Share-based compensation plans - Terms and Assumptions (Details) - $ / shares		6 Months Ended
Feb. 20, 2015	Jun. 30, 2015
Small Portion PSUs
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Term of awards	Jan. 1, 2015 to Dec. 31, 2017
Peformance period in years	03 years
Beginning average price of Brink’s common stock (dollars per share)	$ 23.19
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Fair Value Assumptions and Methodology [Abstract]
Expected dividend yield	0.00%
Expected stock price volatility	30.00%
Risk-free interest rate	1.00%
Contractual term in years	2 years 10 months 24 days
Weighted-average fair value estimate per share (dollars per share)	$ 28.97
Market Share Units MSU
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Term of awards	Jan. 1, 2015 to Dec. 31, 2017
Peformance period in years	3 years
Beginning average price of Brink’s common stock (dollars per share)	$ 23,190.00
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Fair Value Assumptions and Methodology [Abstract]
Expected dividend yield	0.00%
Expected stock price volatility	30.00%
Risk-free interest rate	1.00%
Contractual term in years	2 years 10 months 24 days
Weighted-average fair value estimate per share (dollars per share)	$ 30.37	$ 30.37

Estimated period over which an employee is required to provide service in exchange for the equity-based payment award, in 'PnYnMnDTnHnMnS' format, for example, 'P1Y5M13D' represents the reported fact of one year, five months, and thirteen days.

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-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 718

-SubTopic 10

-Section 50

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- Definition

The estimated dividend rate (a percentage of the share price) to be paid (expected dividends) to holders of the underlying shares over the option's term.

+ References

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- Definition

Discloses use of the simplified method to calculate the expected term that stock option awards under the specified plan will exist before being exercised or terminated, the reason and justification for its use, and the periods for which the method was used if it was not used in all periods presented.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

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- Definition

The risk-free interest rate assumption that is used in valuing an option on its own shares.

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- Definition

Weighted average expected volatility rate of share-based compensation awards.

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Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

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- Definition

The weighted average grant-date fair value of options granted during the reporting period as calculated by applying the disclosed option pricing methodology.

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Price of a single share of a number of saleable stocks of a company.

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Expected term of share-based compensation awards, in 'PnYnMnDTnHnMnS' format, for example, 'P1Y5M13D' represents the reported fact of one year, five months, and thirteen days.

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Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

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