Commitments and Contingencies	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2015
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure	Commitments and Contingencies Environmental The Company is subject to federal, state, local and foreign environmental laws and regulations concerning, among other matters, waste water effluents, air emissions and handling and disposal of hazardous materials such as cleaning fluids. The Company is involved with environmental compliance, investigation, monitoring and remediation activities at certain of its owned and formerly owned manufacturing facilities and at one owned facility that is leased to a third party, and, except for these continuing remediation efforts, believes it is currently in substantial compliance with all known environmental regulations. At December 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company had undiscounted accrued environmental reserves of $3,226 and $3,587, respectively. The Company accrues for certain environmental remediation-related activities for which commitments or remediation plans have been developed and for which costs can be reasonably estimated. These estimates are determined based upon currently available facts and circumstances regarding each facility. Actual costs incurred may vary from these estimates due to the inherent uncertainties involved. Future expenditures relating to these environmental remediation efforts are expected to be made over the next 13 years as ongoing costs of remediation programs. Although the Company believes it has adequately provided for the cost of all known environmental conditions, the applicable regulatory agencies could insist upon different and more costly remediation than those the Company believes are adequate or required by existing law or third parties may seek to impose environmental liabilities on the Company. The Company believes that any additional liability in excess of amounts accrued which may result from the resolution of such matters will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, liquidity, cash flows or results of operations. Legal Proceedings Chart Energy & Chemicals, Inc., a subsidiary of the Company, was involved in litigation with Enogex Holdings LLC, Enogex Gathering & Processing, LLC and affiliated companies with respect to a December 2010 fire at the Enogex natural gas processing plant in Cox City, Oklahoma. This matter was amicably resolved in October 2015 with no material effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. The Company is occasionally subject to various legal claims related to performance under contracts, product liability, taxes, employment matters, environmental matters, intellectual property and other matters incidental to the normal course of its business. Based on the Company’s historical experience in litigating these claims, as well as the Company’s current assessment of the underlying merits of the claims and applicable insurance, if any, management believes that the final resolution of these matters will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, liquidity, cash flows or results of operations. Future developments may, however, result in resolution of these legal claims in a way that could have a material adverse effect. Restructuring Due to economic conditions, including low energy prices and global competition, the Company implemented a number of cost reduction or avoidance actions during 2015, including headcount reductions. The Company incurred severance expense associated with headcount reductions in all of its segments; E&C incurred $1,395, D&S incurred $2,926, BioMedical incurred $1,798, and Corporate incurred $1,329. The remaining accrual for these actions is $2,719 as of December 31, 2015 and is expected to be paid in 2016. The Company expects additional severance charges in 2016 to be approximately $3,200 (D&S - $2,800, E&C - $300, and Corporate - $100), but further actions may be required based on future business conditions. D&S Facility Restructuring During 2015, Chart announced its intention to close its D&S segment’s leased facility located in Owatonna, Minnesota. This closure is a cost reduction measure in response to lower orders for products manufactured at this facility. Costs incurred during 2015 related to this restructuring activity were approximately $4,100 and include lease exit costs, long-lived asset impairment charges, severance and other miscellaneous costs. Approximately $1,700 of these costs are included in cost of sales and $2,400 are included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations. In the fourth quarter of 2015, D&S closed one of its leased office locations in a cost reduction effort. Cost incurred related to this closure were $710 and include lease exit costs and long-lived asset impairment charges. The accrual for these restructuring costs within the D&S segment as of December 31, 2015 is $3,113 primarily for costs associated with exiting the facilities. These costs are expected to be paid out over the terms of the associated leases which are expected to end in 2023.

Commitments and Contingencies

Environmental

The Company is subject to federal, state, local and foreign environmental laws and regulations concerning, among other matters, waste water effluents, air emissions and handling and disposal of hazardous materials such as cleaning fluids. The Company is involved with environmental compliance, investigation, monitoring and remediation activities at certain of its owned and formerly owned manufacturing facilities and at one owned facility that is leased to a third party, and, except for these continuing remediation efforts, believes it is currently in substantial compliance with all known environmental regulations. At December 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company had undiscounted accrued environmental reserves of $3,226 and $3,587, respectively. The Company accrues for certain environmental remediation-related activities for which commitments or remediation plans have been developed and for which costs can be reasonably estimated. These estimates are determined based upon currently available facts and circumstances regarding each facility. Actual costs incurred may vary from these estimates due to the inherent uncertainties involved. Future expenditures relating to these environmental remediation efforts are expected to be made over the next 13 years as ongoing costs of remediation programs.

Although the Company believes it has adequately provided for the cost of all known environmental conditions, the applicable regulatory agencies could insist upon different and more costly remediation than those the Company believes are adequate or required by existing law or third parties may seek to impose environmental liabilities on the Company. The Company believes that any additional liability in excess of amounts accrued which may result from the resolution of such matters will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, liquidity, cash flows or results of operations.

Legal Proceedings

Chart Energy & Chemicals, Inc., a subsidiary of the Company, was involved in litigation with Enogex Holdings LLC, Enogex Gathering & Processing, LLC and affiliated companies with respect to a December 2010 fire at the Enogex natural gas processing plant in Cox City, Oklahoma. This matter was amicably resolved in October 2015 with no material effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

The Company is occasionally subject to various legal claims related to performance under contracts, product liability, taxes, employment matters, environmental matters, intellectual property and other matters incidental to the normal course of its business. Based on the Company’s historical experience in litigating these claims, as well as the Company’s current assessment of the underlying merits of the claims and applicable insurance, if any, management believes that the final resolution of these matters will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, liquidity, cash flows or results of operations. Future developments may, however, result in resolution of these legal claims in a way that could have a material adverse effect.

Restructuring

Due to economic conditions, including low energy prices and global competition, the Company implemented a number of cost reduction or avoidance actions during 2015, including headcount reductions. The Company incurred severance expense associated with headcount reductions in all of its segments; E&C incurred $1,395, D&S incurred $2,926, BioMedical incurred $1,798, and Corporate incurred $1,329. The remaining accrual for these actions is $2,719 as of December 31, 2015 and is expected to be paid in 2016. The Company expects additional severance charges in 2016 to be approximately $3,200 (D&S - $2,800, E&C - $300, and Corporate - $100), but further actions may be required based on future business conditions.

D&S Facility Restructuring

During 2015, Chart announced its intention to close its D&S segment’s leased facility located in Owatonna, Minnesota. This closure is a cost reduction measure in response to lower orders for products manufactured at this facility. Costs incurred during 2015 related to this restructuring activity were approximately $4,100 and include lease exit costs, long-lived asset impairment charges, severance and other miscellaneous costs. Approximately $1,700 of these costs are included in cost of sales and $2,400 are included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations. In the fourth quarter of 2015, D&S closed one of its leased office locations in a cost reduction effort. Cost incurred related to this closure were $710 and include lease exit costs and long-lived asset impairment charges.

The accrual for these restructuring costs within the D&S segment as of December 31, 2015 is $3,113 primarily for costs associated with exiting the facilities. These costs are expected to be paid out over the terms of the associated leases which are expected to end in 2023.