Document and Entity Information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Nov. 13, 2012
Document And Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	Pacific Ethanol, Inc.
Entity Central Index Key	0000778164
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2012
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Is Entity a Well-known Seasoned Issuer?	No
Is Entity a Voluntary Filer?	No
Is Entity's Reporting Status Current?	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Smaller Reporting Company
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		144,672,406
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012