Description of Business and Basis of Presentation (Policies)	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2017
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation In accordance with Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) rules for interim periods, the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements (the “interim financial statements”) do not include all of the information and notes for complete financial statements as required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). As such, the accompanying interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the JBT Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, which provides a more complete understanding of the Company’s accounting policies, financial position, operating results, business, properties, and other matters. The year-end condensed consolidated balance sheet was derived from audited financial statements. In the opinion of management, the interim financial statements reflect all normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of our financial condition and operating results as of and for the periods presented. Revenue, expenses, assets and liabilities can vary during each quarter of the year. Therefore, the interim results and trends in the interim financial statements may not be representative of those for the full year or any future period.
Use of Estimates	Use of estimates Preparation of financial statements that follow U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from these estimates.
Recently Adopted Accounting Standards and Recently Issued Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted	Recently adopted accounting standards In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-11, Inventory (Topic 330) – Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory. The core principle of the ASU is that entities that historically used the lower of cost or market in the subsequent measurement of inventory will instead be required to measure inventory at the lower of cost and net realizable value. The guidance will not change U.S. GAAP for inventory measured using LIFO or the retail inventory method. The ASU is effective for annual reporting periods, including interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2016. This guidance became effective for us as of January 1, 2017 and there was no effect on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, Stock Compensation (Topic 718) - Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. The new guidance was developed as part of the FASB’s simplification initiative. The core principle of the ASU requires income tax effects of awards to be recognized in the income statement when the awards vest or are settled, and eliminates the requirement to report excess tax benefits in additional paid-in capital (APIC pool). It also allows an employer to repurchase more of an employee’s shares for tax withholding purposes without triggering liability accounting, and allows an employer to make a policy election to account for forfeitures as they occur. The new standard became effective for us as of January 1, 2017. During the first quarter 2017, 278,316 awards vested, and resulted in a $5.8 million tax benefit reported in earnings, and is classified as an operating activity within the condensed consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. The elimination of the APIC pool affects the treasury stock method used to calculate weighted average shares outstanding; however, the impact was not material. We elected to change our policy surrounding forfeitures, and beginning January 2017 we no longer estimate the number awards expected to be forfeited but rather account for them as they occur. We are required to implement this portion of the guidance using a modified retrospective approach, and as such have recorded a cumulative adjustment of $0.6 million in retained earnings as of January 1, 2017. We also amended our incentive compensation and stock plan to allow JBT to have the discretion to withhold up to the maximum statutory rates, on an individual tax basis. A liability was not established as the withholding limits do not exceed the maximum. Cash paid for tax withholdings are classified as financing activity on the condensed consolidated Statement of Cash Flows, consistent with prior years. Recently issued accounting standards not yet adopted Beginning in 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), plus a number of related statements designed to clarify and interpret Topic 606. The new standard will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. GAAP. The core principle of the ASU requires companies to reevaluate when revenue is recorded based upon newly defined criteria, either at a point in time or over time as goods or services are delivered. The ASU requires additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer contracts, including significant judgments and estimates, and changes in those estimates. The new standard becomes effective for us as of January 1, 2018, with the option to early adopt the standard for annual periods beginning on or after December 15, 2016, and allows for both retrospective and modified-retrospective methods of adoption. The Company does not plan to early adopt the standard. We have preliminarily concluded that we will apply the retrospective transition method to adopt Topic 606, applying the allowed practical expedients, and restating our consolidated financial statements for 2016 and 2017. We are complete with our gap assessment and have determined that we will qualify for over time recognition for a large portion of our manufactured equipment as well as refurbishments. To the extent we begin recognizing revenue over time in the future, we believe this will result in an acceleration of revenue as compared to our current revenue recognition methodology of recognizing revenue at a point in time. We are continuing to quantify the impact of this change, and are in the process of executing our implementation plan. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). The new standard will replace most existing lease guidance in U.S. GAAP. The core principle of the ASU is that lessees are required to report a right to use asset and a lease payment obligation on the balance sheet but recognize expenses on their income statements in a manner similar to today’s accounting, and for lessors the guidance remains substantially similar to current U.S. GAAP. The ASU is effective for annual reporting periods, including interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2018. However, early adoption is permitted. Entities are required to use a modified retrospective approach for leases that exist or are entered into after the beginning of the earliest comparative period in the financial statements. We have not yet evaluated and cannot determine the impact this standard will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230) Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments. The new guidance is intended to reduce the existing diversity in practice in how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. The core principle of the ASU requires the classification of eight specific cash flow issues identified under ASC 230 to be presented as either financing, investing or operating, or some combination thereof, depending upon the nature of the issue. The ASU is effective for annual reporting periods, including interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2017. However, early adoption is permitted. Entities are required to use a retrospective transition approach for all of the issues identified for each period presented. We are currently evaluating the effect, if any, that the ASU will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-16, Income Taxes: Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory. The new guidance is intended to simplify the accounting for intercompany asset transfers. The core principle requires an entity to immediately recognize the tax consequences of intercompany asset transfers. The ASU is effective for annual reporting periods, including interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2017. However, early adoption is permitted only at the beginning of an annual period for which no financial statements (interim or annual) have already been issued. The Company anticipates the adoption in the effective period and we are currently evaluating the effect, if any, that the ASU will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805) - Clarifying the Definition of a Business. The core principle of the ASU is to clarify the definition of a business to require certain transactions to be accounted for as business combinations versus an acquisition of assets. The ASU is effective for annual reporting periods, including interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2017. However, early adoption is permitted for transactions that have occurred prior to the issuance of this update, but have not yet been disclosed in previous financial statements. The Company anticipates the adoption in the effective period and we are currently evaluating the effect, if any, that the ASU will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350) - Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment. The new guidance will simplify the accounting for goodwill impairment. The core principle of the ASU is to remove the requirement to calculate an implied fair value to determine impairment (Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test) and allow instead for goodwill impairment to equal the amount by which a reporting unit's carrying value exceeds its fair value, not to exceed the carrying amount of goodwill. The ASU is effective for annual reporting periods, including interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2019. However, early adoption is permitted for interim or annual goodwill impairment tests performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017. The Company does not anticipate that the ASU will have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. In March 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-07, Compensation - Retirement Benefits (ASC 715) - Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Costs and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost. The new guidance will improve the presentation of pension cost by providing additional guidance on the presentation of net benefit cost in the income statement and on the components eligible for capitalization in assets. The core principle of the ASU is to provide more transparency in the presentation of these costs by requiring the service cost component to be reported in the same line item as other compensation costs arising from services rendered by the pertinent employees during the period. The other components of net benefit cost are required to be presented separately from the service cost component and outside a subtotal of income from operations. The ASU is effective for annual reporting periods, including interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2017. However, early adoption is permitted as of the beginning of an annual period for which financial statements (interim or annual) have not been issued or made available for issuance. The Company anticipates the adoption in the effective period and we are currently evaluating the effect, if any, that the ASU will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

Recently adopted accounting standards

In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-11, Inventory (Topic 330) – Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory. The core principle of the ASU is that entities that historically used the lower of cost or market in the subsequent measurement of inventory will instead be required to measure inventory at the lower of cost and net realizable value. The guidance will not change U.S. GAAP for inventory measured using LIFO or the retail inventory method. The ASU is effective for annual reporting periods, including interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2016. This guidance became effective for us as of January 1, 2017 and there was no effect on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, Stock Compensation (Topic 718) - Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. The new guidance was developed as part of the FASB’s simplification initiative. The core principle of the ASU requires income tax effects of awards to be recognized in the income statement when the awards vest or are settled, and eliminates the requirement to report excess tax benefits in additional paid-in capital (APIC pool). It also allows an employer to repurchase more of an employee’s shares for tax withholding purposes without triggering liability accounting, and allows an employer to make a policy election to account for forfeitures as they occur. The new standard became effective for us as of January 1, 2017. During the first quarter 2017, 278,316 awards vested, and resulted in a $5.8 million tax benefit reported in earnings, and is classified as an operating activity within the condensed consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. The elimination of the APIC pool affects the treasury stock method used to calculate weighted average shares outstanding; however, the impact was not material. We elected to change our policy surrounding forfeitures, and beginning January 2017 we no longer estimate the number awards expected to be forfeited but rather account for them as they occur. We are required to implement this portion of the guidance using a modified retrospective approach, and as such have recorded a cumulative adjustment of $0.6 million in retained earnings as of January 1, 2017.

We also amended our incentive compensation and stock plan to allow JBT to have the discretion to withhold up to the maximum statutory rates, on an individual tax basis. A liability was not established as the withholding limits do not exceed the maximum. Cash paid for tax withholdings are classified as financing activity on the condensed consolidated Statement of Cash Flows, consistent with prior years.

Recently issued accounting standards not yet adopted

Beginning in 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), plus a number of related statements designed to clarify and interpret Topic 606. The new standard will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. GAAP. The core principle of the ASU requires companies to reevaluate when revenue is recorded based upon newly defined criteria, either at a point in time or over time as goods or services are delivered. The ASU requires additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer contracts, including significant judgments and estimates, and changes in those estimates. The new standard becomes effective for us as of January 1, 2018, with the option to early adopt the standard for annual periods beginning on or after December 15, 2016, and allows for both retrospective and modified-retrospective methods of adoption. The Company does not plan to early adopt the standard. We have preliminarily concluded that we will apply the retrospective transition method to adopt Topic 606, applying the allowed practical expedients, and restating our consolidated financial statements for 2016 and 2017. We are complete with our gap assessment and have determined that we will qualify for over time recognition for a large portion of our manufactured equipment as well as refurbishments. To the extent we begin recognizing revenue over time in the future, we believe this will result in an acceleration of revenue as compared to our current revenue recognition methodology of recognizing revenue at a point in time. We are continuing to quantify the impact of this change, and are in the process of executing our implementation plan.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). The new standard will replace most existing lease guidance in U.S. GAAP. The core principle of the ASU is that lessees are required to report a right to use asset and a lease payment obligation on the balance sheet but recognize expenses on their income statements in a manner similar to today’s accounting, and for lessors the guidance remains substantially similar to current U.S. GAAP. The ASU is effective for annual reporting periods, including interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2018. However, early adoption is permitted. Entities are required to use a modified retrospective approach for leases that exist or are entered into after the beginning of the earliest comparative period in the financial statements. We have not yet evaluated and cannot determine the impact this standard will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230) Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments. The new guidance is intended to reduce the existing diversity in practice in how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. The core principle of the ASU requires the classification of eight specific cash flow issues identified under ASC 230 to be presented as either financing, investing or operating, or some combination thereof, depending upon the nature of the issue. The ASU is effective for annual reporting periods, including interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2017. However, early adoption is permitted. Entities are required to use a retrospective transition approach for all of the issues identified for each period presented. We are currently evaluating the effect, if any, that the ASU will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-16, Income Taxes: Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory. The new guidance is intended to simplify the accounting for intercompany asset transfers. The core principle requires an entity to immediately recognize the tax consequences of intercompany asset transfers. The ASU is effective for annual reporting periods, including interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2017. However, early adoption is permitted only at the beginning of an annual period for which no financial statements (interim or annual) have already been issued. The Company anticipates the adoption in the effective period and we are currently evaluating the effect, if any, that the ASU will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805) - Clarifying the Definition of a Business. The core principle of the ASU is to clarify the definition of a business to require certain transactions to be accounted for as business combinations versus an acquisition of assets. The ASU is effective for annual reporting periods, including interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2017. However, early adoption is permitted for transactions that have occurred prior to the issuance of this update, but have not yet been disclosed in previous financial statements. The Company anticipates the adoption in the effective period and we are currently evaluating the effect, if any, that the ASU will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350) - Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment. The new guidance will simplify the accounting for goodwill impairment. The core principle of the ASU is to remove the requirement to calculate an implied fair value to determine impairment (Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test) and allow instead for goodwill impairment to equal the amount by which a reporting unit's carrying value exceeds its fair value, not to exceed the carrying amount of goodwill. The ASU is effective for annual reporting periods, including interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2019. However, early adoption is permitted for interim or annual goodwill impairment tests performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017. The Company does not anticipate that the ASU will have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In March 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-07, Compensation - Retirement Benefits (ASC 715) - Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Costs and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost. The new guidance will improve the presentation of pension cost by providing additional guidance on the presentation of net benefit cost in the income statement and on the components eligible for capitalization in assets. The core principle of the ASU is to provide more transparency in the presentation of these costs by requiring the service cost component to be reported in the same line item as other compensation costs arising from services rendered by the pertinent employees during the period. The other components of net benefit cost are required to be presented separately from the service cost component and outside a subtotal of income from operations. The ASU is effective for annual reporting periods, including interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2017. However, early adoption is permitted as of the beginning of an annual period for which financial statements (interim or annual) have not been issued or made available for issuance. The Company anticipates the adoption in the effective period and we are currently evaluating the effect, if any, that the ASU will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.