Document And Entity Information - shares	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018	Aug. 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		125,679,432
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2018
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2018