Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Principles of consolidation policy	Presentation Our unaudited consolidated financial statements include the accounts of our wholly owned subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The information furnished reflects all normal recurring adjustments, which are, in the opinion of management, necessary to provide a fair statement of the results for the interim periods. Operating results for the period ended June 30, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for the twelve months ended December 31, 2020. We consolidate the financial statements of our CSI Compressco LP subsidiary ("CCLP") as part of our Compression Division, as we determined that CCLP is a variable interest entity and we are the primary beneficiary. We control the financial interests of CCLP and have the ability to direct the activities of CCLP that most significantly impact its economic performance through our ownership of its general partner. The share of CCLP net assets and earnings that is not owned by us is presented as noncontrolling interest in our consolidated financial statements. Our cash flows from our investment in CCLP are limited to the quarterly distributions we receive on our CCLP common units and general partner interest (including incentive distribution rights) and the amounts collected for services we perform on behalf of CCLP, as TETRA's capital structure and CCLP's capital structure are separate, and do not include cross default provisions or cross guarantees. The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X for interim financial statements required to be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and do not include all information and footnotes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("U.S. GAAP") for complete financial statements. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019 and notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, which we filed with the SEC on March 16, 2020.
Use of estimates policy	Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclose contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues, expenses, and impairments during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates, and such differences could be material.
Reclassifications [Text Block]	Reclassifications Certain previously reported financial information has been reclassified to conform to the current year's presentation. The impact of such reclassifications was not significant to the prior year's overall presentation.
Foreign currency translation policy	Foreign Currency Translation We have designated the euro, the British pound, the Norwegian krone, the Canadian dollar, the Brazilian real, and the Mexican peso as the functional currencies for our operations in Finland and Sweden, the United Kingdom, Norway, Canada, Brazil, and certain of our operations in Mexico, respectively. The U.S. dollar is the designated functional currency for all of our other foreign operations. The cumulative translation effects of translating the applicable accounts from the functional currencies into the U.S. dollar at current exchange rates are included as a separate component of equity. Foreign currency exchange (gains) and losses are included in other (income) expense, net and totaled $0.4 million and $2.3 million during the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, respectively, and $0.8 million and $(0.5) million during the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively.
New Accounting Pronouncements policy	New Accounting Pronouncements Standards adopted in 2020 In August 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2018-15, "Intangibles—Goodwill and Other—Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That Is a Service Contract." ASU 2018-15 clarifies the accounting for implementation costs in cloud computing arrangements. ASU 2018-15 is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019, and early adoption is permitted. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. Standards not yet adopted In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, "Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments." ASU 2016-13 amends the impairment model to utilize an expected loss methodology in place of the currently used incurred loss methodology, which will result in the more timely recognition of losses on financial instruments not accounted for at fair value through net income. The provisions require credit impairments to be measured over the contractual life of an asset and developed with consideration for past events, current conditions, and forecasts of future economic information. Credit impairment will be accounted for as an allowance for credit losses deducted from the amortized cost basis at each reporting date. We are continuing to work through our implementation plan which includes evaluating the impact on our allowance for doubtful accounts methodology, identifying new reporting requirements, and implementing changes to business processes, systems, and controls to support adoption of the standard. Upon adoption, the allowance for doubtful accounts is expected to increase with an offsetting adjustment to retained earnings. Updates at each reporting date after initial adoption will be recorded through selling, general, and administrative expense. ASU 2016-13 has an effective date of the first quarter of fiscal 2023. We continue to assess the potential effects of these changes to our consolidated financial statements. In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, "Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes." ASU 2019-12 simplifies the accounting for income taxes by eliminating certain exceptions related to intraperiod tax allocation, interim period income tax calculation methodology, and the recognition of deferred tax liabilities for outside basis differences. It also simplifies certain aspects of accounting for franchise taxes and clarifies the accounting for transactions that results in a step-up in the tax basis of goodwill. ASU 2019-12 is effective for us the first quarter of fiscal 2021. We continue to assess the potential effects of these changes to our consolidated financial statements. In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, “Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848)”, which provides optional expedients and exceptions for applying US GAAP to contracts, hedging relationships, and other transactions affected by the discontinuation of the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) or by another reference rate expected to be discontinued. The amendments are effective for all entities as of March 12, 2020 through December 31, 2022. We are currently evaluating the impacts of the provisions of ASU 2020-04 on our consolidated financial statements.