Financial instruments: (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Fair Value Measurements of financial instruments

The following table summarizes the valuation of our short-term investments and financial instruments by the ASC Topic 820 categories as of December 31, 2011 and 2012:

	Fair Value Measurements
	Total			Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1)			Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
	(In millions)
Asset (liability)
December 31, 2011:
Marketable securities:
Current	$	22.5		$	20.9		$	1.6	$	—
Noncurrent		354.1			100.3			3.8		250.0
Currency forward contracts		(.8	)		(.8	)		—		—
December 31, 2012:
Marketable securities:
Current	$	.9		$	—		$	.9	$	—
Noncurrent		256.8			3.5			3.3		250.0
Currency forward contracts		1.8			1.8			—		—

Financial Instruments not Carried at Fair Value

The following table presents the financial instruments that are not carried at fair value but which require fair value disclosure as of December 31, 2011 and 2012:

	December 31,
	2011				2012
	Carrying amount		Fair value		Carrying amount		Fair value
	(In millions)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash equivalents	$	109.3	$	109.3	$	395.9	$	395.9
Note receivable from Contran		11.2		11.2		—		—
Long-term debt (excluding capitalized leases):
Publicly-traded fixed rate debt—
Kronos Senior Secured Notes	$	360.6	$	362.6	$	—	$	—
Kronos term loan		—		—		384.5		396.8
Snake River Sugar Company fixed rate loans		250.0		250.0		250.0		250.0
WCS fixed rate debt		82.8		82.8		77.1		77.1
Valhi Contran credit facility		—		—		157.6		157.6
Kronos variable rate bank credit facility		—		—		13.2		13.2
CompX variable rate promissory note		22.2		22.2		18.5		18.5
CompX variable rate bank credit facility		2.0		2.0		—		—
NL variable rate promissory note		9.0		9.0		—		—
Noncontrolling interest in:
Kronos common stock	$	240.2	$	409.4	$	267.0	$	442.6
NL common stock		84.6		107.3		77.8		94.8
CompX common stock		11.0		23.9		13.3		23.4
Valhi stockholders’ equity	$	657.2	$	6,835.3	$	733.6	$	4,238.9