Industries can be classified into several groups, as below
- On the basis of Strength of Labor
- Large scale Industry
- These employ a large number of labourers in each unit
- Cotton and Jute textile industries are large scale Industries
- Medium scale Industries
- These employ neither large nor very small number of labourers
- Cycle industry, Electronic Industry are some examples of this type
- Small scale Industries
- These are owned and run by individuals, which employ small number of labourers
- Large scale Industry
- On the basis of raw material and finished goods
- Heavy Industries
- These use heavy and bulky raw-materials and produce products of the same category
- Iron and Steel Industry, present a good example of heavy industries
- Light Industries
- These use light raw materials and produce light finished products
- Electric fans, sewing machines are light industries
- Heavy Industries
- On the basis of Ownership
- Private sector Industries
- Industries owned by individuals or firms such as Tata groups, can be grouped under this category
- Public Sector Industries
- Industries owned by the state and its agencies like Bharat Heavy Electricals limited, Durgapur Steel Plant belong to this category
- Joint Sector Industries
- Industries owned jointly by the private firms and the state or its agencies such as ‘Oil India Limited’, belong to this group
- Co-operative sector Industries
- These are owned and run co-operatively by a group of people who are generally producers of raw materials
- Sugar mills owned and run by farmers belong to co-operative sector Industries
- Private sector Industries
- On the basis of source of raw material
- Agro based Industries
- These are those Industries which obtain raw-material from agriculture
- Cotton textile, Jute, Sugar, Vegetable oil are the industries of this category
- Mineral Based Industries
- These receive raw materials primarily from minerals such as iron and steel, aluminum, etc.
- Cement Industry falls into this category
- Pastoral based Industries
- These are dependent on animals for their raw materials
- Hides, skins, bones, horns, diary, etc. are some of the examples
- Forest based Industries
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- Paper card-board, rayon, tanning of leather, basket industries are included in this category
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- Agro based Industries
- Miscellaneous Industries
- Village Industries
- These are usually located in villages and primarily cater to the needs of the rural people
- They usually employ local machinery, and engage in activities such as oil extraction, grain grinding and agricultural implements
- Cottage Industries
- Industries where artisans set-up the implements in their own houses, work with wood, cane, brass, stone, etc. belong to this category
- Handloom, khadi and leather work at artisans’ house fall in this category
- Consumer goods Industries
- These convert raw materials or primary products into commodities directly used by the people
- Textiles, Bakery products, sugar, etc. are some of the examples
- Ancillary Industries
- The manufacture parts and components of these Industries, are used by big industries for manufacturing heavy articles like trucks, buses, railway engines, tractors, etc.
- Capital-Intensive Industries
- These require huge investments for their functioning
- Iron and steel, cement and Aluminum are examples of capital intensive Industries
- Village Industries