Document and Entity Information - shares	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Apr. 25, 2018
Document Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	BEMIS CO INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000011199
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2018
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		90,977,220
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2018
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1