Houghton Combination (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Business Combination Separately Recognized Transactions [Abstract]
Business Combination Separately Recognized Transactions Description	In April 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.  During the fourth quarter of 2018, the Company extended the bank commitment for the New Credit Facility through March 15, 2019.  The New Credit Facility is comprised of a $400.0 million multicurrency revolver, a $600.0 million USD term loan and a $150.0 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, LIBOR rate plus a margin, or Euribor rate plus a margin.  The Company currently estimates the annual floating rate cost will be in the 3.75% to 4.0% 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 5.0% amortization of the principal balance due in years 1 and 2, 7.5% in year 3, and 10.0% in years 4 and 5, with the remaining principal amounts due at maturity.  Until closing, the Company will incur certain interest costs paid to maintain the bank commitment (“ticking fees”), which began to accrue on September 29, 2017 and bear an interest rate of 0.30% per annum. The Company received regulatory approval for the Combination from China and Australia in 2017. In addition, at a shareholder meeting held during 2017, the Company’s shareholders overwhelmingly approved the issuance of the new shares of the Company’s common stock at closing of the Combination. The European Commission (“EC”) conditionally approved the Combination in December 2018, including the remedy proposed by Quaker and Houghton. The Company expects final approval from the EC once the final purchase agreement is in place between Quaker, Houghton, and the buyer of the divested product lines. The Company continues to be in productive discussions with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), although the process is taking longer than anticipated. Given the time lapse since the Company’s initial filing, the FTC requested updated information as part of their approval process late in the fourth quarter of 2018. In addition, the government shutdown in the U.S. during the first quarter of 2019 extended the timeline to receive the final approval. Given current information, the Company estimates that FTC and EC final approval and closing of the combination will occur within the next few months.
Business Combination Separately Recognized Transactions Additional Disclosures Acquisition Cost Expensed	$ 19.5	$ 30.8	$ 1.5
Business Combination Separately Recognized Transactions Liabilities Recognized	$ 8.2	$ 5.5