-litre steel drums.
Capacity: 2,600 tonnes of liquid sodium silicate a year (3 shifts, 300 days), valued at ₹1.24 crore.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A chemist or chemical engineer with buyers in detergent, foundry or textile clusters.
Who it is not for
Someone without technical staff to run a glass furnace round the clock.
Advantages
- Many industries buy it: soap, detergent, textiles, foundries, ceramics, cement
- Only two main raw materials
- Grades can be changed by changing the batch ratio
- Product is sold in bulk to repeat buyers
Drawbacks
- The furnace runs continuously in three shifts
- Soda ash and fuel prices decide the margin
- Liquid product is heavy and costly to transport far
- Competition from large chemical makers
Skills you need
- Batch calculation for soda–silica ratio
- Furnace operation
- Testing to IS 381
- Selling to industrial buyers
Why difficulty 3/5: Two raw materials and steady demand, but a continuous furnace.
§3Market
Who buys
- Soap and detergent makers
- Silica gel, textile and pharmaceutical units
- Foundries and welding-electrode makers
- Ceramic, refractory and cement users
How it sells
- Direct supply in drums or tankers
- Chemical traders and distributors
Good to know
- The profile lists IS 381 for general use, IS 6773 for foundries and IS 9601 for cosmetics.
- Neutral grades go to pharmaceutical and toilet preparations; alkaline grades to soap, detergent, textile, welding and cement.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Glass tank furnace, 5 tonnes a day, 6 sq m melting area | 1 | ₹12,00,000 |
| Chimney, 60–75 ft | 1 | ₹1,00,000 |
| Oil-firing combustion equipment (burners, blowers, preheating) | 1 set | ₹2,00,000 |
| Dissolving tanks with agitators | 2 sets | ₹50,000 |
| Portable combustion analyser (imported) | 1 | ₹1,00,000 |
| Mild steel barrels, 200 litres | 1000 | ₹4,00,000 |
| Oil storage tank, 10 kL | 1 | ₹25,000 |
From: DC-MSME project profile — Sodium Silicate (2003)
- Soda ash (dense)45 tonnes a month at ₹9,266 a tonne
- Silica sand80 tonnes a month at ₹1,000 a tonne
- Furnace oil12 kL a month
From: DC-MSME project profile — Sodium Silicate (2003)
Suppliers in Building Business Bazaar
Bangalore Mines and Minerals Products · Bengaluru →Glass Plant Construction Cor · Patiala →Gujarath Heavy Chemicals Limited · Bengaluru →Maul Eastern Limited · Mumbai →Nevco Engineers Pvt. Ltd · Delhi →Sanjay Minerals Private Limited · Bengaluru →Simplicity Engineers · Delhi →United Works Pvt. Limited · Mumbai →Usha Mine Chem Industries · Bengaluru →Wesman Group of Companies · Kolkata →
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam
- GST
- State Pollution Control Board consent (furnace and batch-house dust)
- Factory licence
§6Schemes & subsidies
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
- Stand-Up IndiaCentralClosed₹10 lakh – ₹1 crore loan
Above PMEGP's ₹50 lakh limit; CGTMSE (collateral-free guarantee) and Stand-Up India (₹10 lakh–₹1 crore for SC/ST and women) fit.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: DC-MSME profile: land and building ₹12.00 L + machinery ₹25.00 L (5 tonnes-a-day glass tank furnace ₹12.00 L, 1,000 MS barrels ₹4.00 L) + pre-operative ₹3.00 L = fixed capital ₹40.00 L; working capital for 3 months ₹21.96 L; total ₹61.96 L.
Working capital: ₹21.96 L for 3 months; soda ash (45 tonnes a month) is the largest purchase.
Prices from 2003 — machinery, land and raw-material costs will be much higher now.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: CHEMEXCIL
- Liquid silicate is heavy; export is easier for solid or powdered grades.
- Confirm the 8-digit ITC(HS) line with DGFT or your customs broker before shipping.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Soda ash price swings
- Fuel cost
- Furnace refractory wear
- Credit to 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 sodium silicate (water glass) 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 Sodium Silicate (Water Glass)?
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.