§1What this business is

China clay, sodium sulphate, soda ash, sulphur and charcoal are mixed into a slurry, pre-heated, then fired in a kiln at 700–750 °C. The fired mass is cooled, finely ground, stored in a silo and packed in stitched sacks. Buyers are plastic, printing-ink, paint, cement, soap, detergent and paper makers.

Capacity: 2,500 kg a day; 7,50,000 kg a year at full capacity. The report starts at 45% in year 1 and reaches 65% in year 5.

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

A chemistry graduate or someone from the pigment or detergent trade who can manage a kiln and pollution rules.

Who it is not for

Someone looking for a clean, small, home-based unit.

Advantages

  • Many industries use it — paint, plastics, ink, soap, detergent, paper
  • Raw materials are common chemicals sold in the open market
  • Low break-even (28%) in the report
  • Sold in bulk sacks, so packing is simple

Drawbacks

  • The kiln gives off sulphur dioxide that must be controlled
  • Highest project cost in this group — ₹43.89 L
  • Colour shade must stay the same batch after batch
  • Raw material is about 70% of sales, so margins are thin

Skills you need

  • Kiln firing and temperature control
  • Shade matching and quality testing
  • Pollution-control compliance
  • Industrial (B2B) selling

Why difficulty 4/5: Kiln process, gas control and a large investment.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Plastic and masterbatch makers
  • Paint and printing-ink makers
  • Soap, detergent and laundry-blue makers
  • Cement and paper industries

How it sells

  • Direct supply to factories
  • Chemical and dye traders

Good to know

  • The report calls it a safe, non-toxic pigment used across many industries.
  • The process gives off a lot of sulphur dioxide that has to be managed.

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
Unloading bin1₹20,000
Storage tank (500–1,000 litre)1₹1,00,000
Fine grinding mill1₹1,20,000
Slurry mixer (500–1,500 litre)1₹1,50,000
Slurry tank (500–1,500 litre)1₹90,000
Preheater1₹7,00,000
Kiln1₹14,00,000
Clinker cooler1₹4,00,000
Silo (50–100 tonne)1₹2,00,000
Sack stitching machine (1,000 bags a day)1₹38,000
Other machinery and material-handling equipment1 lot₹1,50,000

From: PMEGP sample project report — Ultramarine Blue (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

  • White kaolin (china clay)base clay for the pigment
  • Anhydrous sodium sulphate10,00,000 kg a year at ₹16 a kg (full capacity)
  • Anhydrous sodium carbonate (soda ash)64,000 kg a year at ₹60 a kg
  • Powdered sulphur52,000 kg a year at ₹45 a kg
  • Charcoal1,20,000 kg a year at ₹16 a kg
  • Packing material₹4,00,000 a year (lump sum)

From: PMEGP sample project report — Ultramarine Blue (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

§5Licences & registration

  1. Udyam registration
  2. GST
  3. State Pollution Control Board consent (the report lists an NOC)
  4. Factory licence if you cross the Factories Act limits
  5. Trademark for your brand (optional)

We can do this registration for you

§6Schemes & subsidies

PMEGP covers manufacturing projects up to ₹50 L, so ₹43.89 L fits; CGTMSE for a loan without collateral; Stand-Up India if you are an SC/ST or woman founder.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: Plant & machinery ₹33.68 L + furniture ₹1.32 L + working capital ₹8.89 L = ₹43.89 L (land own or rented). Finance: term loan ₹31.50 L, own money ₹4.39 L, working-capital loan ₹8 L.

Working capital: Working capital ₹8.89 L in the project cost (bank working-capital loan ₹8 L) — 10 days of raw material and finished stock plus credit to buyers.

Year not printed on the report — check current machinery prices.

How to prepare a loan file

§8Export potential

Export council / board: Not verified yet

  • No HS code or export body has been checked against an official list yet.

§9Risks — where people fail

  • Pollution board action over sulphur dioxide
  • Rise in sodium sulphate or sulphur prices
  • Rejection of off-shade batches
  • Slow payment from 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.

  1. Days 1–30: Visit a working ultramarine blue pigment 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), 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 Ultramarine Blue Pigment?

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

Get a DPR / loan file made

Sources

  1. PMEGP sample project report — Ultramarine Blue (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

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