Long-Term Debt - Kronos Term Loan - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended		3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	1 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2014	Feb. 28, 2014	Jul. 31, 2013	Feb. 28, 2013
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Pre Tax Interest Charge	$ (8,900,000)	$ (7,200,000)
Kronos Worldwide, Inc.
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Pre Tax Interest Charge			2,300,000
Kronos Worldwide, Inc. | Long Term Debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Minimum amount of debt default for using customary default provisions				50,000,000
Kronos Worldwide, Inc. | North American Credit Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Borrowings for prepayment of term loan			50,000,000
Kronos Worldwide, Inc. | Notes Payable, Other Payables | Contran
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayment of credit facility					170,000,000
Kronos Worldwide, Inc. | Notes Payable, Other Payables | Kronos International
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Loan pledged as collateral from wholly-owned subsidiary					395,700,000
Kronos Worldwide, Inc. | Notes Payable, Other Payables | 2012 Term Loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayment of credit facility						100,000,000	290,000,000
Principal amount of promissory note	400,000,000	400,000,000
Pre Tax Interest Charge							6,600,000
Cash used for payment of term loan							100,000,000
Borrowing from Contran for prepayment of term loan							190,000,000
Repayments of long term debt from cash on hand			50,000,000
Kronos Worldwide, Inc. | Notes Payable, Other Payables | 2014 Term Loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal amount of promissory note					350,000,000
Borrowings for prepayment of term loan					348,300,000
Percentage of loan issued to principal amount					99.50%
Quarterly principal repayments					875,000
Quarterly principal repayments, commencing date					Jun. 30, 2014
Loans maturity period					Feb. 28, 2020
Long term debt prepayments terms				Voluntary principal prepayments are permitted at any time, provided that a call premium of 1% of the principal amount of such prepayment applies to any voluntary prepayment made on or before February 2015 (there is no prepayment penalty applicable to any voluntary prepayment after February 2015). We made no such voluntary prepayments through February 2015
Call premium percentage					1.00%
Voluntary prepayment, earliest date					Feb. 28, 2015
Voluntary prepayment of credit facility				0
Percentage of average interest rate, during period				4.75%
Debt instrument, Interest rate at period end				4.75%
Unamortized discount balance				$ 1,500,000
Kronos Worldwide, Inc. | Notes Payable, Other Payables | 2014 Term Loan | Libor Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Minimum LIBOR rate					1.00%
Debt instrument basis spread on variable rate					3.75%
Kronos Worldwide, Inc. | Notes Payable, Other Payables | 2014 Term Loan | Base Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument basis spread on variable rate					2.75%
Kronos Worldwide, Inc. | Notes Payable, Other Payables | 2014 Term Loan | U.S. wholly-owned subsidiaries
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Term Loan Collateralized Priority					100.00%
Kronos Worldwide, Inc. | Notes Payable, Other Payables | 2014 Term Loan | Canadian first-tier European subsidiaries
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Term Loan Collateralized Priority					65.00%