§1What this business is
Natural rubber is mixed with fillers and sulphur on a two-roll mill, pressed into half-shells, joined into a hollow core in a moulding press, covered and printed. The balls go to sports shops, schools and clubs, and are widely used for children's games and street cricket.
Capacity: 1,000 balls a day on a 10-hour shift; year 1 at 50%.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Someone with rubber-processing experience or contacts with sports-goods dealers in hubs like Meerut or Jalandhar.
Who it is not for
Someone expecting tournament-grade balls from this set-up; that needs tighter testing and pressurised cores.
Advantages
- Simple rubber-moulding process with a short machine list
- Steady demand from sports shops, schools and street cricket
- Raw materials (rubber, fillers, sulphur) are easy to buy
- Logo printing lets you sell under your own brand or for clubs
Drawbacks
- Cheap balls face tough price competition
- Natural rubber price moves with the market
- Quality (bounce, weight) must stay even batch to batch
- Thin profit in the first years (₹3.41 lakh in year 1)
Skills you need
- Rubber compounding and moulding
- Quality checks for bounce and weight
- Dealer network in sports goods
- Costing of rubber and chemicals
Why difficulty 3/5: Process is simple, but you need rubber know-how and a dealer network to sell volume.
§3Market
Who buys
- Tennis players and clubs
- Children and street-cricket players
- Schools and sports academies
How it sells
- Sports-goods wholesalers and shops
- Direct supply to schools and clubs
- Online marketplaces
Good to know
- Raw material is ₹27.00 lakh of ₹57.00 lakh sales in year 1.
- The report also lists children's games such as distance throwing and bottle bowling as uses.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Two-roll mixing mill | 1 | ₹5.50 lakh |
| Hydraulic compression moulding press | 1 | ₹6.50 lakh |
| Tumbling machine | 1 | ₹1.10 lakh |
| Logo printing machine | 1 | ₹1.20 lakh |
| Half-cup moulding dies | 1 | ₹20,000 |
| Other equipment | — | ₹50,000 |
From: PMEGP sample project report — Tennis Ball (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
- Natural rubbermain material for the core
- Calcium carbonate (CaCO3), pigment, sulphur, accelerators and other additivesfor compounding and curing
- Cover cloth (Melton or needle cloth)Melton has high wool content; needle cloth is cheaper and more synthetic
- Packing material (plastics, cans)
From: PMEGP sample project report — Tennis Ball (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
Suppliers in Building Business Bazaar
Process cum Product Development Centre (PPDC), Meerut · Meerut →
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam registration
- GST registration
- State Pollution Control Board consent (rubber mixing)
- Factory licence if worker count crosses the limit
- Trademark for the brand
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
PMEGP fits this ₹20.93 lakh manufacturing project; MUDRA can fund up to ₹20 lakh; CGTMSE gives collateral-free cover.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Sample report total ₹20.93 lakh: plant & machinery ₹15.00 lakh, furniture & fixtures ₹1.00 lakh, working capital ₹4.93 lakh. Land own or rented. Finance: term loan ₹14.40 lakh, working-capital loan ₹4.44 lakh, own share ₹2.09 lakh.
Working capital: Working capital ₹4.93 lakh (bank ₹4.44 lakh); 15 days of raw material and finished stock, 14 days' credit to buyers.
Year not printed on the sample report — check current machinery prices.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: Sports Goods Export Promotion Council (SGEPC)
- Register with SGEPC and get an IEC before exporting sports goods.
- Export buyers usually ask for test reports on bounce and weight.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Rubber price swings
- Rejects from poor curing
- Low-priced imports and local rivals
- Seasonal demand around school terms and cricket season
§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 tennis ball making 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 Tennis Ball Making?
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.