Long-term Debt Narrative (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended			0 Months Ended			0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended											12 Months Ended				12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Jul. 03, 2013 Steel Energy Ltd	Jul. 03, 2013 Energy Credit Agreement Long-term Debt Steel Energy Ltd	Jul. 03, 2013 Energy Credit Agreement Term Loan Steel Energy Ltd	Jul. 03, 2013 Energy Credit Agreement Line of Credit Revolving Credit Facility Steel Energy Ltd	Dec. 31, 2013 Amended Credit Agreement Steel Energy Ltd	Dec. 31, 2013 Amended Credit Agreement Steel Energy Ltd Base Rate	Dec. 31, 2013 Amended Credit Agreement Steel Energy Ltd LIBOR	Dec. 31, 2013 Amended Credit Agreement Steel Energy Ltd Federal Funds Rate	Dec. 31, 2013 Amended Credit Agreement Minimum Steel Energy Ltd Base Rate	Dec. 31, 2013 Amended Credit Agreement Minimum Steel Energy Ltd LIBOR	Dec. 31, 2013 Amended Credit Agreement Maximum Steel Energy Ltd Base Rate	Dec. 31, 2013 Amended Credit Agreement Maximum Steel Energy Ltd LIBOR	Dec. 31, 2013 Amended Credit Agreement Quarterly Periods Through June 15, 2015 Steel Energy Ltd	Dec. 31, 2013 Amended Credit Agreement Quarterly Periods Through June 30, 2017 Steel Energy Ltd	Dec. 31, 2013 Amended Credit Agreement Quarterly Periods After June 30, 2017 Steel Energy Ltd	Dec. 31, 2013 Amended Credit Agreement Quarterly Periods Through December 31, 2016 Steel Energy Ltd	Dec. 31, 2013 Amended Credit Agreement Quarterly Periods After December 31, 2016 Steel Energy Ltd	Dec. 31, 2013 Amended Credit Agreement Sun Well Steel Energy Ltd	Dec. 31, 2013 Amended Credit Agreement Steel Energy Ltd Steel Partners	Dec. 31, 2013 Amended Credit Agreement Revolving Credit Facility Minimum Steel Energy Ltd	Dec. 31, 2013 Amended Credit Agreement Revolving Credit Facility Maximum Steel Energy Ltd	Dec. 31, 2013 Amended Credit Agreement Long-term Debt Steel Energy Ltd	Dec. 31, 2013 Amended Credit Agreement Term Loan Steel Energy Ltd	Dec. 31, 2013 Sun Well Credit Agreement Sun Well	Dec. 31, 2012 Sun Well Credit Agreement Sun Well	Dec. 31, 2013 Sun Well Credit Agreement Term Loan Sun Well	Dec. 31, 2013 Sun Well Credit Agreement Line of Credit Revolving Credit Facility Sun Well
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt	$ 92,500,000				$ 80,000,000	$ 70,000,000																			$ 25,000,000	$ 92,500,000			$ 20,000,000
Maximum borrowing capacity							10,000,000																							5,000,000
Borrowing base of eligible accounts receivable (as a percent)							85.00%
Proceeds from dividends received				80,000,000
Unamortized debt issuance expense																									1,400,000
Quarterly installments																									3,300,000
Description of variable rate basis									Base Rate	LIBOR	Federal Funds Rate
Basis spread on variable rate (as a percent)										1.00%	0.50%	1.50%	2.50%	2.25%	3.25%
Commitment fee percentage (as a percent)																							0.375%	0.50%
Effective interest rate (as a percent)								3.00%
Interest expense								1,400,000																			300,000	400,000
Interest on term loans																										1,100,000
Amortization of deferred financing fees								300,000
Leverage ratio																3.00	2.75	2.5
Fixed charge coverage ratio																			1.15	1.25
Ownership interest percentage (as a percent)																					100.00%	35.00%
Loss on extinguishment of debt	$ 463,000	$ 0	$ 0																								$ 500,000