EARNINGS PER SHARE (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands, shares in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Oct. 01, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Oct. 01, 2016
Numerator:
Net income attributable to Franklin Electric Co., Inc.	$ 24,470	$ 23,664	$ 70,109	$ 61,103
Less: Undistributed earnings allocated to participating securities	200	200	500	600
Less: Undistributed earnings allocated to redeemable noncontrolling interest	0	100	0	800
Net income available to common shareholders	$ 24,300	$ 23,400	$ 69,600	$ 59,700
Basic
Basic weighted average common shares outstanding (in shares)	46.5	46.3	46.5	46.2
Effect of dilutive securities:
Non-participating employee stock options and performance awards (in shares)	0.5	0.6	0.5	0.5
Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding (in shares)	47.0	46.9	47.0	46.7
Basic earnings per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.52	$ 0.51	$ 1.50	$ 1.29
Diluted earnings per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.52	$ 0.50	$ 1.48	$ 1.28
Anti-dilutive stock options (in shares)	0.4	0.2	0.3	0.6