Cotton Wick (Batti) Making Business
रुई की बत्ती बनाने का व्यवसाय · कापसाच्या वाती बनवण्याचा व्यवसाय
Make round and long cotton wicks for pooja lamps on a small machine at home, pack them in pouches and sell to pooja shops and wholesalers.
Money to start
₹80,000
Earnings a month*
₹5,000
- Space
- 50 sq ft
- Staff
- Just you
*What is left for you in year 2, at the assumed sales level. Change the assumptions in the calculator below.
Cotton wicks, or batti, are used in oil and ghee lamps in homes and temples every day. A wick maker feeds cotton sliver into a small table-top machine that rolls round wicks or twists long ones, then counts and packs them in pouches. The machine runs on a small motor, fits on a table and needs no special skill, so it is a common home business for women. Demand is steady because wicks are used daily, and they are light and never spoil. A single machine makes only a few kilos a day, so earnings are modest and depend on running it regularly and finding shops that reorder. The hard parts are low output per machine, many home makers selling at low prices, and machine sellers who overstate both output and buy-back.
Skills needed: No formal skill. Machine operation is learnt in a day; neat counting and packing matter to shops.
Profit calculator
Change the numbers to match your town3 kg/day: Round and long cotton wicks, packed
Money needed to start
₹76,434
Of which tools and equipment
₹50,000
A typical month in year 2
| Sales | ₹27,500 |
| Raw material & packing | −₹20,144 |
| Electricity | −₹274 |
| Salaries | ₹0 |
| Rent | ₹0 |
| Other running costs | −₹1,785 |
| Operating profit | ₹5,297 |
| You keep each month | ₹5,297 |
No loan is assumed. Your own time is not counted as a cost: what is left is your pay for the work.
Investment breakdown
| Machinery & equipment | Price |
|---|---|
| Round cotton wick making machineSemi-automatic; fully automatic round machines are listed at ₹50,000–1.3 lakh | ₹26,000₹14,000–₹28,000 |
| Long wick making machine | ₹15,000₹15,000–₹80,000 |
| Pouch sealer and small weighing scale | ₹4,000 |
| Work table and storage boxes | ₹5,000 |
| Machinery & equipment (without add-ons) | ₹50,000 |
| Pouch design and first printing | ₹4,000 |
| Trial cotton and samples for shops | ₹2,000 |
| Working capital 20 days of raw material, 10 days of credit to buyers, 1 month of expenses | ₹20,434 |
| Total project cost | ₹76,434 |
Typical market prices as of October 2026, from supplier listings. Prices vary by brand, capacity and city; always get 2–3 quotes.
Cost and margin per unit
| Round and long cotton wicks, packed (per kg) | ₹ |
|---|---|
| Cotton sliver / wick raw material (1.03 kg at about ₹270/kg) | 278.00 |
| Pouches, labels and outer bags | 15.00 |
| Material cost | 293.00 |
| Selling price | 400.00 |
| Margin before running costs | 107.00 (27%) |
Supplier listings show wick raw material at ₹260–285 a kilo and finished pooja wicks at ₹320–460 a kilo. Output per machine is small: one seller rates an automatic long-wick machine at 3–4 kg a day.
Space, power and staff
50 sq ft
At home · rent ≈ ₹0/month
A table in a clean, dry room at home. Cotton catches fire easily: keep it away from the kitchen flame and lamps.
0 kW, single-phase
Bill ≈ ₹400/month at full capacity
You alone
Licences and registrations
Udyam registration
recommendedWhen: If you want a small loan or to supply wholesalers on bills · Cost: Free
Not required to start. Apply only on udyamregistration.gov.in.
GST registration
if applicableWhen: For marketplace selling, or above the registration limit · Cost: Free
Confirm the rate for cotton wicks with a CA.
Legal Metrology declarations
if applicableWhen: On retail packs with an MRP · Cost: Varies by state
Show the count or weight, MRP, date and your name and address on the pouch.
How it works
- Buy cotton sliver or ready wick raw material in small lots.
- Feed it into the machine and set the wick size.
- Collect, inspect and remove loose or uneven wicks.
- Count or weigh into pouches and seal.
- Supply pooja shops and note which sizes sell.
Money to start
This is a small, skill-based business. Most people start it with about ₹76,434 of their own savings, so the numbers on this page assume no loan and there is no bank project report for it.
If you do need to borrow, a Mudra Shishu loan covers up to ₹50,000. How Mudra works
Who buys and how to sell
Buyers
- Pooja-goods shops and kirana stores
- Pooja-goods wholesalers
- Temples and priests
- Agarbatti and pooja-kit sellers
- Households through society groups and online
Ways to sell
- Shop-to-shop supply in your area
- Wholesalers in the pooja market
- Temple-area stalls and festival fairs
- Combination packs with other pooja items
Season: Steady all year, with higher sales in Shravan, Navratri, Diwali and Kartik month.
Competition: Many home makers and some larger packers. Clean, even wicks in neat pouches and regular supply keep shops.
Risks and how to handle them
Output is too low to earn much from one machine
Run the machine every day, add a second machine only after shops reorder, and sell packed retail pouches instead of loose bulk.
Machine-seller buy-back promises that do not hold
Find two or three shops yourself before buying; do not pay extra for a buy-back agreement.
Fire
Store cotton in closed boxes away from flames and electrical faults; keep a bucket of water or an extinguisher nearby.
Shops delay payment for small bills
Collect on the next delivery and keep credit short.
Tips from the trade
- Ghee-dipped and ready-to-use wicks sell at a better price than plain ones.
- Small ₹10 and ₹20 pouches move fastest in kirana shops.
- Ask for a full day's demonstration and count the real output before buying a machine.
Questions people ask
How much can one wick machine make in a day?+
Not much. One supplier rates an automatic long-wick machine at 3–4 kg a day. Round-wick machines vary. Time a real machine for a day before believing a brochure figure.
Is the cotton ready to use?+
Most makers buy cotton sliver or prepared wick raw material from suppliers, so there is no ginning or carding at home.
How much investment is needed to start a cotton wick (batti) making business?+
About ₹76,434 for a small unit: ₹50,000 for machinery and equipment, ₹6,000 for set-up costs and ₹20,434 as working capital (stock, credit to buyers and one month of expenses). Prices as of October 2026.
How much profit can a cotton wick (batti) making business make per month?+
Working at 55% of what one person can handle, sales are about ₹27,500 a month and about ₹5,297 is left after materials and running costs. That is the pay for your own time. These are estimates; your prices and the number of customers decide the real figure.
Which machines are needed for cotton wick (batti) making?+
Round cotton wick making machine (₹14,000–₹28,000); Long wick making machine (₹15,000–₹80,000).
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Sources
- IndiaMART: cotton wick making machine prices
- IndiaMART: S And V Enterprises (wick machines)
- IndiaMART: Unique Wicks (raw material and finished wick prices)
- Udyam Registration
Prices as of October 2026. Prices here come from online listings and published guides and have not yet been confirmed with local suppliers. Profit figures are estimates from the assumptions above, not a promise of income.
Spotted an outdated price? Tell us. Data for this page: HowIndiaEarns.