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AyRojgar

Cement post and pillar casting

Casting concrete posts and pillars in moulds. It shares a mixer with concrete block making, and the rising price of rod and cement is the main risk.

  • Last reviewed: 19 September 2026
  • Version 1
Starting capital
৳1,50,000 – ৳9,00,000
Editorial estimate
Manpower
2 – 10 people
First sale
30 – 90 days
Editorial estimate
Break-even
6 – 12 months
Editorial estimate
Kind of work
Workshop · Medium difficulty

What the business is

Casting posts and pillars in a mould from cement, sand, stone chips and rod. Fence posts, boundary wall pillars, posts for dragon fruit and betel gardens, cattle pens and fish enclosures -- in the villages these are taking the place of wood and bamboo, because once set they last twenty or thirty years. The plant is the same as a concrete block unit, one mixer serving both, so many yards make blocks and posts side by side. Raw material cost is the running worry. In a single week in March 2026 rod rose about Tk 10,000 a tonne and cement Tk 10-20 a bag. On 15 September 2026 60-grade MS rod was Tk 92,500-94,500 a tonne, up about 10 percent in a year, and 40-grade Tk 89,000-91,000, up about 17 percent, while a 50 kg bag of cement runs Tk 480-560 depending on brand. After casting, a post has to be watered and cured before it can be sold, so weeks pass between spending the money and having anything to sell. That wait is the hardest pressure on a small yard.

Unit economics

ItemRangeEvidenceSuggest a correction
Monthly working capital৳2,00,000 – ৳8,50,000Editorial estimate
Selling price৳31,500 – ৳31,600 / unitOfficial source
Variable cost৳22,000 – ৳27,000 / unitEditorial estimate
Gross margin14% – 30%Editorial estimate
Time to first revenue30 – 90 daysEditorial estimate
Break-even time6 – 12 monthsEditorial estimate
Cash cycle20 – 60 daysEditorial estimate
Waste / loss2% – 5%Editorial estimate
Daily capacity1 – 5Editorial estimate

What you need to start

  • A concrete mixer, post moulds (steel ones can be made at a local workshop; imported plastic moulds are Tk 4,000-8,500 online), a vibrator, spades and baskets, a water pump and a curing tank. One mixer serves both posts and concrete blocks.Equipment
  • Cement (a 50 kg bag is Tk 480-560 by brand), MS rod (60-grade Tk 92,500-94,500 a tonne, 40-grade Tk 89,000-91,000), sand (Tk 8-27 a cubic foot) and stone chips (local three-quarter at Tk 123-125 a cubic foot).Starting stock
  • TIN and VAT registration from the National Board of Revenue, needed to bill contractors or companies because tax is deducted at source.Licence
  • Trade licence from the city corporation or municipality: form Tk 10, licence book Tk 50, standard tax Tk 30, stamp Tk 150-300, licence fee Tk 100-60,000 by trade type, in 3-5 working days.Licence
  • Keeping the mix ratio right, tying the rod cage, working out air pockets with the vibrator and curing properly. Cut a corner on any one and the post cracks while it is being planted.Skill
  • A cement dealer, a rod shop and a sand and stone depot. Buying in bulk lowers the price, so building credit with them is the real work.Supplier
  • Open ground beside a road with a level floor for casting and drying, a water supply and an electricity connection. Truck access is essential because the goods are heavy.Workspace

How the work runs

  1. 1Decide which kind of post you will make: small fence posts, boundary wall pillars or garden posts. The size and the amount of rod differ for each.
  2. 2Take a yard beside a road. These are heavy goods, and without truck and tractor access the business does not work. Water is needed too.
  3. 3Take the trade licence from the city corporation or municipality, and ask whether a plot is available in a BSCIC industrial estate.
  4. 4Get the moulds and mixer. Steel moulds can be made at a local workshop and imported plastic moulds run Tk 4,000-8,500 online. If you also make concrete blocks, one mixer serves both.
  5. 5Fix suppliers for rod, cement, sand and stone chips. The prices move week to week, so do not build a month's costing on one day's rate.
  6. 6Cast a few sample posts and break them to see how strong they are. This is where the mix ratio gets settled.
  7. 7Water and cure after casting. Sell in a hurry and the post cracks while being planted, and once the name goes, no one in the village buys again.
  8. 8Leave samples at nearby hardware and building material shops, and go directly to dragon fruit and betel growers and fish enclosure owners.
  9. 9Keep transport as a separate line. Posts are heavy, and on a distant delivery the truck fare becomes a large part of the price.
  10. 10Build up stock in the dry season. Casting and drying are both hard in the monsoon, though demand for fencing does not stop.

Seasons

  1. JanHigh
  2. FebHigh
  3. MarHigh
  4. AprHigh
  5. MayNormal
  6. JunLow
  7. JulLow
  8. AugLow
  9. SepLow
  10. OctNormal
  11. NovHigh
  12. DecHigh
HighNormalLow

Where it fits

  • Strong fitBogura · The northern hub for building materials, with a BSCIC estate and machinery available locally.
  • Strong fitGazipur · Plenty of factory and housing boundary walls, with the Dhaka market close by.
  • Strong fitJashore · Strong demand for posts from dragon fruit and betel gardens and fish enclosures.
  • Strong fitNarayanganj · Steady demand for fencing and walls in the industrial belt, with suppliers nearby.
  • PossibleChattogram · Plenty of industrial and housing wall work, with stone and cement cheap near the port.
  • PossibleCumilla · More land being fenced along the highway, and supply is easy.
  • PossibleDhaka · The biggest demand, but land rent is high so the yards usually sit outside the city.
  • PossibleKhulna · A large market for posts from shrimp and fish farms.
  • PossibleNatore · Dragon fruit and mango orchard country, with steady demand for garden posts.
  • PossibleRajshahi · Demand from orchards and land fencing, with building work rising in the city.

Risks and cautions

  • HighWorking capital: Raw material prices jump without warning. Prothom Alo reported on 15 March 2026 that within a week major-brand rod rose about Tk 10,000 a tonne to Tk 90,000-94,500 and cement rose Tk 10-20 a bag, driven by Middle East conflict and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz lifting freight, with clinker going from 42 to 58 dollars a tonne. Any order already quoted loses its whole margin.
  • HighWorking capital: Money goes out before anything comes back. Cement, rod, sand and chips are bought for cash and cast, and not one post can be sold until curing is done, while the next batch's materials still have to be bought. Without cash in hand the yard stops midway.
  • MediumDemand: Demand is seasonal and local. Fencing and boundary walls go up in the dry season and almost stop in the monsoon. The goods are too heavy to send far, since the truck fare eats the price, so the market is a handful of nearby unions, and a second yard opening there pushes prices down.
  • MediumOther: Quality is the quiet risk. Skimp on cement in the mix or stop curing early and the post breaks while it is being planted. Word travels fast in a village market, and once it is said that a particular yard's posts break, sales stop and replacements cost more money. A small yard has no testing lab, so quality rests entirely on the owner's own discipline.

Sources

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