Nature of Business and Basis of Presentation	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Nature of Business and Basis of Presentation	Note 1: Nature of Business and Basis of Presentation Universal Stainless & Alloy Products, Inc., and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (“Universal”, “we”, “our” or the “Company”), manufacture and market semi-finished and finished specialty steel products, including stainless steel, nickel alloys, tool steel and certain other alloyed steels. Our manufacturing process involves melting, remelting, heat treating, hot and cold rolling, forging, machining and cold drawing of semi-finished and finished specialty steels. Our products are sold to service centers, forgers, rerollers, original equipment manufacturers and wire redrawers. Our customers further process our products for use in a variety of industries, including the aerospace, power generation, oil and gas, heavy equipment, and general industrial manufacturing industries. We also perform conversion services on materials supplied by customers. The accompanying unaudited consolidated statements include the accounts of Universal Stainless & Alloy Products, Inc. and its subsidiaries and are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial reports and the instructions for Form 10-Q and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared under U.S. GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such regulations. However, we believe that the disclosures are adequate to make the information presented not misleading. These consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with our most recently audited financial statements and the notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In the opinion of management, the accompanying financial statements include all adjustments necessary to present a fair presentation of the consolidated financial statements for the periods shown. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of the operating results for the full fiscal year or any future period. The preparation of these financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Actual results may differ from our estimates. The consolidated financial statements include our accounts and the accounts of our wholly–owned subsidiaries. We also consolidate, regardless of our ownership percentage, variable interest entities (each a “VIE”) for which we are deemed to have a controlling financial interest. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated. When we obtain an economic interest in an entity, we evaluate the entity to determine if the entity is a VIE, and if we are deemed to be a primary beneficiary. As a part of our evaluation, we are required to qualitatively assess if we are the primary beneficiary of the VIE based on whether we hold the power to direct those matters that most significantly impacted the activities of the VIE and the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive the benefits of the VIE that could potentially be significant. Refer to Note 6, New Markets Tax Credit Financing Transaction, for a description of the VIE’s included in our consolidated financial statements. Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)” (“ASU 2014-09”), which supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in ASC 605, “Revenue Recognition.” ASU 2014-09 is based on the principle that revenue is recognized to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. It also requires additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue, cash flows arising from customer contracts, including significant judgments and changes in judgments, and assets recognized from costs incurred to obtain or fulfill a contract. ASU 2014-09 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period. The Company adopted the provisions of ASU 2014-09 on January 1, 2018, using the modified retrospective approach. Revenue from the Company’s product sales continue to generally be recognized when products are shipped (i.e. point in time). As such, the adoption of ASU 2014-09 had no material effect on revenue, gross margin or operating income; however, the Company has now presented the disclosures required by this new standard, refer to Note 3. In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18, “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash,” or (“ASU 2016-18”). ASU 2016-18 is intended to clarify how entities present restricted cash in the statement of cash flows. The guidance requires entities to show the changes in the total of cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash in the statement of cash flows. As a result, entities will no longer present transfers between cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash in the statement of cash flows. When cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash are presented in more than one line item on the balance sheet, the guidance requires a reconciliation of the totals in the statement of cash flows to the related captions in the balance sheet. This reconciliation can be presented either on the face of the statement of cash flows or in the notes to the financial statements. ASU 2016-18 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017 and is to be applied retrospectively. We adopted ASU 2016-18 in the first quarter of 2018 and applied the guidance retrospectively to our prior period Consolidated Statements of Cash Flow. Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements The Company considers the applicability and impact of all ASUs. Recently issued ASUs not listed below were assessed and determined to be either not applicable or are expected to have minimal impact on our consolidated financial statements. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-2 “Leases (Topic 842)”. The ASU requires lessees to recognize most leases on their balance sheet as a right-of-use asset and a lease liability. For income statement purposes, the FASB retained a dual model, requiring leases to be classified as either operating or finance. The criteria for evaluating are similar to those applied in current lease accounting. This guidance is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018 with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of this guidance on our financial statements and will adopt on January 1, 2019. In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-02, “Income Statement – Reporting Comprehensive Income,” that will permit companies the option to reclassify stranded tax effects caused by the newly-enacted U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings. Consequently, the amendments eliminate the stranded tax effects resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and will improve the usefulness of information reported to financial statement users. However, because the amendments only relate to the reclassification of the income tax effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the underlying guidance that requires that the effect of a change in tax laws or rates be included in income from continuing operations is not affected. Adoption of the ASU will be optional, and companies will need to disclose if it elects not to adopt the ASU. The ASU will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption will be permitted, including adoption in any interim period, for financial statements that have not yet been issued or made available for issuance. Entities will have the option to apply the amendments retrospectively or to record the reclassification as of the beginning of the period of adoption. We are currently evaluating the impact of this guidance on our financial statements and will adopt on January 1, 2019. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, “Disclosure Framework–Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement,” that will modify the disclosure requirements on fair value measurements in Topic 820, Fair Value Measurement, including the removal of certain disclosure requirements. The amendments in the ASU are effective for all entities for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted upon issuance of the ASU. An entity is permitted to early adopt any removed or modified disclosures upon issuance of the ASU and delay adoption of the additional disclosures until the effective date. We are currently evaluating the impact of this guidance on our financial statements and will adopt on or before January 1, 2020.

Note 1: Nature of Business and Basis of Presentation

Universal Stainless & Alloy Products, Inc., and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (“Universal”, “we”, “our” or the “Company”), manufacture and market semi-finished and finished specialty steel products, including stainless steel, nickel alloys, tool steel and certain other alloyed steels. Our manufacturing process involves melting, remelting, heat treating, hot and cold rolling, forging, machining and cold drawing of semi-finished and finished specialty steels. Our products are sold to service centers, forgers, rerollers, original equipment manufacturers and wire redrawers. Our customers further process our products for use in a variety of industries, including the aerospace, power generation, oil and gas, heavy equipment, and general industrial manufacturing industries. We also perform conversion services on materials supplied by customers.

The accompanying unaudited consolidated statements include the accounts of Universal Stainless & Alloy Products, Inc. and its subsidiaries and are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial reports and the instructions for Form 10-Q and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared under U.S. GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such regulations. However, we believe that the disclosures are adequate to make the information presented not misleading. These consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with our most recently audited financial statements and the notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In the opinion of management, the accompanying financial statements include all adjustments necessary to present a fair presentation of the consolidated financial statements for the periods shown. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of the operating results for the full fiscal year or any future period. The preparation of these financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Actual results may differ from our estimates. The consolidated financial statements include our accounts and the accounts of our wholly–owned subsidiaries. We also consolidate, regardless of our ownership percentage, variable interest entities (each a “VIE”) for which we are deemed to have a controlling financial interest. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated.

When we obtain an economic interest in an entity, we evaluate the entity to determine if the entity is a VIE, and if we are deemed to be a primary beneficiary. As a part of our evaluation, we are required to qualitatively assess if we are the primary beneficiary of the VIE based on whether we hold the power to direct those matters that most significantly impacted the activities of the VIE and the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive the benefits of the VIE that could potentially be significant. Refer to Note 6, New Markets Tax Credit Financing Transaction, for a description of the VIE’s included in our consolidated financial statements.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)” (“ASU 2014-09”), which supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in ASC 605, “Revenue Recognition.” ASU 2014-09 is based on the principle that revenue is recognized to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. It also requires additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue, cash flows arising from customer contracts, including significant judgments and changes in judgments, and assets recognized from costs incurred to obtain or fulfill a contract. ASU 2014-09 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period. The Company adopted the provisions of ASU 2014-09 on January 1, 2018, using the modified retrospective approach. Revenue from the Company’s product sales continue to generally be recognized when products are shipped (i.e. point in time). As such, the adoption of ASU 2014-09 had no material effect on revenue, gross margin or operating income; however, the Company has now presented the disclosures required by this new standard, refer to Note 3.

In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18, “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash,” or (“ASU 2016-18”). ASU 2016-18 is intended to clarify how entities present restricted cash in the statement of cash flows. The guidance requires entities to show the changes in the total of cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash in the statement of cash flows. As a result, entities will no longer present transfers between cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash in the statement of cash flows. When cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash are presented in more than one line item on the balance sheet, the guidance requires a reconciliation of the totals in the statement of cash flows to the related captions in the balance sheet. This reconciliation can be presented either on the face of the statement of cash flows or in the notes to the financial statements. ASU 2016-18 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017 and is to be applied retrospectively. We adopted ASU 2016-18 in the first quarter of 2018 and applied the guidance retrospectively to our prior period Consolidated Statements of Cash Flow.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

The Company considers the applicability and impact of all ASUs. Recently issued ASUs not listed below were assessed and determined to be either not applicable or are expected to have minimal impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-2 “Leases (Topic 842)”. The ASU requires lessees to recognize most leases on their balance sheet as a right-of-use asset and a lease liability. For income statement purposes, the FASB retained a dual model, requiring leases to be classified as either operating or finance. The criteria for evaluating are similar to those applied in current lease accounting. This guidance is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018 with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of this guidance on our financial statements and will adopt on January 1, 2019.

In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-02, “Income Statement – Reporting Comprehensive Income,” that will permit companies the option to reclassify stranded tax effects caused by the newly-enacted U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings. Consequently, the amendments eliminate the stranded tax effects resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and will improve the usefulness of information reported to financial statement users. However, because the amendments only relate to the reclassification of the income tax effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the underlying guidance that requires that the effect of a change in tax laws or rates be included in income from continuing operations is not affected. Adoption of the ASU will be optional, and companies will need to disclose if it elects not to adopt the ASU. The ASU will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption will be permitted, including adoption in any interim period, for financial statements that have not yet been issued or made available for issuance. Entities will have the option to apply the amendments retrospectively or to record the reclassification as of the beginning of the period of adoption. We are currently evaluating the impact of this guidance on our financial statements and will adopt on January 1, 2019.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, “Disclosure Framework–Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement,” that will modify the disclosure requirements on fair value measurements in Topic 820, Fair Value Measurement, including the removal of certain disclosure requirements. The amendments in the ASU are effective for all entities for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted upon issuance of the ASU. An entity is permitted to early adopt any removed or modified disclosures upon issuance of the ASU and delay adoption of the additional disclosures until the effective date. We are currently evaluating the impact of this guidance on our financial statements and will adopt on or before January 1, 2020.