Document and Entity Information - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Feb. 28, 2018
Document Documentand Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Aug. 31, 2018
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2018
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q4
Trading Symbol	ATU
Entity Registrant Name	ACTUANT CORP
Entity Central Index Key	0000006955
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--08-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		61,016,012
Entity Public Float			$ 1,371,573,067