CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 28, 2020	Mar. 30, 2019
Income Statement [Abstract]
Net sales	$ 602,919	$ 611,781
Cost of goods sold	508,715	511,393
Depreciation and amortization	11,039	10,555
Selling, general, and administrative expense	42,752	40,653
Asset impairments	3,035	0
Litigation settlement, net	(21,933)	0
Operating income	59,311	49,180
Interest expense	(5,379)	(6,954)
Other income (expense), net	278	(172)
Income before income taxes	54,210	42,054
Income tax expense	(14,144)	(9,546)
Loss from unconsolidated affiliates, net of foreign tax	(6,115)	(15,369)
Consolidated net income	33,951	17,139
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	(1,536)	(1,416)
Net income attributable to Mueller Industries, Inc.	$ 32,415	$ 15,723
Weighted average shares for basic earnings per share (in shares)	55,875	55,728
Effect of dilutive stock-based awards (in shares)	583	526
Adjusted weighted average shares for diluted earnings per share (in shares)	56,458	56,254
Basic earnings per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.58	$ 0.28
Diluted earnings per share (in dollars per share)	0.57	0.28
Dividends per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.10	$ 0.10