Earnings per share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 26, 2020	Sep. 28, 2019	Sep. 26, 2020	Sep. 28, 2019
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Net earnings attributable to Mohawk Industries, Inc.	$ 205,117	$ 155,518	$ 267,374	$ 479,544
Weighted-average common shares outstanding-basic and diluted:
Weighted-average common shares outstanding-basic (in shares)	71,197	72,106	71,190	72,302
Add weighted-average dilutive potential common shares-options to purchase common shares and RSUs, net (in shares)	181	286	172	276
Weighted-average common shares outstanding-diluted (in shares)	71,378	72,392	71,362	72,578
Earnings per share attributable to Mohawk Industries, Inc.
Basic (in usd per share)	$ 2.88	$ 2.16	$ 3.76	$ 6.63
Diluted (in usd per share)	$ 2.87	$ 2.15	$ 3.75	$ 6.61