Document And Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Nov. 30, 2012	Jan. 08, 2013
Entity Information [Line Items]
Trading Symbol	CMC
Entity Registrant Name	COMMERCIAL METALS CO
Entity Central Index Key	0000022444
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Nov. 30, 2012
Amendment Flag	false
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2013
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--08-31
Entity Tax Identification Number	750725338
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		116,509,667