Document and Entity Information - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	May 31, 2016	Aug. 08, 2016	Nov. 30, 2015
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	May 31, 2016
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2016
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Trading Symbol	ELRC
Entity Registrant Name	ELECTRO RENT CORP
Entity Central Index Key	0000032166
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--05-31
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		24,200,660
Entity Public Float			$ 159,711,978