Earnings Per Share - Additional Information (Detail)	Jun. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016 shares	Jun. 30, 2016 shares	Dec. 31, 2015 shares
Earnings Per Share, Basic, by Common Class, Including Two Class Method [Line Items]
Common stock, shares issued (shares)		50,354,014		52,480,630
Spin-Off
Earnings Per Share, Basic, by Common Class, Including Two Class Method [Line Items]
Common stock, shares issued (shares)			53,719,878
Babcock and Wilcox Enterprises Inc | Common Stock
Earnings Per Share, Basic, by Common Class, Including Two Class Method [Line Items]
Spin-off transaction, distribution ratio of common stock	2