Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies / Additional Balance Sheet Information [Abstract]

Company Operations

We, AMCOL International Corporation (the "Company"), are a global company focused on long-term profitability growth through the development and application of minerals and technology products and services for use in various industrial and consumer markets. We operate in five segments: minerals and materials, environmental, oilfield services, transportation and corporate.

Our minerals and materials segment mines, processes and distributes minerals and products for use in various industrial and consumer markets, including metalcasting, pet care, laundry care, and drilling industries. Additionally, this segment develops and manufactures synthetic materials principally for personal care applications.

Our environmental segment manufactures and distributes products for use as moisture and vapor barriers in commercial construction, landfills and a variety of other industrial and commercial applications and provides related services.

Our oilfield services segment provides both onshore and offshore water treatment filtration, well testing, pipeline separation, nitrogen, coil tubing and other services to the oil and natural gas industry.

Our transportation segment includes both a long-haul trucking business and a freight brokerage business serving our domestic subsidiaries as well as third parties.

Our corporate segment includes the elimination of intersegment sales as well as certain expenses associated with research and development, management, employee benefits and information technology activities for our Company. Approximately 71% and 82% of the revenue elimination in the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively, represents elimination of shipping revenues between our transportation segment and its domestic sister companies.

The composition of our revenues by segment is as follows:


	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2012	2011
Minerals and materials	53%	53%
Environmental	22%	24%
Oilfield services	23%	21%
Transportation	5%	6%
Intersegment sales	-3%	-4%

	100%	100%

Further discussion of our segment information is included in Note 4, "Business Segment Information."

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation

The financial information included herein has been prepared by management, and other than the condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2011, is unaudited. The condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2011 has been derived from, but does not include all of the disclosures contained in, the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2011. The information furnished herein includes all adjustments that are, in our opinion, necessary for a fair presentation of our results of operations and cash flows for the interim periods ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, and our financial position as of March 31, 2012, and all such adjustments are of a normal and recurring nature. The accompanying condensed consolidated financial information should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011.

Certain items in the prior year's condensed consolidated financial statements contained herein and notes thereto have been reclassified to conform to the condensed consolidated financial statement presentation for the three months ended March 31, 2012. These reclassifications did not have a material impact on our financial statements.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("US GAAP") requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results may differ from those estimates.

The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year for a variety of reasons, including the seasonality of both our environmental segment, which varies due to the seasonal nature of the construction industry, and our oilfield services segment, which varies due to seasonal weather patterns in its various geographic markets.