Moradabad Brass Brassware Craft Uttar Pradesh

Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh is the world largest production centre for decorative brass, bronze, and aluminium metal goods, earning the city the title of Peetal Nagri (brass city), with an estimated 100,000 artisans in foundries, polishing workshops, and design ateliers producing vases, bowls, trays, figurines, and decorative table ware for global retail chains including Walmart, IKEA, and European gift brands. The Moradabad brass industry traces its origins to the Mughal period when artisans from Persia and Central Asia settled in the region and developed the tradition of brass casting with engraved surface decoration, and expanded dramatically in the post-independence era with export orders. The production system involves sand casting in small foundries, mechanical grinding, and chemical blackening of the cast metal, followed by hand engraving or acid etching of floral and arabesque patterns, and final polishing or patination. The artisans are predominantly Muslim craftsmen from the Saifi, Shaikhzada, and Badhai communities who have maintained craft knowledge across generations. Moradabad exports approximately 10,000 crore rupees of metal goods annually and the Moradabad Metal Handicraft Cluster is recognised under the MSME cluster development scheme.