Earnings Per Share and Stock Repurchase Activity - Reconciliation of Numerators and Denominators (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Aug. 29, 2015	Aug. 30, 2014	Aug. 29, 2015	Aug. 30, 2014
Earnings Per Share and Stock Repurchase Activity [Abstract]
Weighted average number of shares outstanding - Basic (in shares)	50,099,852	50,395,007	50,188,327	50,457,436
Dilutive effect of stock-based arrangements (in shares)	425,197	486,587	513,163	459,584
Weighted average number of shares outstanding - Diluted (in shares)	50,525,049	50,881,594	50,701,490	50,917,020
Net earnings attributable to CLARCOR Inc.	$ 36,445	$ 41,703	$ 101,651	$ 100,576
Net earnings per share attributable to CLARCOR Inc. - Basic (in dollars per share)	$ 0.73	$ 0.83	$ 2.03	$ 1.99
Net earnings per share attributable to CLARCOR Inc. - Diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 0.72	$ 0.82	$ 2.00	$ 1.98