Document and Entity Information (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Jan. 31, 2013	Jun. 29, 2012
Entity Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2012
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Trading Symbol	SEE
Entity Registrant Name	SEALED AIR CORP/DE
Entity Central Index Key	0001012100
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		194,595,896
Entity Public Float			$ 2,933,000,000