Document And Entity Information - shares	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	May 09, 2018
Document Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	TETRA TECHNOLOGIES INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000844965
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock Shares Outstanding		125,569,741
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2018
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q4
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2018