Business Segment Information - Additional Information (Detail)	12 Months Ended
Oct. 31, 2012 acre
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Measurement Area of timber properties in the south eastern United States which are actively managed in acres	270,100
Measurement Area of timber properties in Canada which are not actively managed in acres	11,860

Measurement area of timber properties which are not actively managed.

No definition available.

Name:	gef_MeasurementAreaOfTimberPropertiesWhichAreNotActivelyManaged
Namespace Prefix:	gef_
Data Type:	num:areaItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration