Document and Entity Information	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011	Feb. 29, 2012
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2011
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2011
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Trading Symbol	ZZHJA
Entity Registrant Name	ATEL CAPITAL EQUIPMENT FUND VII LP
Entity Central Index Key	0001019542
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Filer Category	Smaller Reporting Company
Entity Units Outstanding		14,985,550