Condensed Consolidated Statements Of Income (Unaudited) - USD ($) shares in Millions, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jul. 02, 2016	Jul. 04, 2015	Jul. 02, 2016	Jul. 04, 2015
Income Statement [Abstract]
Net Sales	$ 838.6	$ 942.2	$ 1,656.8	$ 1,853.9
Cost of Sales	615.7	690.8	1,216.5	1,381.6
Gross Profit	222.9	251.4	440.3	472.3
Operating Expenses	131.5	148.2	279.6	305.5
Income From Operations	91.4	103.2	160.7	166.8
Interest Expense	14.8	16.4	29.8	30.0
Interest Income	1.2	0.9	2.3	2.1
Income Before Taxes	77.8	87.7	133.2	138.9
Provision For Income Taxes	19.4	22.8	32.1	36.1
Net Income	58.4	64.9	101.1	102.8
Less: Net Income Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests	1.8	2.1	2.9	3.6
Net Income Attributable to Regal Beloit Corporation	$ 56.6	$ 62.8	$ 98.2	$ 99.2
Earnings Per Share Attributable to Regal Beloit Corporation:
Basic (in dollars per share)	$ 1.27	$ 1.40	$ 2.20	$ 2.22
Assuming Dilution (in dollars per share)	1.26	1.39	2.19	2.20
Cash Dividends Declared Per Share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.24	$ 0.23	$ 0.47	$ 0.45
Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding:
Basic (in shares)	44.7	44.8	44.7	44.8
Assuming Dilution (in shares)	45.0	45.2	45.0	45.1