Business Segment Information (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Holding Percentage of Subsidiaries

Business segment	Entity	% controlled at March 31, 2019
Chemicals	Kronos	80	%
Component products	CompX	87	%
Real estate management and development	BMI and LandWell	63% - 77	%

Segment Operating Performance

		Three months ended March 31,
		2018				2019
			(unaudited)
Net sales:
Chemicals	$		430.4		$		436.5
Component products			28.4				31.2
Real estate management and development			7.2				11.9
Total net sales	$		466.0		$		479.6
Cost of sales:
Chemicals	$		256.1		$		327.7
Component products			18.9				21.5
Real estate management and development			5.7				8.6
Total cost of sales	$		280.7		$		357.8
Gross margin:
Chemicals	$		174.3		$		108.8
Component products			9.5				9.7
Real estate management and development			1.5				3.3
Total gross margin	$		185.3		$		121.8
Operating income:
Chemicals	$		110.6		$		52.8
Component products			4.4				4.4
Real estate management and development			3.8				3.2
Total operating income			118.8				60.4
General corporate items:
Securities earnings			8.3				3.1
Insurance recoveries			.2				.3
Gain on land sales			12.5				—
Changes in market value of Valhi common stock held by subsidiaries			(.3	)			1.1
Other components of net periodic pension and OPEB cost			(3.7	)			(4.1	)
General expenses, net			(14.0	)			(7.9	)
Interest expense			(15.4	)			(10.3	)
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	$		106.4		$		42.6