§1What this business is
White spirit, or mineral turpentine oil, is a clear petroleum solvent — chemically different from true turpentine from pine. It thins oil paints and varnishes, cleans brushes, degreases metal and is used in printing inks, insecticides, waterproofing and wax and rubber compounds. The unit stores bulk solvent in two 5,000-litre tanks, fills it manually into 1-litre PET bottles, seals, labels and packs them in cartons. The profile sets the quality to IS 1745:1978. It is highly flammable, so fire-safe storage is the key requirement.
Capacity: 100 kL a year (1,00,000 one-litre bottles) worth ₹75 L, single shift, 300 days; 60% use in year 1 rising to 90% by year 4.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A paint or hardware trader who already sells to shops and painters.
Who it is not for
Anyone who cannot meet fire-safety rules for storing flammable liquid.
Advantages
- No plant or machinery to speak of — only tanks and filling
- Can start within a month, says the profile
- Paint shops, hardware stores and workshops buy it all year
Drawbacks
- Thin margin — ₹55 bulk against ₹75 per bottle
- Highly flammable: fire licences and storage rules apply
- Oil company price changes hit the margin directly
Skills you need
- Safe handling of flammable liquids
- Buying bulk solvent from oil companies or dealers
- Selling to hardware and paint shops
- Basic quality tests (IS 1745)
Why difficulty 2/5: A simple filling job, but fire safety and a thin margin need discipline.
§3Market
Who buys
- Painters and paint shops
- Hardware stores
- Workshops that degrease metal
- Printing, waterproofing and textile-printing units
How it sells
- Supply to hardware and paint dealers
- Direct sales to workshops and contractors
Good to know
- The profile sells a 1-litre bottle at ₹75.
- Year-1 use is 60% of capacity, rising to 90% by year 4.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Storage vessel, HDPE/PP/LLDPE, 5,000 litres | 2 | ₹50,000 |
| Manual filling machine | 1 | ₹10,000 |
| Sealing machine | 1 | ₹10,000 |
| Laboratory equipment and office furniture | lot | ₹50,000 |
| Firefighting equipment | lot | ₹20,000 |
From: MSME-DI Jaipur project profile — Repacking of White Spirit / Mineral Turpentine Oil (2020)
- White spirit / mineral turpentine oil (bulk)8,340 litres a month at ₹55 a litre; from oil company marketing offices or solvent dealers
- PET bottles, 1 litre, with caps8,500 a month at ₹3 each
- Corrugated boxes (20 bottles each)425 a month at ₹30 each
- Stickers and labels₹1 each
From: MSME-DI Jaipur project profile — Repacking of White Spirit / Mineral Turpentine Oil (2020)
§5Licences & registration
- Petroleum storage licence from PESO when stock exceeds the quantity exempt under the Petroleum Rules
- Fire NOC
- Legal Metrology registration for packaged commodities
- State Pollution Control Board consent
- Udyam registration
- GST registration
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
PMEGP and CGTMSE fit the ₹18,12,500 project; a MUDRA Tarun loan can cover most of it.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Fixed capital ₹1.64 L (two 5,000 L HDPE/PP/LLDPE storage vessels ₹50,000, manual filling machine ₹10,000, sealing machine ₹10,000, laboratory equipment and office furniture ₹50,000, firefighting equipment ₹20,000, installation ₹14,000, pre-operative ₹10,000) + working capital for 3 months ₹16,48,500 = ₹18,12,500. Area rented.
Working capital: ₹16,48,500 for 3 months. Each month: 8,340 litres of white spirit at ₹55 a litre (₹4.59 L), packing ₹47,000 (8,500 PET bottles, 425 cartons, labels), wages, power and other costs.
Profile from November 2020 — check current solvent and bottle prices.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: FIEO (Federation of Indian Export Organisations)
- Petroleum products need extra export and shipping checks for flammable goods.
- 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
- Fire
- Petroleum price swings
- Price war with other repackers
- Short filling or quality complaints
§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 white spirit (mineral turpentine oil) repacking unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Petroleum storage licence from PESO when stock exceeds the quantity exempt under the Petroleum Rules, Fire NOC), 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 White Spirit (Mineral Turpentine Oil) Repacking?
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.