Shareholders' Equity - Earnings Per Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Oct. 02, 2016	Sep. 27, 2015	Oct. 02, 2016	Sep. 27, 2015
Numerator:
Net income attributable to Sonoco	$ 65,395	$ 43,914	$ 181,561	$ 194,073
Denominator:
Basic (in shares)	100,925	101,548	101,320	101,454
Dilutive effect of stock-based compensation (in shares)	654	857	640	933
Diluted (in shares)	101,579	102,405	101,960	102,387
Reported net income attributable to Sonoco per common share:
Basic (in usd per share)	$ 0.65	$ 0.43	$ 1.79	$ 1.91
Diluted (in usd per share)	$ 0.64	$ 0.43	$ 1.78	$ 1.90