Document and Entity Information Document	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2011
Entity Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	CORE LABORATORIES N V
Entity Central Index Key	0001000229
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2011
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2011
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	46,626,678