§1What this business is

Cellulose acetate sheet is cut into strips for the front and the sides. Holes for the lens and the nose portion are cut out, the strip is milled inside and outside, and a groove is cut to hold the lenses. Radius and slopes are given, the piece is dipped in moderately hot water and bent to shape on a hand press, wires are inserted in the sides, and after polishing the screws and rivets are fitted. Frames are polished again and packed. Buyers are optical shops, optical wholesalers and lens labs.

Capacity: 10.8 million pieces a year (as printed).

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

Someone from the optical trade who knows what frame styles shops and customers want.

Who it is not for

Someone without contacts among optical shops or wholesalers.

Advantages

  • Low investment (₹9.81 lakh) and small power load
  • Spectacle use is rising, so optical shops need frames all the time
  • Design and colour can set your frames apart

Drawbacks

  • Imported frames are cheap and come in many designs
  • Fashion changes quickly, so old designs stop selling
  • Hand work needs skilled, patient workers

Skills you need

  • Acetate cutting, milling and bending
  • Polishing and finishing
  • Following fashion and designing frames
  • Selling to optical wholesalers and shops

Why difficulty 2/5: Low investment and simple machines, but design and imports decide sales.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Optical shops and eye-care chains
  • Optical wholesalers
  • Lens labs that sell fitted spectacles

How it sells

  • Optical wholesale markets
  • Direct supply to optical chains
  • Online sale under your own brand

Good to know

  • Frames sell by design, colour and size range; shops restock popular styles often.

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
Shear cutting machine——
Milling machine——
Wire inserting machine——
Drill machine——
Polishing drum——
Buffing machine——
Hand press——
Miscellaneous tools and equipment——

From: NSIC project profile — Spectacles Frames — private guide — confirm locally

  • Cellulose acetate sheet
  • Rivets, screws and other small components

From: NSIC project profile — Spectacles Frames — private guide — confirm locally

§5Licences & registration

  1. Udyam registration
  2. GST registration
  3. Trade licence from the local body
  4. Trademark for your brand name (optional)

We can do this registration for you

§6Schemes & subsidies

PMEGP fits (₹9.81 lakh, well under the ₹50 lakh manufacturing limit); MUDRA can cover the loan; CGTMSE for a loan without collateral.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: The NSIC profile prints one figure for machinery and equipment plus 3 months' working capital (raw material, utilities and salary): ₹9.81 lakh. It gives no split between the two, and land and building are not included.

Working capital: Working capital for 3 months (raw material, utilities and salary) is inside the ₹9.81 lakh total; the profile prints no separate figure.

Year not printed on the NSIC profile (an older NSIC Training-cum-Incubation Centre sheet) — check current machinery and material prices.

How to prepare a loan file

§8Export potential

Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export

9003.11Frames and mountings for spectacles, of plastics
  • 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

  • Designs going out of fashion
  • Competition from imports
  • Breakage or poor fit leading to returns

§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan

A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.

  1. Days 1–30: Visit a working spectacle frames unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
  2. Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Udyam registration, GST registration), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
  3. Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.

§11Who to connect with

Not verified yet

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 Spectacle Frames?

DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.

Get a DPR / loan file made

Sources

  1. NSIC project profile — Spectacles Frames

Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.