Commitments and Contingencies - Respirator and Environmental (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018 USD ($) individual lawsuit defendant case claim item	Dec. 31, 2017 item
Respirator Mask/Asbestos Litigation
Loss contingencies
Total number of named claimants	2,250	2,230
Number of total claims the Company prevailed after being taken to trial | claim	13
Number of total claims taken to trial | claim	14
Number of total claims settled and tried to verdict | claim	11
Number of total claims tried to verdict | claim	12
Payments for fees and settlements related to litigation | $	$ 12,000
Insurance receivables | $	$ 4,000
Respirator Mask/Asbestos Litigation | State court of Kentucky
Loss contingencies
Number of additional defendants	two
Litigation settlement awarded | $	$ 2,000
Amount of punitive damages awarded | $	$ 63,000
Respirator Mask/Asbestos Litigation - State of West Virginia
Loss contingencies
Number of additional defendants	2
Accrued loss contingency reserve | $	$ 0
Respirator Mask/Asbestos litigation - Excluding Aearo Technologies
Loss contingencies
Accrued loss contingency reserve | $	598,000
Respirator Mask/Asbestos Litigation - Aearo Technologies
Loss contingencies
Accrued loss contingency reserve | $	29,000
Quarterly fee paid to Cabot to retain responsibility and liability for products manufactured before July 11, 1995 | $	100
Environmental Matters - Remediation
Loss contingencies
Accrued loss contingency reserve | $	31,000
Insurance receivables | $	$ 8,000
Number of years remediation payments expected to be paid for applicable sites	20 years
Environmental Matters - Regulatory Activities
Loss contingencies
Number of years after phase-out decision in May 2000 that the Company stopped manufacturing and using vast majority of perfluorooctanyl compounds	2 years
Amount of PFOA and PFOS found in drinking water, either individually or combined, that are allowed per the EPA's announced lifetime health advisory levels in parts per trillion	70
Amount of PFOA in drinking water allowed per provisional health advisories in parts per trillion (superseded)	400
Amount of PFOS in drinking water allowed per provisional health advisories in parts per trillion (superseded)	200
Number of PFCs the EPA has required to have public water system suppliers monitor	6
Number of public water supplies the EPA reported results	4,920
Number of water supplies that reported above advisory level with PFOA	13
Number of water supplies that reported above advisory level with PFOS	46
Number of water supplies that reported above advisory level with both PFOA and PFOS	65
Environmental Matters - Regulatory Activities | Minimum
Loss contingencies
Number of water supply samples used to test for PFOA and PFOS under the EPA lifetime health advisory program	1
Environmental Matters - Regulatory Activities | Alabama
Loss contingencies
Number of years covered by permit for sludge containing PFCs	20 years
Environmental Matters - Regulatory Activities | Minnesota Department of Health
Loss contingencies
Amount of PFOA in drinking water allowed per Minnesota Department of Health in parts per trillion	35
Amount of PFOS in drinking water allowed per Minnesota Department of Health in parts per trillion	27
Amount of PFBS in drinking water allowed per Minnesota Department of Health in parts per billion	2
Environmental Matters - Litigation | State Court of Lawrence County, Alabama
Loss contingencies
Total number of named claimants	200
Environmental Matters - Litigation | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama
Loss contingencies
Number of unnamed defendant | defendant	3
Environmental Matters - Litigation | Alabama
Loss contingencies
Number of local water works for whom the water authority supplies water	5
Environmental Matters - Litigation | Morgan County, Alabama
Loss contingencies
Total number of named claimants	3
Environmental Matters - Litigation | Minnesota
Loss contingencies
Litigation settlement awarded | $	$ 897,000
Settlement amount paid as grant | $	850,000
Amount the State's damages expert contended that the State incurred in damages | $	5,000,000
Environmental Matters - Other Environmental Litigation
Loss contingencies
Accrued loss contingency reserve | $	$ 54,000
Number of former disposal sites with PFC present in soil and groundwater in Washington County, Minnesota	2
Environmental Matters - Other Environmental Litigation | Maximum
Loss contingencies
Number of years remediation payments expected to be paid for applicable sites	4 years
Environmental Matters - Aqueous Film Forming Foam Litigation
Loss contingencies
Number of putative class action and other lawsuits	17
Environmental Matters - Other PFC-related Environmental Litigation
Loss contingencies
Total number of named claimants | individual	8
Number of counts in a litigation case | case	4
Number of class action lawsuits | case	12
Environmental Matters - Other PFC-related Environmental Litigation | U.S. District Court of New York State
Loss contingencies
Number of lawsuits filed | lawsuit	3