Basis of Financial Statement Presentation	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2017
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Financial Statement Presentation	Basis of Financial Statement Presentation Description of Business Lydall, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company” or “Lydall”) design and manufacture specialty engineered nonwoven filtration media, industrial thermal insulating solutions, and thermal and acoustical barriers for filtration/separation and heat abatement and sound dampening applications. On July 7, 2016, the Company completed an acquisition of the nonwoven and coating materials businesses primarily operating under the Texel brand (“Texel”) from ADS, Inc. (“ADS”), a Canadian based corporation. The Texel operations manufacture nonwoven needle punch materials and predominantly serve the geosynthetic, liquid filtration, and other industrial markets. The acquired businesses are included in the Company's Technical Nonwovens reporting segment. On December 31, 2016, the Company completed an acquisition of the nonwoven needle punch materials businesses, operating under the Gutsche (“Gutsche”) brand, a German based corporation. The Gutsche operations manufacture nonwoven needle punch materials and predominantly serve the industrial filtration and high performance nonwoven markets. The acquired businesses are included in the Company's Technical Nonwovens reporting segment. Basis of Presentation The accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Lydall, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All financial information is unaudited for the interim periods reported. All significant intercompany transactions have been eliminated in the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). The operating results of Texel and Gutsche have been included in the Consolidated Statements of Operations beginning on their respective dates of acquisition through March 31, 2017. As part of the acquisition of Texel, the Company acquired a fifty percent interest in a joint venture, Afitex Texel Geosynthetiques Inc., which is accounted for under the equity method of accounting. The year-end Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet was derived from the December 31, 2016 audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Management believes that all adjustments, which include only normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair statement of the Company’s condensed consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods reported, have been included. For further information, refer to the audited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016. Recent Accounting Pronouncements In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-11, “Inventory” (Topic 330): Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory." This ASU requires an entity to measure inventory at the lower of cost and net realizable value. Net realizable value is the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal, and transportation. Subsequent measurement is unchanged for inventory measured using last-in, first-out (“LIFO”) or the retail inventory method. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. The adoption of this ASU did not have any impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)." The objective of this standard update is to remove inconsistent practices with regard to revenue recognition between US GAAP and IFRS. The standard intends to improve comparability of revenue recognition practices across entities, industries, jurisdictions and capital markets. ASU 2014-09 is effective for the Company’s interim and annual reporting periods beginning January 1, 2018, and is to be adopted using either a full retrospective or modified retrospective transition method with early adoption permitted for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016. The Company anticipates adopting ASU 2014-09 under the modified retrospective transition method, with the cumulative effect of initially adopting this standard recognized through retained earnings at the date of adoption. The Company has developed a project plan that includes a phased approach to implementing ASU 2014-09. During the remainder of 2017, the Company will be completing the second phase which includes conversion activities, such as establishing policies, identifying system impacts, integration of the standard update into financial reporting processes and systems, and developing an understanding of the financial impact of this statement on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. The Company anticipates the transition to the new standard will result in changes to revenue recognition practices but the Company will be unable to quantify that impact until the second phase of the project has been completed. Subsequent to the issuance of ASU No. 2014-09, the FASB has issued the following update; ASU No. 2016-20, “Technical Corrections and Improvements to Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers”. The amendments in this update affects the guidance contained within ASU 2014-09 and will be assessed as part of the Company's revenue recognition project plan. In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2016-02, "Leases (Topic 842)". This ASU requires entities that lease assets with lease terms of more than 12 months to recognize right-of-use assets and lease liabilities created by those leases on their balance sheets. The ASU will also require new qualitative and quantitative disclosures to help investors and other financial statement users better understand the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the method and impact the adoption of ASU 2016-02 will have on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and disclosures.

Basis of Financial Statement Presentation

Description of Business

Lydall, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company” or “Lydall”) design and manufacture specialty engineered nonwoven filtration media, industrial thermal insulating solutions, and thermal and acoustical barriers for filtration/separation and heat abatement and sound dampening applications.

On July 7, 2016, the Company completed an acquisition of the nonwoven and coating materials businesses primarily operating under the Texel brand (“Texel”) from ADS, Inc. (“ADS”), a Canadian based corporation. The Texel operations manufacture nonwoven needle punch materials and predominantly serve the geosynthetic, liquid filtration, and other industrial markets. The acquired businesses are included in the Company's Technical Nonwovens reporting segment.

On December 31, 2016, the Company completed an acquisition of the nonwoven needle punch materials businesses, operating under the Gutsche (“Gutsche”) brand, a German based corporation. The Gutsche operations manufacture nonwoven needle punch materials and predominantly serve the industrial filtration and high performance nonwoven markets. The acquired businesses are included in the Company's Technical Nonwovens reporting segment.

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Lydall, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All financial information is unaudited for the interim periods reported. All significant intercompany transactions have been eliminated in the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). The operating results of Texel and Gutsche have been included in the Consolidated Statements of Operations beginning on their respective dates of acquisition through March 31, 2017. As part of the acquisition of Texel, the Company acquired a fifty percent interest in a joint venture, Afitex Texel Geosynthetiques Inc., which is accounted for under the equity method of accounting. The year-end Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet was derived from the December 31, 2016 audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Management believes that all adjustments, which include only normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair statement of the Company’s condensed consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods reported, have been included. For further information, refer to the audited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-11, “Inventory” (Topic 330): Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory." This ASU requires an entity to measure inventory at the lower of cost and net realizable value. Net realizable value is the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal, and transportation. Subsequent measurement is unchanged for inventory measured using last-in, first-out (“LIFO”) or the retail inventory method. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. The adoption of this ASU did not have any impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)." The objective of this standard update is to remove inconsistent practices with regard to revenue recognition between US GAAP and IFRS. The standard intends to improve comparability of revenue recognition practices across entities, industries, jurisdictions and capital markets. ASU 2014-09 is effective for the Company’s interim and annual reporting periods beginning January 1, 2018, and is to be adopted using either a full retrospective or modified retrospective transition method with early adoption permitted for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016. The Company anticipates adopting ASU 2014-09 under the modified retrospective transition method, with the cumulative effect of initially adopting this standard recognized through retained earnings at the date of adoption.

The Company has developed a project plan that includes a phased approach to implementing ASU 2014-09. During the remainder of 2017, the Company will be completing the second phase which includes conversion activities, such as establishing policies, identifying system impacts, integration of the standard update into financial reporting processes and systems, and developing an understanding of the financial impact of this statement on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. The Company anticipates the transition to the new standard will result in changes to revenue recognition practices but the Company will be unable to quantify that impact until the second phase of the project has been completed.

Subsequent to the issuance of ASU No. 2014-09, the FASB has issued the following update; ASU No. 2016-20, “Technical Corrections and Improvements to Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers”. The amendments in this update affects the guidance contained within ASU 2014-09 and will be assessed as part of the Company's revenue recognition project plan.

In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2016-02, "Leases (Topic 842)". This ASU requires entities that lease assets with lease terms of more than 12 months to recognize right-of-use assets and lease liabilities created by those leases on their balance sheets. The ASU will also require new qualitative and quantitative disclosures to help investors and other financial statement users better understand the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the method and impact the adoption of ASU 2016-02 will have on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and disclosures.