Document and Entity Information - shares	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018	Jul. 16, 2018
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	HEXCEL CORP /DE/
Entity Central Index Key	0000717605
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2018
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		87,519,465
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2018
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Trading Symbol	HXL