Document And Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2013	Apr. 27, 2013
Document Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	REGAL BELOIT CORP
Entity Central Index Key	0000082811
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Mar. 30, 2013
Amendment Flag	false
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2013
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-30
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		44,987,180