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Label Element Value
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Registrant Name dei_EntityRegistrantName GMO TRUST
Prospectus Date rr_ProspectusDate Jun. 30, 2012
GMO Trust | GMO Resources Fund
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Risk/Return [Heading] rr_RiskReturnHeading GMO RESOURCES FUND
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock Total return.
Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading Fees and expenses
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock The tables below describe the fees and expenses that you may pay for each class of shares if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.
Shareholder Fees Caption [Text] rr_ShareholderFeesCaption Shareholder fees
(fees paid directly from your investment)
Operating Expenses Caption [Text] rr_OperatingExpensesCaption Annual Fund operating expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination June 30, 2013
Portfolio Turnover [Heading] rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading Portfolio turnover
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block] rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities. A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the Fund’s initial fiscal period (from December 28, 2011 to February 29, 2012), the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate (excluding short-term investments) was 15% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 15.00%
Other Expenses, New Fund, Based on Estimates [Text] rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates The amounts represent an estimate based on the operating expenses incurred during the Fund’s initial fiscal year.
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated, regardless of whether or not you redeem your shares at the end of such periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same as those shown in the table. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Expense Example by, Year, Caption [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption If you sell your shares
Expense Example, No Redemption, By Year, Caption [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionByYearCaption If you do not sell your shares
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading Principal investment strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock The Fund has a fundamental policy to concentrate its investments in the natural resources sector, and, under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in the securities of companies in that sector. The Fund considers the “natural resources sector” to include companies that own, produce, refine, process, transport and market natural resources and companies that provide related equipment, infrastructure and services. The sector includes, for example, the following industries: integrated oil, oil and gas exploration and production, gold and other precious metals, steel and iron ore production, energy services and technology, base metal production, forest products, farming products, paper products, chemicals, building materials, coal, water, alternative energy sources, and environmental services. The Fund is permitted to invest directly and indirectly (e.g., through underlying funds or derivatives) in securities of companies tied economically to any country in the world, including emerging countries. In addition to its investments in companies in the natural resources sector, the Fund also may invest up to 20% of its net assets in securities of any type of company.

The Manager selects investments for the Fund based on the Manager’s assessment of which segments of the natural resources sector offer the best investment opportunities. That assessment may be based on the relative attractiveness of individual natural resources, including supply and demand fundamentals and pricing outlook. The Manager may use a combination of investment methods to identify companies and may analyze individual companies based on their financial, operational, and managerial strength and valuation. Other methods focus on patterns of price volatility of a security or groups of securities. The Manager may adjust the Fund’s portfolio for factors such as position size, market capitalization, currency exposure, and exposure to groups such as commodity type, industry and sector exposure, and market capitalization. The factors considered and investment methods used by the Manager can change over time.

The Fund may invest in securities of any type, including without limitation, common stocks and other stock-related securities, such as preferred stocks, convertible securities, depositary receipts, and exchange-traded equity REITs and income trusts, shares of royalty trusts and master limited partnerships and fixed income securities (including fixed income securities of any maturity and below investment grade securities (commonly referred to as “junk bonds”)). The Fund may invest in the securities of companies of any market capitalization.

As a substitute for direct investments in securities of companies in the natural resources sector, the Manager may use exchange-traded and over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivatives and exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”). The Manager also may use derivatives and ETFs: (i) in an attempt to reduce investment exposures (which may result in a reduction below zero); (ii) in an attempt to adjust elements of the Fund’s investment exposure; and (iii) as a substitute for securities lending. Derivatives used may include futures, options, forward currency contracts, and swap contracts. In addition, the Fund may lend its portfolio securities.

For cash management purposes, the Fund may invest in U.S. Treasury Fund and unaffiliated money market funds.
Strategy Portfolio Concentration [Text] rr_StrategyPortfolioConcentration The Fund has a fundamental policy to concentrate its investments in the natural resources sector, and, under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in the securities of companies in that sector.
Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading Principal risks of investing in the Fund
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock The value of the Fund’s shares changes with the value of the Fund’s investments. Many factors can affect this value, and you may lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund is a non-diversified investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and therefore a decline in the market value of a particular security held by the Fund may affect the Fund’s performance more than if the Fund were a diversified investment company. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. For a more complete discussion of these risks, see “Description of Principal Risks.”
  • Natural Resources Risk – By concentrating its investments in the natural resources sector, the Fund is particularly exposed to adverse developments, including adverse price movements, affecting issuers in that sector and is subject to greater risks than a fund that invests in a wider range of industries. In addition, the prices of securities of companies in the natural resources sector may be more volatile than securities of companies in other industries. Some of the commodities used as raw materials or produced by these companies are subject to broad price fluctuations as a result of industry wide supply and demand factors. Companies in the natural resources sector often have limited pricing power over supplies or for the products they sell and that can affect their profitability. Companies in the natural resources sector also may be subject to special risks associated with natural or man-made disasters. In addition, the natural resources sector can be especially affected by events relating to international political and economic developments, government regulations, energy conservation, and the success of exploration projects. Because the Fund invests primarily in the natural resources sector, it runs the risk of performing poorly during an economic downturn or a decline in demand for natural resources.
  • Commodities Risk – Commodities prices can be extremely volatile and exposure to commodities can cause the price of the Fund’s shares to decline and fluctuate more than the price of shares of a fund with a broader range of investments.
  • Market Risk – Equity Securities – The market price of equity investments may decline due to factors affecting the issuing companies, their industries, or the economy and equity markets generally. If the Fund purchases equity investments at a discount from their value as determined by the Manager, the Fund runs the risk that the market prices of these investments will not appreciate to or decline from that value for a variety of reasons, one of which may be the Manager’s overestimation of the value of those investments. The Fund also may purchase equity investments that typically trade at higher multiples of current earnings than other securities, and the market prices of these investments often are more sensitive to changes in future earnings expectations than those other securities. Because the Fund normally does not take temporary defensive positions, declines in stock market prices generally are likely to reduce the net asset value of the Fund’s shares.
  • Management and Operational Risk – The Fund runs the risk that GMO’s investment techniques will fail to produce desired results. In particular, the Fund is subject to the risk that the Manager will identify a segment of the natural resources sector that will appreciate but that the Fund will not be able to benefit from that appreciation because the Manager is not able to gain exposure to that segment or because the Manager invests in companies whose security valuations do not correlate with that segment of the natural resources sector. The Fund’s portfolio managers may use quantitative analyses and models, and any imperfections or limitations in those analyses and models could affect the ability of the portfolio managers to implement the strategies they wish to pursue. By necessity, these analyses and models make simplifying assumptions that limit their efficacy. Models that appear to explain prior market data can fail to predict future market events. Further, the data used in models may be inaccurate and may not include the most recent information about a company or a security. The Fund also runs the risk that GMO’s fundamental assessment of an investment may be wrong or that deficiencies in GMO’s or another service provider’s internal systems or controls will cause losses for the Fund or impair Fund operations.
  • Focused Investment Risk – Focusing investments in sectors and industries with high positive correlations to one another creates more risk than if the Fund’s investments were less correlated. The Fund’s concentration in the natural resources sector makes the Fund’s net asset value particularly susceptible to economic, market, political and other developments affecting the natural resources sector.
  • Non-U.S. Investment Risk – The market prices of many non-U.S. securities fluctuate more than those of U.S. securities. Many non-U.S. markets are less stable, smaller, less liquid, and less regulated than U.S. markets, and the cost of trading in those markets often is higher than in U.S. markets. Non-U.S. portfolio transactions generally involve higher commission rates, transfer taxes, and custodial costs than similar transactions in the U.S. In addition, the Fund may be subject to non-U.S. taxes, including potentially on a retroactive basis, on (i) capital gains it realizes or dividends or interest it receives on non-U.S. securities, (ii) transactions in those securities and (iii) the repatriation of proceeds generated from the sale of those securities. Also, many non-U.S. markets require a license for the Fund to invest directly in those markets, and the Fund is subject to the risk that it could not invest if its license were terminated or suspended. In some non-U.S. markets, prevailing custody and trade settlement practices (e.g., the requirement to pay for securities prior to receipt) expose the Fund to credit and other risks with respect to participating brokers, custodians, clearing banks or other clearing agents, escrow agents and issuers. Further, adverse changes in investment regulations, capital requirements or exchange controls could adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments. These and other risks (e.g., nationalization, expropriation or other confiscation of assets of non-U.S. issuers) tend to be greater for investments in companies tied economically to emerging countries, the economies of which tend to be more volatile than the economies of developed countries.
  • Currency Risk – Fluctuations in exchange rates can adversely affect the market value of the Fund’s non-U.S. currency holdings and investments denominated in non-U.S. currencies.
  • Derivatives Risk – The use of derivatives involves the risk that their value may not move as expected relative to the value of the relevant underlying assets, rates, or indices. Derivatives also present other risks, including market risk, liquidity risk, currency risk and counterparty risk.
  • Counterparty Risk – The Fund runs the risk that the counterparty to an OTC derivatives contract or a borrower of the Fund’s securities will be unable or unwilling to make timely settlement payments or otherwise honor its obligations.
  • Leveraging Risk – The use of derivatives and securities lending creates leverage. Leverage increases the magnitude of the Fund’s losses when the value of its investments (including derivatives) declines.
  • Liquidity Risk – Low trading volume, lack of a market maker, large position size, or legal restrictions may limit or prevent the Fund from selling particular securities or unwinding derivative positions at desirable prices.
  • Smaller Company Risk – Smaller companies may have limited product lines, markets, or financial resources, may lack the competitive strength of larger companies, or may lack managers with experience or depend on a few key employees. The securities of small- and mid-cap companies often are less widely held and trade less frequently and in lesser quantities, and their market prices often fluctuate more, than the securities of companies with larger market capitalizations.
  • Market Disruption and Geopolitical Risk – Geopolitical and other events may disrupt securities markets and adversely affect global economies and markets. Those events, as well as other changes in non-U.S. and U.S. economic and political conditions, could adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments.
  • Large Shareholder Risk – To the extent that a large number of shares of the Fund is held by a single shareholder (e.g., an institutional investor or another GMO Fund) or a group of shareholders with a common investment strategy (e.g., GMO asset allocation accounts), the Fund is subject to the risk that a redemption by those shareholders of all or a large portion of their Fund shares will disrupt the Fund’s operations.
Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney Many factors can affect this value, and you may lose money by investing in the Fund.
Risk Nondiversified Status [Text] rr_RiskNondiversifiedStatus The Fund is a non-diversified investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and therefore a decline in the market value of a particular security held by the Fund may affect the Fund’s performance more than if the Fund were a diversified investment company.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading Performance
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock Because the Fund had not yet completed a full calendar year of operations as of the date of this Prospectus, performance information for the Fund is not included.
Performance One Year or Less [Text] rr_PerformanceOneYearOrLess Because the Fund had not yet completed a full calendar year of operations as of the date of this Prospectus, performance information for the Fund is not included.
GMO Trust | GMO Resources Fund | Class III
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Purchase premium (as a percentage of amount invested) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice 0.30%
Redemption fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption 0.30%
Management fee rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.50% [1]
Shareholder service fee rr_DistributionOrSimilarNon12b1FeesOverAssets 0.15% [1]
Other expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 1.78% [2]
Total annual operating expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 2.43% [2]
Expense reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (1.59%) [1],[2]
Total annual operating expenses after expense reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.84% [2]
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 306
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 818
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 275
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 785
GMO Trust | GMO Resources Fund | Class IV
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Purchase premium (as a percentage of amount invested) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice 0.30%
Redemption fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption 0.30%
Management fee rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.50% [1]
Shareholder service fee rr_DistributionOrSimilarNon12b1FeesOverAssets 0.10% [1]
Other expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 1.78% [2]
Total annual operating expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 2.38% [2]
Expense reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (1.59%) [1],[2]
Total annual operating expenses after expense reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.79% [2]
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 301
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 803
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 270
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 770
GMO Trust | GMO Resources Fund | Class V
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Purchase premium (as a percentage of amount invested) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice 0.30%
Redemption fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption 0.30%
Management fee rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.50% [1]
Shareholder service fee rr_DistributionOrSimilarNon12b1FeesOverAssets 0.085% [1]
Other expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 1.78% [2]
Total annual operating expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 2.37% [2]
Expense reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (1.59%) [1],[2]
Total annual operating expenses after expense reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.78% [2]
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 300
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 800
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 269
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 767
GMO Trust | GMO Resources Fund | Class VI
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Purchase premium (as a percentage of amount invested) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice 0.30%
Redemption fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption 0.30%
Management fee rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.50% [1]
Shareholder service fee rr_DistributionOrSimilarNon12b1FeesOverAssets 0.055% [1]
Other expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 1.78% [2]
Total annual operating expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 2.34% [2]
Expense reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (1.59%) [1],[2]
Total annual operating expenses after expense reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.75% [2]
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 297
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 791
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 266
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 758
[1] Grantham, Mayo, Van Otterloo & Co. LLC (the "Manager" or "GMO") has contractually agreed to reimburse the Fund for the portion of its "Specified Operating Expenses" (as defined below) that exceeds 0.10% of the Fund's average daily net assets. "Specified Operating Expenses" means only the following expenses to the extent that they are borne by the Fund: audit expenses, fund accounting expenses, pricing service expenses, non-investment related tax expenses, transfer agency expenses, non-investment related legal expenses provided to the Fund by or at the direction of the Manager, federal securities law filing expenses, printing expenses, state and federal registration fees and custody expenses. The Manager also has agreed to waive and/or reduce the Fund's management fees and shareholder service fees to the extent necessary to offset the management fees and shareholder service fees directly or indirectly paid to the Manager as a result of the Fund's direct or indirect investments in other GMO Funds. Management fees and shareholder service fees will not be waived below zero. These waivers and reimbursements will continue through at least June 30, 2013, and may not be terminated prior to this date without the action or consent of the Fund's Board of Trustees.
[2] The amounts represent an estimate based on the operating expenses incurred during the Fund's initial fiscal year.