Income Taxes	9 Months Ended
Jul. 31, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	INCOME TAXES Income tax expense for the quarter was computed in accordance with ASC 740-270 "Income Taxes - Interim Reporting" (ASC 740-270). Under this method, losses from jurisdictions for which a valuation allowance has been provided have not been included in the amount to which the ASC 740-270 rate was applied. Income tax expense of the Company fluctuates primarily due to changes in income mix by jurisdiction, including changes in losses and income from jurisdictions for which a valuation allowance has been provided, and the impact of discrete items in the respective quarter. Income tax expense was $27.2 million and $3.5 million for the three months ended July 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, and $62.0 million and $38.2 million for the nine months ended July 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. Prior to the three months ended January 31, 2017, the Company asserted under ASC 740-30, formerly Accounting Principles Board opinion 23 ("APB 23"), that unremitted earnings of its subsidiaries directly, or indirectly, owned by Greif International Holdings BV (“GIH”) were permanently reinvested. As a result of the Company’s debt re-financing concluded in November 2016, the Company reassessed its unremitted earnings position in the first quarter of fiscal year 2017. The Company concluded that the unremitted earnings of subsidiaries owned directly, or indirectly, by GIH may be used to fully fund the repayment of up to €187.0 million ($218.4 million as of July 31, 2017) of third-party debt of GIH’s non-U.S. parent company, Greif Luxembourg Holding Sarl, a company organized under the laws of Luxembourg. The amount of pre-2017 non-U.S. earnings that may be remitted to repay this debt is $104.0 million. Further, the Company has concluded that, until such third-party debt has been fully repaid, the current earnings of the subsidiaries owned directly, or indirectly, by GIH may be distributed to and utilized to repay such debt. Accordingly, deferred tax liabilities of $3.6 million related to withholding taxes have been recorded through the third quarter of 2017 with respect to the $104.0 million of pre-2017 unremitted earnings, which represents the total tax liability for all of the pre-2017 unremitted earnings expected to be remitted and, starting in fiscal year 2017, deferred tax liabilities have been recorded on current year earnings not required to be immediately reinvested by the respective subsidiary of GIH. During the third quarter of 2017, €145.0 million ($169.3 million as of July 31, 2017) of the debt was repaid, utilizing, in part, $104.0 million of pre-2017 earnings distributed to GIH during the quarter. Other than this change in assertion with respect to the unremitted earnings of subsidiaries owned directly, or indirectly, by GIH, the Company has not recognized U.S. deferred income taxes on its undistributed earnings from other non-U.S. subsidiaries as it is the Company’s intention to reinvest those earnings indefinitely outside of the U.S., or to repatriate the earnings only when it is tax-efficient to do so.

INCOME TAXES

Income tax expense for the quarter was computed in accordance with ASC 740-270 "Income Taxes - Interim Reporting" (ASC 740-270). Under this method, losses from jurisdictions for which a valuation allowance has been provided have not been included in the amount to which the ASC 740-270 rate was applied. Income tax expense of the Company fluctuates primarily due to changes in income mix by jurisdiction, including changes in losses and income from jurisdictions for which a valuation allowance has been provided, and the impact of discrete items in the respective quarter.

Income tax expense was $27.2 million and $3.5 million for the three months ended July 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, and $62.0 million and $38.2 million for the nine months ended July 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Prior to the three months ended January 31, 2017, the Company asserted under ASC 740-30, formerly Accounting Principles Board opinion 23 ("APB 23"), that unremitted earnings of its subsidiaries directly, or indirectly, owned by Greif International Holdings BV (“GIH”) were permanently reinvested. As a result of the Company’s debt re-financing concluded in November 2016, the Company reassessed its unremitted earnings position in the first quarter of fiscal year 2017. The Company concluded that the unremitted earnings of subsidiaries owned directly, or indirectly, by GIH may be used to fully fund the repayment of up to €187.0 million ($218.4 million as of July 31, 2017) of third-party debt of GIH’s non-U.S. parent company, Greif Luxembourg Holding Sarl, a company organized under the laws of Luxembourg. The amount of pre-2017 non-U.S. earnings that may be remitted to repay this debt is $104.0 million. Further, the Company has concluded that, until such third-party debt has been fully repaid, the current earnings of the subsidiaries owned directly, or indirectly, by GIH may be distributed to and utilized to repay such debt. Accordingly, deferred tax liabilities of $3.6 million related to withholding taxes have been recorded through the third quarter of 2017 with respect to the $104.0 million of pre-2017 unremitted earnings, which represents the total tax liability for all of the pre-2017 unremitted earnings expected to be remitted and, starting in fiscal year 2017, deferred tax liabilities have been recorded on current year earnings not required to be immediately reinvested by the respective subsidiary of GIH. During the third quarter of 2017, €145.0 million ($169.3 million as of July 31, 2017) of the debt was repaid, utilizing, in part, $104.0 million of pre-2017 earnings distributed to GIH during the quarter. Other than this change in assertion with respect to the unremitted earnings of subsidiaries owned directly, or indirectly, by GIH, the Company has not recognized U.S. deferred income taxes on its undistributed earnings from other non-U.S. subsidiaries as it is the Company’s intention to reinvest those earnings indefinitely outside of the U.S., or to repatriate the earnings only when it is tax-efficient to do so.