EICL

What EICL does

EICL Limited, formerly English Indian Clays Limited, is an India-based specialty chemicals company founded in 1963 as a joint venture with UK-based English China Clays Ltd. and currently privately held under the Karan Thapar Group after delisting from the Bombay Stock Exchange in 2014. The company mines and wet-processes kaolin (china clay) from deposits in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala — among the highest-quality reserves globally at 96% kaolinite content — operating what it describes as Asia's largest integrated kaolin mining and processing facility with 300,000 tonnes per annum installed capacity, supplemented by a second facility in Bhuj, Gujarat (36K MT, expanding to 78K MT) under its wholly-owned subsidiary Kaolin India Private Limited.

The company's technology platform centers on wet-route processing and rotary calcination capable of producing hydrous kaolin, metakaolin (550–900°C), spinel (925–1050°C), and mullite (>1050°C) phases, as well as silane-aided surface modified kaolin (SMK). Its portfolio spans 30+ product grades (BCK, KCG, Hibrite, Himafil, Himafine, Himacab, Himapol, Supershine, Superlustre, Himacem, Vitrofine, etc.) addressing titanium dioxide substitution in paints (10–20%), carbon black substitution in tyres, volume resistivity enhancement in cable insulation (10^14 ohms), and high-performance concrete admixture applications.

EICL operates a direct sales-led B2B model serving 700+ customers across 14+ industrial segments including paper, paint, rubber, ceramics, plastics, cable insulation, fibreglass, ready-mix concrete, soaps, ultramarine, adhesives, dyes, and insecticides. Revenue is generated through one-time industrial product sales at quote-based pricing determined by grade, specifications, and application requirements, with a historical turnover exceeding $80M (2018, pre-starch divestiture). The company divested its starch business in 2018 to focus on kaolin and is currently ISO 9001:2015, 14001:2015, and 45001:2018 certified.

Name

EICL

Legal name

EICL Limited

Website

https://eicl.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

EICL Limited is an India-based specialty chemicals company that mines and processes kaolin (china clay) from premium Kerala deposits into hydrous, calcined, and surface-modified grades for 700+ industrial customers across paper, paint, rubber, plastics, cables, and construction applications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Industrial Minerals (Kaolin)

NAICS

Kaolin, Clay, and Ceramic and Refractory Minerals Mining (212323), Clay Product and Refractory Manufacturing (3271)

SIC

Mining & Quarrying Of Nonmetallic Minerals (No Fuels) (1400), Abrasive, Asbestos & Misc Nonmetallic Mineral Prods (3290)

akta.pro primary industry

Kaolin & Industrial Clay Mining (Bentonite, Ball Clay, Fuller’s Earth) (IMAKAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Kaolin & Ball Clay (IMAEAFAB)

Keywords

• Kaolin mining
• Specialty chemicals
• Industrial minerals
• Coating pigments
• Functional fillers

Headquarters

HQ city

Haryana

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Kaolin-based Specialty Chemicals: Revenue from mining and processing kaolin clay into hydrous and calcined products for industrial applications. The company converts natural raw resources into specialty chemicals providing cost-effective solutions to customers across diverse industries. Historically contributed 60% of revenue before starch business divestment in 2018.
2. Solutions-based Product Sales: Direct B2B sales of specialty chemical products developed through customer collaboration, understanding their business problems and providing techno-commercial solutions. Served over 700 customers worldwide including top FMCG companies in India.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

EICL Limited mines and processes kaolin (china clay) at its integrated facilities in Kerala and Gujarat to manufacture hydrous kaolin, calcined kaolin, and surface modified kaolin (SMK) products. The company serves 700+ industrial customers across paper, paint, printing inks, rubber, ceramics, plastics, cable insulation, construction, adhesives, and other industries, with 300,000 tonnes per annum installed capacity.

Product overview

EICL is a specialty chemicals company manufacturing kaolin-based products, offering a comprehensive portfolio of hydrous kaolin, calcined kaolin, and surface modified kaolin (SMK) products. The product range includes multiple product grades (BCK, KCG, DLC, Hibrite, Himafine, Himafil, Himacot, Himatex, Himasheen, Superlustre, Supershine, Centrex, and specialty products like Himacem for concrete, Himacab/Himapol for cable insulation, and SMK for plastics/rubber). EICL operates with Asia's largest integrated kaolin mining and processing facility in Kerala with 300,000 tonnes per annum installed capacity, serving diverse industries including paper, paint, printing inks, rubber, ceramics, construction, plastics, cable insulations, fibreglass, soaps and detergents, adhesives, dyes, insecticides, and ultramarine.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BCK Functional filler for high and medium PVC white and light colour water-based emulsion paints; extender in special paints requiring high gloss and opacity; efficient coating pigment in speciality paper manufacture; functional filler in newspaper paste ink formulation.
• BCK-Ink Extender in newsprint inks, packaging inks, and liquid inks.
• BCK L Efficient pre-coating pigment in the manufacture of duplex board.
• BCK SD Opacifying filler and pre-coating agent for paper and board applications to improve printability.
• Centrex 60 Functional filler in high PVC paint; controlled particle size makes it suitable as an efficient filler in writing and printing paper making and duplex board manufacturing.
• DLC 80 Light coating kaolin product for paper.
• DLC 90 Opacifying filler for medium PVC water-based paint; opacifying filler in newspaper paste and liquid ink.
• Electrokaolin Functional filler in water-based electro-deposition primer used for automotive structures.
• Hibrite Functional filler for medium PVC water-based paint; extender in special paints requiring high gloss and opacity; efficient coating pigment in high gloss papers; functional filler for liquid ink.
• High gloss Superior coating pigment in the manufacture of speciality papers and paperboards.
• Himablue Metakaolin used in ultramarine blue manufacturing; reactive in nature and forms a complex structure with other ingredients in ultramarine blue formation.
• Himacab Recommended for use in EPDM and EPR rubber cables and LT & HT PVC cables and other plastic polymers to improve the volume resistivity of the insulation compound; attains volume resistivity of 10^14 ohms or above.
• Himacem Admixture in concrete; High Reactivity Metakaolin provides high compressive strengths, reduces permeability of concrete, and reduces penetration of chloride ions to reinforcing steel.
• Himacot Ideal pigment for precoat application, imparts very high opacity and improves printability and ink absorption of coated paper.
• Himafil Partial substitute (10-20%) of titanium dioxide; opacifying extender/filler for specific requirements; used as paper filling.
• Himafine Special extender in water-based semi-gloss paints, improves optical properties and effectively replaces titanium dioxide; top coat in boards.
• Himapol Performance filler to improve volume resistivity of medium and high voltage PVC cable compounds; recommended for insulating compounds to attain volume resistivity of 10^14 ohms or above.
• Himatex Partial substitute (10-20%) of titanium dioxide; opacifying extender/filler for specific requirements.
• Himasheen Partial substitute (10-20%) for titanium dioxide in water-based and solvent-based semi-gloss paints for improved optical properties.
• Himarub Kaolin product for molding and extrusion of automotive and non-automotive rubber components/products such as seals, hoses, conveyor belts, window profiles, pharmaceutical bottle stoppers and discs.
• KCG Extender in the manufacture of semi-gloss, full gloss oil-based paints and water-based distempers where opacity development, economy and dispersion properties are of prime importance.
• KCG L Filler in newsprint/writing and printing paper to impart very good opacity; also used in ceramic industry.
• KCG P Coating pigment in the manufacture of coated papers and boards; filler or loading material; filler in special quality rubber components, plastics and cables.
• KCG SD Reinforcing filler in rubber products; optimum bulk density and minimal moisture content makes it a tailor-made product for use in the soap and detergent industry.
• KCG SDR Reinforcing filler in rubber products.
• SG 90 Top coat kaolin product for boards and paper.
• SMK Surface modified kaolin used in plastics; improves dispersion of the filler and hydrophobicity of filler surface, which aids in increased mechanical strength of plastic material; can be utilized to substitute fully/partially the more expensive fillers such as carbon black in the tyre industry.
• Supercoat Top coat kaolin product for boards and paper.
• Super gloss Top coat kaolin product for boards and paper.
• Supershine Extender in the manufacture of semi-gloss, full gloss solvent-based paints and water-based paint where opacity development, antisettling properties, economy and dispersion properties are of prime importance.
• Superlustre Opacifying filler for partial replacement of titanium dioxide in low PVC high sheen water-based paints and solvent-based glossy enamel; opacifying filler in liquid ink; substituted oxidised starch with flexible film properties for surface sizing in paper industry.
• Supershine Plus Extender in solvent-based glossy paints; improves optical properties and effectively replaces titanium dioxide and other color pigments.
• Vitrofine Fine calcined product for the partial replacement of zirconium silicate in ceramics application.

Quantifiable outcome

• Partial replacement of titanium dioxide (10-20%) in paint formulations
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments14 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and founding.

• Thapar GroupcoreOthers · 1 January 1992Thapar Group conglomerate took over English Indian Clays Limited in 1992. At time of takeover, company was mining 70-80 acres at Akkulam with annual turnover of Rs 40-50 lakh. Thapar Group was one of India's biggest conglomerates with 100 companies generating combined turnover of over $1 billion before split in 2000.
• English China Clays Ltd (ECC) - UKfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1963Technical and financial joint venture with UK-headquartered English China Clays Ltd (ECC), the pioneer and then world leader in kaolin processing. ECC held 24% stake in the original English Indian Clays Limited JV. This partnership established the foundation for EICL's kaolin processing expertise.
• Kaolin India Private LimitedcoreOthersFully owned subsidiary established for Bhuj operations in Gujarat. This subsidiary manages the new processing site that commenced commercial production from May 2021 with current capacity of 36K MT per annum.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• J.M. Huber Corporation: US private diversified materials company with engineered materials, natural resources and chemicals businesses including kaolin-based specialty additives. Comparable broad industrial minerals and additives portfolio serving similar industrial end markets.
• SCR-Sibelco: Belgian industrial minerals group producing silica, feldspar, ball clay and kaolin for glass, ceramics, foundry and paints. Comparable in industrial minerals mining and processing breadth; broader mineral portfolio than EICL.
• Imerys S.A. Global leader in mineral-based specialty solutions including kaolin, with a multi-mineral portfolio (kaolin, calcium carbonate, mica, perlite) serving paper, paint, plastics, ceramics and rubber. EICL is comparable as a kaolin-focused supplier but Imerys operates at far greater scale and geographic reach.

Direct peers

• Quarzwerke GmbH: German family-owned industrial minerals specialist producing kaolin, feldspar, quartz and specialty fillers for paints, plastics, paper and adhesives. Comparable vertically integrated specialty minerals model serving European industrial customers.
• KaMin Performance Minerals: US-headquartered kaolin miner and processor with hydrous and calcined kaolin grades serving paper, paint, rubber, and specialty applications. Most direct comparable to EICL in product mix (hydrous/calcined/SMK) and end-market exposure.
• 20 Microns Limited: Indian specialty minerals company producing kaolin, calcium carbonate, mica and talc for paints, plastics, rubber and paper. Listed Indian peer serving overlapping end markets with similar B2B industrial minerals positioning.
• Thiele Kaolin Company: Family-owned US kaolin producer serving paper, paint, ink, rubber and adhesives with hydrous and calcined grades. Comparable vertically integrated mining-to-processing model and specialty grade focus.
• Wolkem India Limited: Indian industrial minerals producer specializing in ground calcium carbonate, dolomite and kaolin for paints, plastics, rubber and paper. Closest Indian direct competitor to EICL with similar customer base and B2B specialty minerals model.

Regional players

• Ashapura Group: Indian diversified industrial minerals group focused on bauxite, bentonite and other clays with mining and processing operations. Comparable as a regional Indian mining and minerals platform, though broader than kaolin-only focus.
• Kerala Minerals and Metals Limited (KMML): India-based state-owned producer of titanium dioxide pigments, mineral sands and synthetic rutile located in Kerala. Geographic and mineral-resource peer to EICL within Kerala, serving overlapping industrial paint and pigment markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Eicl_rawtoreal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about EICL