Document And Entity Information - shares	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	May 01, 2019
Document Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	ALPHA PRO TECH LTD
Entity Central Index Key	0000884269
Trading Symbol	apt
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Non-accelerated Filer
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Small Business	true
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding (in shares)		13,281,016
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2019
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2019
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Amendment Flag	false