Houghton Combination (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Business Combination Separately Recognized Transactions [Abstract]
Business Combination Separately Recognized Transactions Description	On April 4, 2017, Quaker entered into a share purchase agreement with Gulf Houghton Lubricants, Ltd. to purchase the entire issued and outstanding share capital of Houghton International, Inc. (“Houghton”) (herein referred to as “the Combination”). The shares will be bought for aggregate purchase consideration consisting of: (i) $172.5 million in cash; (ii) a number of shares of common stock, $1.00 par value per share, of the Company comprising 24.5% of the common stock outstanding upon the closing of the Combination; and (iii) the Company’s assumption of Houghton’s net indebtedness as of the closing of the Combination, which was approximately $690 million at signing. At closing, the total aggregate purchase consideration is dependent on the Company’s stock price and the level of Houghton’s indebtedness. The Company secured $1.15 billion in commitments from Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Deutsche Bank to fund the Combination and to provide additional liquidity, and has since replaced these commitments with a syndicated bank agreement (“the New Credit Facility”) with a group of lenders for $1.15 billion. The New Credit Facility is contingent upon and will not be effective until the closing of the Combination. The New Credit Facility includes a $400.0 million multicurrency revolver, a $575.0 million USD term loan and a $175.0 million EUR equivalent term loan, each with a five-year term from the date the New Credit Facility becomes effective. The maximum amount available under the New Credit Facility can be increased by $200.0 million at the Company’s option if the lenders agree and the Company satisfies certain conditions. Borrowings under the New Credit Facility will bear interest at a base rate or LIBOR rate plus a margin. The Company currently estimates the annual floating rate cost will be in the 3.50% to 3.75% range based on current market interest rates. The New Credit Facility will be subject to certain financial and other covenants, including covenants that the Company’s consolidated net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio cannot exceed 4.25 to 1 and the Company’s consolidated adjusted EBITDA to interest expense ratio cannot be less than 3.0 to 1. Both the USD and EUR equivalent term loans will have quarterly principal amortization during their respective five-year terms, with 5% amortization of the principal balance due in years 1 and 2, 7.5% in year 3, and 10% in years 4 and 5, with the remaining principal amounts due at maturity. Until closing, the Company incurs certain interest costs paid to maintain the banks’ committed capital (“ticking fees”), which began to accrue on September 29, 2017 and bear an interest rate of 0.30% per annum. In addition, the issuance of the Company’s shares at closing of the Combination was subject to approval by Quaker’s shareholders under the rules of the New York Stock Exchange. This approval was received at a meeting of the Company’s shareholders during the third quarter of 2017. Also, the Combination is subject to regulatory approval in the United States, Europe, China and Australia. The Company received regulatory approval from China in July 2017 and from Australia in October 2017. Depending on the remaining regulatory approvals and other customary terms and conditions set forth in the share purchase agreement, the Company currently estimates closing of the Combination to occur during the first half of 2018.
Business Combination Separately Recognized Transactions Additional Disclosures Acquisition Cost Expensed	$ 30.8	$ 1.5
Business Combination Separately Recognized Transactions Liabilities Recognized	$ 5.5	$ 0.5