Document And Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2012	Apr. 26, 2012
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	GENERAL CABLE CORP /DE/
Entity Central Index Key	0000886035
Document Type	10-Q/A
Document Period End Date	Mar. 30, 2012
Amendment Flag	true
Amendment Description	The restatement reflects historical accounting errors.
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		49,767,438
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer