Commitments and Contingencies - Additional Information (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended			0 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	9 Months Ended				9 Months Ended				9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Apr. 11, 2014 Lower Passaic River mi	Jun. 30, 2007 Lower Passaic River mi	Sep. 30, 2014 Lower Passaic River entity	Jun. 30, 2014 Lower Passaic River	Apr. 11, 2014 Lower Passaic River Minimum	Apr. 11, 2014 Lower Passaic River Maximum	Sep. 30, 2014 Lodi, New Jersey Site	Dec. 31, 2013 Lodi, New Jersey Site	Sep. 30, 2014 Kent, Washington Site	Dec. 31, 2013 Kent, Washington Site	Sep. 30, 2014 Omega Chemical Corporation Superfund Site, Whittier, California
Environmental Cost [Line Items]
Accrued additional charges												$ 3.7
Accrual for Environmental Loss Contingencies	6.9		6.9		3.9							3.4	1.7	0.6	0.8	0.6
Number of entities, in addition to Hexcel, who received a directive from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection								72
Portion of the river for which interim remedial options are considered (in miles)						8	8
Expected cost of dredging of the lower eight miles of the river by EPA										800	3,250
Remediation accrual balance if accrued at lower end of the range of possible outcomes									2.3
Approximate contribution to waste tonnage (as a percent)																1.07%
Aggregate environmental accruals included in current other accrued liabilities	5.0		5.0		3.4
Remediation accrual balance if accrued at high end of the range of possible outcomes	28		28
Amount which is better estimate within range	0		0		0
Environmental remediation spending charged to reserve balance	0.2	1.5	2.9	3.3
Operating costs relating to environmental compliance	3.4	3.4	10.7	10.0
Capital expenditure for environmental matters	$ 2.4	$ 1.3	$ 4.6	$ 2.9