From fast food joints such as McDonald's and Nirula's to hospitals like Global Hospital and Escorts Heart Institute use it.

What's more, sporting icon Sachin Tendulkar also uses it as a table and counter top in his restaurant. DuPont Corian is the latest craze to hit the metros.

Corian is a solid surface that is made from natural minerals, pigments and acrylic. It is used in residential, commercial, furniture, lighting and speciality applications in the form of table and kitchen tops or display units.

"We're pushing Corian as an alternative to stone and granite," says Rebecca Chan, South Asia business manager, DuPont Surfaces. "Our latest initiative is to pitch it as a lifestyle product."

The company believes that in a few year's time it will be able to tap at least 10 per cent of the $200 million-plus stone and granite market in India.

DuPont's latest product is the thermoformed bowl that can be used as a sink, basin or simply as decorative piece. "Corian's USP is it is seamless," says Chan.

The company has tied up with Delhi-based fabricator Goojar Mal Ganpat Rai (P) Ltd to produce its new line. The Indian company has invested around Rs 10 lakh (Rs 1 million) to upgrade its equipment.

Besides stone and granite, Corian's closest competitors in terms of surface material are marble, ceramic tiles, stainless steel, fibre glass.

"Where we are ahead of all these surfaces is the fact that Corian does not harbour germs and is aesthetically much more pleasing," explains Chan.

Corian sheets come at a price though: from Rs 6,000 to 8,000 per 10 sq ft; the thermoformed bowls come for roughly Rs 7,000 a piece. At present market rates, these are nearly five times more expensive than granite.

Says architect Ashish Wagh of Studio Praxis: "In its simplest form Corian is a sheet. But it offers a tremendous range of design options. It also comes in a variety of colours. You can mix and match it with other material like aluminium."

The options are impressive: use it in the food service industry or in public spaces (as in counters, signages, columns and furnishings) or in the healthcare segment.

Besides mass advertising in niche publications, taking part in trade exhibitions and direct seminars, the company holds regular seminars for designers and architects to market its product.

"We're targeting the upper middle-class and a significant percentage of these people depend on architects to do up their homes," says Chan.

DuPont India, a subsidiary of US-based E I du Pont de Nemours and Company, manufactures toothbrush bristles, non-stick coating, engineering polymers and crop protection products. The Indian subsidiary's turnover last year was Rs 750 crore (Rs 7.5 billion) and has been growing at an average of 30 per cent for the last few years.