Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) $ in Thousands, CAD in Millions	3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2015 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2015 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2015 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2016 CAD
Income Tax Disclosure [Line Items]
Dividends received from Kronos Worldwide, Inc.				$ 15,849	$ 15,849
Non-cash income tax benefit related to uncertain tax positions					3,000
Kronos
Income Tax Disclosure [Line Items]
Dividends received from Kronos Worldwide, Inc.				15,800	$ 15,800
Non-cash deferred tax expense (benefit)		$ (2,300)	$ 150,300	$ (2,100)
Kronos | US-Canada APA
Income Tax Disclosure [Line Items]
U.S.-Canada Advance Pricing Agreement, description				Tax authorities are examining certain of our U.S. and non-U.S. tax returns, including those of Kronos, and tax authorities have or may propose tax deficiencies, including penalties and interest. Because of the inherent uncertainties involved in settlement initiatives and court and tax proceedings, we cannot guarantee that these matters will be resolved in our favor, and therefore our potential exposure, if any, is also uncertain. As a result of ongoing audits in in certain jurisdictions, in 2008 Kronos filed Advance Pricing Agreement Requests with the tax authorities in the U.S., Canada and Germany. These requests have been under review with the respective tax authorities since 2008 and prior to the third quarter of 2016, it was uncertain whether an agreement would be reached between the tax authorities and whether Kronos would agree to execute and finalize such agreements. During the third quarter of 2016, Contran, as the ultimate parent of our U.S. Consolidated income tax group, executed and finalized an Advance Pricing Agreement with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and Kronos’ Canadian subsidiary executed and finalized an Advance Pricing Agreement with the Competent Authority for Canada (collectively, the “U.S.-Canada APA”) effective for tax years 2005 - 2015.
U.S Income tax benefit	$ 5,600
Kronos Canadian Subsidiary | US-Canada APA
Income Tax Disclosure [Line Items]
Income tax payable	$ 2,300			$ 2,300		CAD 3
Kronos Canadian Subsidiary | US-Canada APA | Canada Revenue Agency | Earliest Tax Year
Income Tax Disclosure [Line Items]
Effective tax year	2005
Kronos Canadian Subsidiary | US-Canada APA | Canada Revenue Agency | Latest Tax Year
Income Tax Disclosure [Line Items]
Effective tax year	2015