Commitments and Contingencies (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended			6 Months Ended			0 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	6 Months Ended			3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Apr. 11, 2014 Lower Passaic River mi	Jun. 30, 2007 Lower Passaic River mi	Jun. 30, 2014 Lower Passaic River entity	Apr. 11, 2014 Lower Passaic River Minimum	Apr. 11, 2014 Lower Passaic River Maximum	Jun. 30, 2014 Lodi, New Jersey Site	Dec. 31, 2013 Lodi, New Jersey Site	Jun. 30, 2014 Kent, Washington Site	Dec. 31, 2013 Kent, Washington Site	Jun. 30, 2014 Omega Chemical Corporation Superfund Site, Whittier, California
Environmental costs
Accrual for environmental remediation	$ 7,200,000			$ 7,200,000		$ 3,900,000						$ 3,600,000		$ 600,000	$ 800,000	$ 600,000
Number of entities, in addition to Hexcel, who received a directive from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection									72
Expected cost of dredging of the lower eight miles of the river by EPA										800,000,000	3,250,000,000
Remediation accrual balance if accrued at lower end of the range of possible outcomes									2,300,000
Accrued additional charges												3,700,000	1,700,000
Portion of the river for which interim remedial options are considered (in miles)							8	8
Approximate contribution to waste tonnage (as a percent)																1.07%
Aggregate environmental accruals included in current other accrued liabilities	5,300,000			5,300,000		3,400,000
Amount which is a better estimate within the range	0			0
Remediation accrual balance if accrued at high end of the range of possible outcomes	28,000,000			28,000,000
Environmental remediation spending charged to reserve balance	1,700,000		1,000,000	2,700,000	1,800,000
Operating costs relating to environmental compliance	3,700,000		3,300,000	7,200,000	6,500,000
Capital expenditure for environmental matters	1,100,000		800,000	2,200,000	1,500,000
Changes in accrued product warranty cost
Balance at the beginning of the period	4,300,000	4,500,000		4,500,000
Warranty expense	1,900,000	500,000
Deductions and other	(1,000,000)	(700,000)
Balance at the end of the period	$ 5,200,000	$ 4,300,000		$ 5,200,000