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AyRojgar

Thai glass and aluminium fitting

Cutting and fitting aluminium profile and glass into doors, windows and partitions. Ordinary work is about Tk 470-750 per square foot, and a wrong measurement cannot be returned.

  • Last reviewed: 19 September 2026
  • Version 1
Thai glass and aluminium fitting

Thai glass and aluminium fitting

Starting capital
৳1,50,000 – ৳6,00,000
Editorial estimate
Manpower
2 – 6 people
First sale
20 – 60 days
Editorial estimate
Break-even
4 – 8 months
Editorial estimate
Kind of work
Workshop · Medium difficulty

About the business

Measuring, cutting and fitting aluminium profile and glass into doors, windows, kitchen and bathroom partitions and shopfronts. The work does not arrive on its own: it rides on new flats, new shops and interior fitout jobs, so the trade is strong where construction is strong and dead where it has stopped. Pricing is by the square foot. On 2026 rates, ordinary silver or bronze profile work for a home window or partition runs about Tk 470-750 per square foot, with glass quoted separately at Tk 65-75 for clear, Tk 80-90 for mercury and Tk 85-95 for black. A Dhaka fabricator, however, quotes Tk 1,200-3,500 per square foot for toughened, laminated and mirror glass work. The two ranges are not the same product, so the type of glass and the thickness of the profile have to be settled before any rate is quoted. Profit in this trade is decided by measurement. An inch of error and the frame will not fit, cut profile cannot be returned, and the whole piece is a loss; broken glass comes out of the same pocket. Whoever goes to take the measurement is effectively deciding the month's result. Material is bought by brand - KAI, Chung Hua, PHP, Fuzi, Falcon, Alco, Maxx, Altech, Aramit and Nikki - and profile comes in long bundles, so some stock has to be bought before any job can be taken.

Unit economics

ItemRangeEvidenceSuggest a correction
Monthly working capital৳80,000 – ৳4,00,000Editorial estimate
Selling price৳470 – ৳3,500 / unitDisputed
Variable cost৳330 – ৳2,300 / unitEditorial estimate
Gross margin30% – 34%Editorial estimate
Time to first revenue20 – 60 daysEditorial estimate
Break-even time4 – 8 monthsEditorial estimate
Cash cycle7 – 45 daysEditorial estimate
Waste / loss5% – 10%Editorial estimate
Daily capacity30 – 120Editorial estimate

What you need to start

  • Aluminium mitre cutting machine, drill, rivet gun, screwdriver set, measuring tape, glass cutter and suction lifter, and a silicone gun.Equipment
  • Bundles of profile in 20-21 foot lengths, glass sheets, rollers, thai locks, handles, rubber gasket, screws and silicone.Starting stock
  • Trade licence from the city corporation or municipality: form Tk 10, licence book Tk 50, standard tax Tk 30, non-judicial stamp Tk 150-300, licence fee Tk 100-60,000 by trade type, plus VAT and signboard fee. Issued in 3-5 working days, renewed yearly.Licence
  • Taking measurements and cutting mitres. An inch of error scraps the frame and the dealer will not take cut profile back, so this skill is the profit.Skill
  • A profile dealer (KAI, Chung Hua, PHP, Fuzi, Falcon, Alco, Maxx, Altech, Aramit, Fu Wang, Nikki) and a separate glass supplier.Supplier
  • A room that a 20-21 foot length of profile can actually be carried into, plus a safe place to stand glass upright. A roadside unit makes loading and unloading possible.Workspace

How the work is done

  1. 1Take a place near where new flats or shops are going up. Profile arrives in 20-21 foot lengths, so it must physically fit in and be storable.
  2. 2Take the trade licence from the city corporation or municipality: form Tk 10, book Tk 50, standard tax Tk 30, stamp Tk 150-300 plus the licence fee for the trade type; issued in 3-5 working days.
  3. 3Fix a profile dealer. KAI, Chung Hua, PHP, Fuzi, Falcon, Alco and Maxx all price differently, and the customer has to be quoted by brand name.
  4. 4Fix a separate glass supplier. Clear, mercury, black and toughened glass all cost differently, and toughened glass cannot be cut afterwards - it must be made to size.
  5. 5Buy a cutting machine, drill, rivet gun, screwdrivers, measuring tape and glass-cutting tools. If the mitre cut is off, the joint will not close.
  6. 6Take the measurement yourself before accepting the job, write it down and have the customer sign it. Cut profile cannot be returned, so a wrong measurement is a total loss.
  7. 7When quoting, state the profile brand, the thickness, the glass type and whether glass is included or charged separately. Without those four, the argument comes at payment time.
  8. 8Build the frame in the workshop, set the glass, fit the rollers, lock and handle, then take it to site and install. Broken glass is your loss.
  9. 9Line up repeat work with contractors and developers, but put the billing terms and timeline in writing.
  10. 10Keep the offcut profile sorted after each job. Small vents, bathroom doors and repair jobs are where those pieces turn into profit.

Seasons

  1. JanNormal
  2. FebNormal
  3. MarNormal
  4. AprNormal
  5. MayNormal
  6. JunNormal
  7. JulLow
  8. AugLow
  9. SepNormal
  10. OctNormal
  11. NovHigh
  12. DecHigh
HighNormalLow

Where it works well

  • Strong fitChattogram · Steady new-building and showroom work in the port city, and imported profile lands at this port.
  • Strong fitDhaka · The most new flats and shops, the developers and fitout contractors, and the profile and glass dealers are all inside the city.
  • Strong fitGazipur · New housing for factories and their workers, plus partition work inside the factory offices themselves.
  • Strong fitNarayanganj · Dense settlement and continuous new-flat work, with Dhaka's dealers close enough to fetch material from.
  • Strong fitSylhet · Houses built by families with members abroad use costlier glass and coloured profile, so the per-square-foot rate is higher here.
  • PossibleBogura · The commercial centre of the north; jobs from the surrounding districts can be served from here.
  • PossibleCox's Bazar · Hotel and resort work brings large glass and aluminium jobs, but the work is seasonal.
  • PossibleCumilla · Shopfront work for new shops and showrooms along the highway markets.
  • PossibleKhulna · New flat work in and around the city, but material still has to come from Dhaka or Chattogram.
  • PossibleRajshahi · New buildings and institutional work in the city, though demand for costlier glass is limited.

Risks and cautions

  • HighDemand: This trade does not stand on its own: the work exists only while new flats, new shops and fitout jobs exist. When construction in the area stops, the shop stays open with no work, while rent and the fitter's wage still fall due every month.
  • HighOther: A wrong measurement is a total loss. Dealers do not take cut aluminium back and toughened glass cannot be cut once made, so an inch of error means rebuilding the whole frame and buying the material again at Tk 470-750 per square foot.
  • MediumLate payment: Contractor and developer jobs are big, but payment waits for the bill to clear. Meanwhile the money for the next job's profile and glass is locked up, and two large bills stuck at once stops the shop.
  • MediumDependency: The work runs on branded profile. If the dealer raises the rate or a particular colour and section runs out, a job already quoted by brand and colour stalls, because that is what was promised.
  • MediumWorking capital: Profile must be bought by the bundle and glass by the sheet, so stock goes in before a job comes. Small jobs leave offcuts piling up, and that pile is dead capital.

Sources

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