Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation: The condensed consolidated financial statements included in this report are unaudited and have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial reporting and Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) regulations. The year-end condensed consolidated balance sheet data was derived from audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by U.S. GAAP. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP have been condensed or omitted. In the opinion of management, these financial statements include all adjustments, which are of a normal recurring nature, necessary for a fair statement of the financial position, results of operations, cash flows and the change in equity for the periods presented. The condensed consolidated financial statements for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2012 should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (which may be referred to as “West”, “the Company”, “we”, “us” or “our”), appearing in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 (“2011 Annual Report”). The results of operations for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of results for the full year.

Reclassifications

Reclassifications:  Certain reclassifications were made to prior period financial statements to conform to the current year presentation.

New Accounting Standards

Recently Adopted Standards

In September 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued guidance for the impairment testing of goodwill. The guidance permits an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more-likely-than-not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform the two-step goodwill impairment test. This guidance was effective for us as of January 1, 2012 and will be considered when performing our annual goodwill impairment test. Management believes that the adoption of this guidance will not have a material impact on our financial statements.

In May 2011, the FASB issued guidance to provide a consistent definition of fair value and ensure that the fair value measurement and disclosure requirements are similar between U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards. It also changes certain fair value measurement principles and expands the disclosures for fair value measurements that are estimated using significant unobservable inputs. We adopted this guidance as of January 1, 2012, on a prospective basis. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on our financial statements.  Please refer to Note 5, Fair Value Measurements, for additional details.

Standards Issued Not Yet Adopted

In July 2012, the FASB issued guidance for the impairment testing of indefinite-lived intangible assets. The guidance permits an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more-likely-than-not that an indefinite-lived intangible asset is impaired as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform a quantitative impairment test. This guidance is effective for annual and interim impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after September 15, 2012. Management believes that the adoption will not have an impact on our f