Document And Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2012	Jul. 30, 2012
Document Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	REGAL BELOIT CORP
Entity Central Index Key	0000082811
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2012
Amendment Flag	false
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		41,674,633