Document and Entity Information - shares	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2015	Aug. 10, 2015
Document And Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	Pacific Ethanol, Inc.
Entity Central Index Key	0000778164
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2015
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	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		42,520,805
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015