Total Amount outstanding under equity method investment's applicable credit facilities

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The equity method investment's available credit facilities subject to guarantee.

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The portion of the equity investment's outstanding balance under its credit facilities that is guaranteed by parent company.

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The interest rate on the note to related party in excess of LIBOR.

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Interest rate per year in excess of Euribor as of date of the note.

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Line of credit extended to joint venture

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Line of Credit Extended To Joint Venture Amount Outstanding

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Line of credit extended to joint venture maturity date

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Line of credit facility extended to joint venture maximum interest rate.

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Line of credit facility extended to joint venture minimum interest rate.

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The number of sheet processing facilities operated by Steel Technologies.

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Step-up to fair value of equity method investment, portion related to identification of goodwill.

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The aggregate amount of recurring noncash expense charged against earnings in the period to allocate the cost of assets over their estimated remaining economic lives.

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Aggregate amount of receivables to be collected from related parties where one party can exercise control or significant influence over another party; including affiliates, owners or officers and their immediate families, pension trusts, and so forth, at the financial statement date. which are usually due after one year (or one business cycle).

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The item represents the difference, if any, between the amount at which an investment accounted for under the equity method of accounting is carried (reported) on the balance sheet and the amount of underlying equity in net assets the reporting Entity has in the investee. A difference can arise between the carrying value of the equity method investment and the value of the Entity's amount of underlying equity in net assets of the investee, for example, from appreciation of certain assets which is not recognized in earnings, but is recognized in other comprehensive income (a separate component of shareholders' equity) by the investee.

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This item represents an other than temporary decline in value that has been recognized against an investment accounted for under the equity method of accounting. The excess of the carrying amount over the fair value of the investment represents the amount of the write down which is or was reflected in earnings. The written down value is a new cost basis with the adjusted value of the investment becoming its new carrying value subject to the equity accounting method. Evidence of a loss in value might include, but would not necessarily be limited to, absence of an ability to recover the carrying amount of the investment or inability of the investee to sustain an earnings capacity which would justify the carrying amount of the investment.

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The percentage of ownership of common stock or equity participation in the investee accounted for under the equity method of accounting.

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This item represents the carrying amount on the entity's balance sheet of its investment in common stock of an equity method investee. This is not an indicator of the fair value of the investment, rather it is the initial cost adjusted for the entity's share of earnings and losses of the investee, adjusted for any distributions (dividends) and other than temporary impairment (OTTI) losses recognized.

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This item represents the entity's ownership percentage in the investee multiplied by the investee's total equity.

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For an unclassified balance sheet, amounts due from parties associated with the reporting entity as evidenced by a written promise to pay.

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The cash outflow associated with the investment in or advances to an entity in which the reporting entity shares control of the entity with another party or group.

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Identify the stated interest rate per the agreement, for example, leasing and debt arrangements between related parties.

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Equity Investments (Details)	9 Months Ended			3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended			3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended				9 Months Ended
Equity Investments (Details)	Oct. 01, 2011 USD ($)	Oct. 02, 2010 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2010 USD ($)	Oct. 01, 2011 Dust Recycling Project [Member] USD ($)	Oct. 01, 2011 EURO [Member] Duferdofin Nucor S.r.l [Member] EUR (€)	Oct. 01, 2011 EURO [Member] Nucor [Member] EUR (€)	Oct. 01, 2011 NuMit [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2010 NuMit [Member] USD ($)	Apr. 30, 2010 NuMit [Member]	Oct. 01, 2011 Duferdofin Nucor S.r.l [Member] USD ($)	Oct. 02, 2010 Duferdofin Nucor S.r.l [Member] USD ($)	Oct. 01, 2011 Duferdofin Nucor S.r.l [Member] USD ($)	Oct. 02, 2010 Duferdofin Nucor S.r.l [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2010 Duferdofin Nucor S.r.l [Member] USD ($)	Oct. 01, 2011 Nucor [Member] USD ($)	Oct. 01, 2011 Steel Technologies LLC [Member] USD ($)	Apr. 30, 2010 Steel Technologies LLC [Member]
Joint venture line of credit maturity date																Apr. 01, 2012
Equity method investments	$ 787,300,000		$ 797,600,000				$ 252,100,000	$ 229,100,000		$ 514,100,000		$ 514,100,000		$ 531,900,000
Equity method investments, share of net assets										69,300,000		69,300,000
Step-up to fair value of certain assets and liabilities										452,200,000		452,200,000
Step-up to fair value of equity method investment, portion related to identification of goodwill												326,100,000
Notes receivable, related parties																40,000,000
Notes receivable, related parties, interest rate												2.43%				1.15%
Equity method investment, ownership percentage									50.00%	50.00%		50.00%					100.00%
Amortization expense and other purchase accounting adjustments due to fair value step-up	51,675,000	53,378,000								3,000,000	2,800,000	9,100,000	8,500,000
Interest rate per year in excess of Euribor as of date of the note												1.00%
Investment in joint venture							221,300,000
Line of credit extended to joint venture																120,000,000
Line of credit extended to joint venture, amount outstanding																90,000,000
Line of credit facility extended to joint venture, interest rate range minimum																2.73%
Line of credit facility extended to joint venture, interest rate range maximum																2.74%
Interest rate on note to related party in excess of LIBOR																90
Due from related parties, noncurrent					20,000,000					27,000,000		27,000,000
Equity method investment's credit facilities					112,500,000
Total amount outstanding under equity method investment's applicable credit facilities					107,800,000
Amount outstanding under equity method investment's credit facilities guaranteed by Nucor						53,900,000									72,700,000
Impairment charges				$ 13,900,000
Number of sheet processing facilities operated by Steel Technologies							25