Shareholders' Equity - Earnings (Loss) per Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands		3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 10, 2022	Jul. 03, 2022	Jul. 04, 2021	Jul. 03, 2022	Jul. 04, 2021
Numerator:
Net income/(loss) attributable to Sonoco		$ 131,672	$ (334,070)	$ 247,005	$ (261,774)
Denominator:
Basic (in shares)		97,999	100,082	97,961	100,571
Dilutive effect of stock-based compensation (in shares)		687	0	660	0
Diluted (in shares)		98,686	100,082	98,621	100,571
Net income/(loss) attributable to Sonoco per common share:
Basic (in usd per share)		$ 1.34	$ (3.34)	$ 2.52	$ (2.60)
Diluted (in usd per share)		1.33	(3.34)	2.50	(2.60)
Cash dividends (in usd per share)	$ 0.49	$ 0.49	$ 0.45	$ 0.94	$ 0.90