Equity Method Investments (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	1 Months Ended	10 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2015	Sep. 30, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Nov. 26, 2013
Assets
Current assets			$ 806,510		$ 815,809
Property and equipment , net			894,537		923,056
Other noncurrent assets			1,519,722		1,594,669
Total assets			3,220,769		3,333,534
Liabilities and Equity
Short-term borrowings, including current portion of long-term debt			68,687		68,748
Other current liabilities			397,759		360,714
Long-term debt			1,736,081		1,747,522
Other noncurrent liabilities			383,638		406,636
Total liabilities			2,586,165		2,583,620
Equity			634,604		749,914
Total liabilities and equity			3,220,769		3,333,534
Summarized Statement of Operations Information of Brand:
Net revenues		$ 2,559,556		$ 2,976,471
Gross profit		559,376		649,596
Net income (loss) attributable to Brand Energy & Infrastructure Services, Inc. and Subsidiaries		(4,848)		605
Harsco's equity in income (loss) of Brand			175		(1,558)	$ 1,548
Equity Method Investment, Underlying Equity in Net Assets							$ 225,000
Change in fair value to unit adjustment liability			8,491		9,740	$ 966
Unit adjustment liability, current and non-current			79,900		93,800
Infrastructure Transaction Strategic Venture [Member]
Summarized Statement of Operations Information of Brand:
Harsco's equity in income (loss) of Brand		$ (1,595)		$ 175
Equity Method Investments, Fair Value Disclosure			$ 250,100		$ 285,700
Total annual payments, pre-tax	$ 22,000
Total annual payments, after-tax	$ 15,000
Joint Venture, Contingency Threshold, Investee Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation, and Amortization, Percentage	2.50%
Harsco Infrastructure | Infrastructure Transaction Strategic Venture [Member]
Summarized Statement of Operations Information of Brand:
Percentage of ownership in Brand			29.00%