Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2015	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2015	Jun. 30, 2014
Income Statement [Abstract]
Gross Sales	$ 1,576,441	$ 1,523,857	$ 2,976,304	$ 2,841,978
Cash discounts	(6,433)	(6,482)	(12,518)	(11,803)
Net Sales	1,570,008	1,517,375	2,963,786	2,830,175
Cost of merchandise sold	(1,276,663)	(1,235,433)	(2,411,415)	(2,298,776)
Gross Margin	293,345	281,942	552,371	531,399
Selling, general and administrative expenses	(240,909)	(224,949)	(472,976)	(444,874)
Depreciation and amortization	(10,813)	(9,677)	(21,122)	(19,354)
Other income, net	1,217	1,429	5,559	2,158
Income from Operations	42,840	48,745	63,832	69,329
Interest expense, net	(697)	(368)	(1,210)	(758)
Income before Provision for Income Taxes	42,143	48,377	62,622	68,571
Provision for income taxes	(16,998)	(19,270)	(24,983)	(28,114)
Net Income	25,145	29,107	37,639	40,457
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	(57)	(63)	(91)	(92)
Net Income attributable to Graybar Electric Company, Inc.	$ 25,088	$ 29,044	$ 37,548	$ 40,365
Net Income per share of Common Stock (in dollars per share)	$ 1.57	$ 1.83	$ 2.35	$ 2.54
Cash Dividends per share of Common Stock (in dollars per share)	$ 0.30	$ 0.30	$ 0.60	$ 0.60
Average Common Shares Outstanding (Shares)	15,987	15,842	15,998	15,890