Equity and Noncontrolling Interest - Narrative (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Equity Class Of Treasury Stock [Line Items]
Shares Repurchased And Retired During Period			0	83,879
Payments For Repurchase Of Common Stock			$ 0	$ 5,859
Common Stock Voting Rights	Prior to September 7, 2017, the Company’s Articles of Incorporation included a time-based voting system that granted special ten-for-one-voting rights to shareholders who had beneficially owned their Quaker Chemical Corporation common stock continuously for a period of at least 36 consecutive calendar months (dating from the first day of the first full calendar month on or after the date the holder acquired beneficial ownership of such common stock) before the record date for a shareholder vote. At a meeting of the Company’s shareholders on September 7, 2017, the Company’s shareholders approved an amendment of the Company’s Articles of Incorporation that provides that every holder of Quaker Chemical Corporation common stock will be entitled to one vote for each share of common stock of the Company going forward.
2015 Share Repurchase Program [Member]
Equity Class Of Treasury Stock [Line Items]
Share Repurchase Program Authorized Amount	$ 100,000	$ 100,000	$ 100,000	$ 100,000
Cost of Goods Sold [Member]
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Reclassification Percentage	25.00%	25.00%	25.00%	25.00%
Operating Expenses [Member]
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Reclassification Percentage	75.00%	75.00%	75.00%	75.00%