Basis of Financial Statement Presentation	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2013
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Basis of Financial Statement Presentation	Basis of Financial Statement Presentation The accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements of Alamo Group Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulations S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the periods presented are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2013. The balance sheet at December 31, 2012, has been derived from the audited financial statements at that date but does not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012. In February 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update, or ASU, 2013-02, Comprehensive Income (Topic 220), Reporting of Amounts Reclassified Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income. This update requires companies to provide information regarding the amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income by component. In addition, companies are required to present, either on the face of the statement where net income is presented or in the accompanying notes, significant amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income by the respective line items of net income. The requirements of ASU 2013-02 were adopted in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2013. The adoption of ASU 2013-02 did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. On January 2, 2013, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (the “ATR Act”) was enacted which included an extension of the federal research and development credit retroactively to 2012 and prospectively through 2013. The effects of the ATR Act are recognized in 2013. In December 2012, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2011-11, “Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities”. ASU 2011-11 will require the Company to disclose information about offsetting and related arrangements to enable users of its financial statements to understand the effect of those arrangements on its financial position. The new guidance is effective for the Company's interim period ending March 31, 2013. The disclosures required are to be applied retrospectively for all comparative periods presented. This guidance will not have an impact on the Company's financial position, results of operations or cash flows, as it is disclosure-only in nature.

Basis of Financial Statement Presentation

The accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements of Alamo Group Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulations S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the periods presented are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2013. The balance sheet at December 31, 2012, has been derived from the audited financial statements at that date but does not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012.

In February 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update, or ASU, 2013-02, Comprehensive Income (Topic 220), Reporting of Amounts Reclassified Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income. This update requires companies to provide information regarding the amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income by component. In addition, companies are required to present, either on the face of the statement where net income is presented or in the accompanying notes, significant amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income by the respective line items of net income. The requirements of ASU 2013-02 were adopted in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2013. The adoption of ASU 2013-02 did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

On January 2, 2013, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (the “ATR Act”) was enacted which included an extension of the federal research and development credit retroactively to 2012 and prospectively through 2013. The effects of the ATR Act are recognized in 2013.

In December 2012, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2011-11, “Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities”. ASU 2011-11 will require the Company to disclose information about offsetting and related arrangements to enable users of its financial statements to understand the effect of those arrangements on its financial position. The new guidance is effective for the Company's interim period ending March 31, 2013. The disclosures required are to be applied retrospectively for all comparative periods presented. This guidance will not have an impact on the Company's financial position, results of operations or cash flows, as it is disclosure-only in nature.