Timber Notes/Non-Recourse Debt	9 Months Ended
Sep. 24, 2011
Timber Notes Non-Recourse Debt [Abstract]
Timber Notes/Non-Recourse Debt	4. Timber Notes/Non-Recourse Debt In October 2004, we sold our timberland assets in exchange for $15 million in cash plus credit-enhanced timber installment notes in the amount of $1,635 million (the "Installment Notes"). The Installment Notes were issued by single-member limited liability companies formed by affiliates of Boise Cascade, L.L.C. (the "Note Issuers"). The Installment Notes are 15-year non-amortizing obligations and were issued in two equal $817.5 million tranches bearing interest at 5.11% and 4.98%, respectively. In order to support the issuance of the Installment Notes, the Note Issuers transferred a total of $1,635 million in cash to Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. ("Lehman") and Wachovia Corporation ("Wachovia") (which was later purchased by Wells Fargo & Company) ($817.5 million to each of Lehman and Wachovia). Lehman and Wachovia issued collateral notes (the "Collateral Notes") to the Note Issuers. Concurrently with the issuance of the Installment and Collateral Notes, Lehman and Wachovia guaranteed the respective Installment Notes and the Note Issuers pledged the Collateral Notes as security for the performance of the Installment Note obligations. The Installment Notes are reported as timber notes receivable in our Consolidated Balance Sheets. In December 2004, we completed a securitization transaction in which the Company's interests in the Installment Notes and related guarantees were transferred to wholly-owned bankruptcy remote subsidiaries. The subsidiaries pledged the Installment Notes and related guarantees and issued securitized notes (the "Securitization Notes") in the amount of $1,470 million ($735 million through the structure supported by the Lehman guaranty and $735 million through the structure supported by the Wachovia guaranty). As a result of these transactions, we received $1,470 million in cash. Recourse on the Securitization Notes is limited to the proceeds of the applicable pledged Installment Notes and underlying Lehman or Wachovia guaranty, and therefore there is no recourse against OfficeMax. The Securitization Notes are 15-year non-amortizing and were issued in two equal $735 million tranches paying interest of 5.54% and 5.42%, respectively. The Securitization Notes are reported as non-recourse debt in the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheets. On September 15, 2008, Lehman, the guarantor of half of the Installment Notes and the Securitization Notes, filed a petition in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York seeking relief under chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. Lehman's bankruptcy filing constituted an event of default under the $817.5 million Installment Note guaranteed by Lehman (the "Lehman Guaranteed Installment Note"). We are required for accounting purposes to assess the carrying value of assets whenever circumstances indicate that a decline in value may have occurred. In 2008, we evaluated the carrying value of the Lehman Guaranteed Installment Note and reduced it to the estimated amount we then expected to collect ($81.8 million) by recording a non-cash impairment charge of $735.8 million, pre-tax. The ultimate amount to be realized on the Lehman Guaranteed Installment Note depends on the proceeds from the Lehman bankruptcy estate. On June 30, 2011, Lehman filed an amended Disclosure Statement (the "Disclosure Statement") on its Chapter 11 plan (the "Chapter 11 Plan") with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. The Disclosure Statement provides a range of estimated recoveries for various classes of unsecured creditors of Lehman. Based on the category descriptions, we, together with the indenture trustee for the Securitization Note holders (the "Indenture Trustee"), argued at a hearing on the Disclosure Statement that our claim should be treated as a class 3 senior unsecured claim (estimated to recover at a rate of approximately 21.1% under the Chapter 11 Plan) rather than falling into any other class of guarantee claims (estimated to recover at a rate of approximately 11%-13% depending on the class under the Chapter 11 Plan). Following negotiation, on October 7, 2011, we entered into a stipulation with Lehman and the Indenture Trustee that categorized our claim as a class 3 senior unsecured claim. Due to this categorization, provisions of the stipulation that make certain funds unavailable to our claim that would otherwise be available to class 3 senior unsecured claimants, the status of the bankruptcy proceedings, and based on information in the Disclosure Statement, it appears that our claim may recover at a potential rate within the range of 17% to 20%. However, uncertainties exist as to the actual recovery that will ultimately be received on the claim. The confirmation of the Chapter 11 Plan is not expected to occur until the next Bankruptcy court hearing, currently scheduled for December 6, 2011; the disposition of our claim and a related claim filed by the Note Issuers must be determined; and the funds available for claimants will depend on the value of the assets Lehman is able to liquidate. Due to these uncertainties and other factors, we have not increased our assumed recovery rate or the carrying value of the Lehman Guaranteed Installment Note. Following the confirmation hearing on the Chapter 11 Plan scheduled for December 6, 2011, an initial distribution may be made on our claim as early as March 30, 2012, assuming that all other issues in the claim have been resolved prior to or at the confirmation hearing. Further distributions are expected to occur over a several-year period. Going forward, we intend to adjust the carrying value of the Lehman Guaranteed Installment Note as further information regarding our share of the proceeds, if any, from the Lehman bankruptcy estate becomes available. Any proceeds we receive from the bankruptcy will be distributed to the Securitization Note Holders. Recourse on the Securitization Notes is limited to the proceeds from the applicable pledged Installment Notes and underlying Lehman or Wachovia guaranty. Accordingly, the Lehman Guaranteed Installment Note and underlying Lehman guaranty will be transferred to the holders of the Securitization Notes guaranteed by Lehman in order to settle and extinguish that liability. However, under current generally accepted accounting principles, we are required to continue to recognize the liability related to the Securitization Notes guaranteed by Lehman until such time as the liability has been extinguished. This will occur when the Lehman Guaranteed Installment Note and the related guaranty are transferred to and accepted by the Securitization Note holders. We expect that this will occur when the assets of Lehman are currently projected to be distributed and the bankruptcy is finalized. Accordingly, we expect to recognize a non-cash gain equal to the difference between the carrying amount of the Securitization Notes guaranteed by Lehman ($735.0 million at September 24, 2011) and the carrying value of the Lehman Guaranteed Installment Note ($81.8 million at September 24, 2011) in a later period when the liability is legally extinguished. The actual gain to be recognized in the future will be measured based on the carrying amounts of the Lehman Guaranteed Installment Note and the Securitization Notes guaranteed by Lehman at the date of settlement. Any discussion of the Lehman bankruptcy in this document is strictly based on factual observations from the bankruptcy cases and should not be interpreted as constituting legal analysis of or admission as to the ultimate allowances of our claim based on the Lehman Guaranteed Installment Note or any Note Issuers' claim based on Collateral Notes, or the interplay thereof. Through September 24, 2011, we have received all payments due under the Installment Notes guaranteed by Wachovia (the "Wachovia Guaranteed Installment Notes"), which have consisted only of interest due on the notes, and have made all payments due on the related Securitization Notes guaranteed by Wachovia, again consisting only of interest due. As all amounts due on the Wachovia Guaranteed Installment Notes are current and we have no reason to believe that we will not be able to collect all amounts due according to the contractual terms of the Wachovia Guaranteed Installment Notes, the notes are stated in our Consolidated Balance Sheets at their original principal amount of $817.5 million. The Installment Notes and Securitization Notes are scheduled to mature in 2020 and 2019, respectively. The Securitization Notes have an initial term that is approximately three months shorter than the Installment Notes. At the time of the sale of the timberlands in 2004, we generated a tax gain and recognized the related deferred tax liability. The timber installment notes structure allowed the Company to defer the resulting tax liability of $543 million until 2020, the maturity date for the Installment Notes. Due to the Lehman bankruptcy and note defaults, the recognition of the Lehman portion of the gain will be triggered when the Lehman Guaranteed Installment Note is transferred to the Securitization Note holders as payment and/or when the Lehman bankruptcy is resolved. At that time, we expect to reduce the estimated tax payment due by utilizing our available alternative minimum tax credits.

4. Timber Notes/Non-Recourse Debt

In October 2004, we sold our timberland assets in exchange for $15 million in cash plus credit-enhanced timber installment notes in the amount of $1,635 million (the "Installment Notes"). The Installment Notes were issued by single-member limited liability companies formed by affiliates of Boise Cascade, L.L.C. (the "Note Issuers"). The Installment Notes are 15-year non-amortizing obligations and were issued in two equal $817.5 million tranches bearing interest at 5.11% and 4.98%, respectively. In order to support the issuance of the Installment Notes, the Note Issuers transferred a total of $1,635 million in cash to Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. ("Lehman") and Wachovia Corporation ("Wachovia") (which was later purchased by Wells Fargo & Company) ($817.5 million to each of Lehman and Wachovia). Lehman and Wachovia issued collateral notes (the "Collateral Notes") to the Note Issuers. Concurrently with the issuance of the Installment and Collateral Notes, Lehman and Wachovia guaranteed the respective Installment Notes and the Note Issuers pledged the Collateral Notes as security for the performance of the Installment Note obligations. The Installment Notes are reported as timber notes receivable in our Consolidated Balance Sheets.

In December 2004, we completed a securitization transaction in which the Company's interests in the Installment Notes and related guarantees were transferred to wholly-owned bankruptcy remote subsidiaries. The subsidiaries pledged the Installment Notes and related guarantees and issued securitized notes (the "Securitization Notes") in the amount of $1,470 million ($735 million through the structure supported by the Lehman guaranty and $735 million through the structure supported by the Wachovia guaranty). As a result of these transactions, we received $1,470 million in cash. Recourse on the Securitization Notes is limited to the proceeds of the applicable pledged Installment Notes and underlying Lehman or Wachovia guaranty, and therefore there is no recourse against OfficeMax. The Securitization Notes are 15-year non-amortizing and were issued in two equal $735 million tranches paying interest of 5.54% and 5.42%, respectively. The Securitization Notes are reported as non-recourse debt in the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheets.

On September 15, 2008, Lehman, the guarantor of half of the Installment Notes and the Securitization Notes, filed a petition in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York seeking relief under chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. Lehman's bankruptcy filing constituted an event of default under the $817.5 million Installment Note guaranteed by Lehman (the "Lehman Guaranteed Installment Note").

We are required for accounting purposes to assess the carrying value of assets whenever circumstances indicate that a decline in value may have occurred. In 2008, we evaluated the carrying value of the Lehman Guaranteed Installment Note and reduced it to the estimated amount we then expected to collect ($81.8 million) by recording a non-cash impairment charge of $735.8 million, pre-tax. The ultimate amount to be realized on the Lehman Guaranteed Installment Note depends on the proceeds from the Lehman bankruptcy estate. On June 30, 2011, Lehman filed an amended Disclosure Statement (the "Disclosure Statement") on its Chapter 11 plan (the "Chapter 11 Plan") with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. The Disclosure Statement provides a range of estimated recoveries for various classes of unsecured creditors of Lehman. Based on the category descriptions, we, together with the indenture trustee for the Securitization Note holders (the "Indenture Trustee"), argued at a hearing on the Disclosure Statement that our claim should be treated as a class 3 senior unsecured claim (estimated to recover at a rate of approximately 21.1% under the Chapter 11 Plan) rather than falling into any other class of guarantee claims (estimated to recover at a rate of approximately 11%-13% depending on the class under the Chapter 11 Plan). Following negotiation, on October 7, 2011, we entered into a stipulation with Lehman and the Indenture Trustee that categorized our claim as a class 3 senior unsecured claim. Due to this categorization, provisions of the stipulation that make certain funds unavailable to our claim that would otherwise be available to class 3 senior unsecured claimants, the status of the bankruptcy proceedings, and based on information in the Disclosure Statement, it appears that our claim may recover at a potential rate within the range of 17% to 20%. However, uncertainties exist as to the actual recovery that will ultimately be received on the claim. The confirmation of the Chapter 11 Plan is not expected to occur until the next Bankruptcy court hearing, currently scheduled for December 6, 2011; the disposition of our claim and a related claim filed by the Note Issuers must be determined; and the funds available for claimants will depend on the value of the assets Lehman is able to liquidate. Due to these uncertainties and other factors, we have not increased our assumed recovery rate or the carrying value of the Lehman Guaranteed Installment Note. Following the confirmation hearing on the Chapter 11 Plan scheduled for December 6, 2011, an initial distribution may be made on our claim as early as March 30, 2012, assuming that all other issues in the claim have been resolved prior to or at the confirmation hearing. Further distributions are expected to occur over a several-year period. Going forward, we intend to adjust the carrying value of the Lehman Guaranteed Installment Note as further information regarding our share of the proceeds, if any, from the Lehman bankruptcy estate becomes available. Any proceeds we receive from the bankruptcy will be distributed to the Securitization Note Holders.

Recourse on the Securitization Notes is limited to the proceeds from the applicable pledged Installment Notes and underlying Lehman or Wachovia guaranty. Accordingly, the Lehman Guaranteed Installment Note and underlying Lehman guaranty will be transferred to the holders of the Securitization Notes guaranteed by Lehman in order to settle and extinguish that liability. However, under current generally accepted accounting principles, we are required to continue to recognize the liability related to the Securitization Notes guaranteed by Lehman until such time as the liability has been extinguished. This will occur when the Lehman Guaranteed Installment Note and the related guaranty are transferred to and accepted by the Securitization Note holders. We expect that this will occur when the assets of Lehman are currently projected to be distributed and the bankruptcy is finalized. Accordingly, we expect to recognize a non-cash gain equal to the difference between the carrying amount of the Securitization Notes guaranteed by Lehman ($735.0 million at September 24, 2011) and the carrying value of the Lehman Guaranteed Installment Note ($81.8 million at September 24, 2011) in a later period when the liability is legally extinguished. The actual gain to be recognized in the future will be measured based on the carrying amounts of the Lehman Guaranteed Installment Note and the Securitization Notes guaranteed by Lehman at the date of settlement.

Any discussion of the Lehman bankruptcy in this document is strictly based on factual observations from the bankruptcy cases and should not be interpreted as constituting legal analysis of or admission as to the ultimate allowances of our claim based on the Lehman Guaranteed Installment Note or any Note Issuers' claim based on Collateral Notes, or the interplay thereof.

Through September 24, 2011, we have received all payments due under the Installment Notes guaranteed by Wachovia (the "Wachovia Guaranteed Installment Notes"), which have consisted only of interest due on the notes, and have made all payments due on the related Securitization Notes guaranteed by Wachovia, again consisting only of interest due. As all amounts due on the Wachovia Guaranteed Installment Notes are current and we have no reason to believe that we will not be able to collect all amounts due according to the contractual terms of the Wachovia Guaranteed Installment Notes, the notes are stated in our Consolidated Balance Sheets at their original principal amount of $817.5 million. The Installment Notes and Securitization Notes are scheduled to mature in 2020 and 2019, respectively. The Securitization Notes have an initial term that is approximately three months shorter than the Installment Notes.

At the time of the sale of the timberlands in 2004, we generated a tax gain and recognized the related deferred tax liability. The timber installment notes structure allowed the Company to defer the resulting tax liability of $543 million until 2020, the maturity date for the Installment Notes. Due to the Lehman bankruptcy and note defaults, the recognition of the Lehman portion of the gain will be triggered when the Lehman Guaranteed Installment Note is transferred to the Securitization Note holders as payment and/or when the Lehman bankruptcy is resolved. At that time, we expect to reduce the estimated tax payment due by utilizing our available alternative minimum tax credits.