Document and Entity information (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Jul. 31, 2012	Jan. 31, 2012	Sep. 28, 2012 Common Stock	Sep. 28, 2012 Common Class B
Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	OIL DRI CORP OF AMERICA
Entity Central Index Key	0000074046
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--07-31
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-K
Document Period End Date	Jul. 31, 2012
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding			4,879,226	2,050,118
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Public Float		$ 105,910,000