Glass has become the most important decorative substance in today's time. There has been a revolution in glass utility. This has given rise to the number of glasswares exporters, glasswares manufacturers, crystal glass suppliers and lab glass exporters in India. There has also been a rise in the technology and the number of laboratory glasswares exporters.

The oldest references to making of glass and items made from glass come from the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharat. The Mughal rulers gave an impetus to the craft of glass making. Glass items and glasswares such as perfume bottles and tumblers belonging to this period were made in different shapes and decorations as the Mughals had a fascination for
coloured glass.

The present day glass making industry in India revolves around a range of items from bottles, bangles, beads and glasses, to laboratory glass and scientific glasswares. The glass industry in the country comprises about 50 glass units in the organized sector and about 500 small scale glass units, who together produce a diverse range of products from marbles and mirror to glass containers, sheet glass, vacuum flask, laboratory glasswares and fibre glass. The organized sector in this
industry consists of 10 units of sheet glass manufacturers, 10 units of vacuum flasks/refills manufacturers and another 5 units in laboratory glassware manufacturing. The country at present is self sufficient in every aspect of glass and glassware manufacture and production, although glass is slowly losing ground to plastic. There is a need for modernization in the glass industry, to make it “internationally” competitive and technologically innovative.

India is world famous for glass beads. Banaras is the main center for the production of glass beads with Purdilpur, known for its black glass beads not far behind. Ferozabad, in Uttar Pradesh, is known for the production of glass bangles and utilitarian glasswares. An entire community of skilled craftsmen is located here and is engaged in making high quality glassware. Ferozabad produces fragile and lightweight glass beads. Traditional ornate paintings from Tanjore, depicting deities are made on glass, using gold and are extremely popular the world over.

In urban areas of India now there is a rage for fancy glass products and decorative pieces like, ornate glass chandeliers, crystal and crystalware, lighting pieces, glass sculptures, engraved crockery and more. Glass painting and stained glasswork have also gained immense popularity these days and are all set to gain the status of a unique urban craft. People in the metropolitan cities have also developed the unique taste of decorating the windowpanes of their homes with murals
made from coloured glass.

Although the Indian glassware industry appears self sufficient, in post liberalization, the Indian economy being the sixth largest economy in world will have to face many changes. With the Government's new economic policy allowing the import of ceramic and glass finished products such as Tiles, Bricks, Sanitary ware and a variety of glass products, the Indian industry will have to compete on level terms with multinationals. The present focus on restructuring of key business drivers and an attempt to create a market friendly environment there by hoping to boost business investment and enterprise the protection will no longer be provided to the Indian industry it had before.