Future minimum lease payments (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019	Jun. 30, 2019
Future minimum lease payments [Line Items]
Finance Lease, Liability		$ 3.0
Operating Lease, Liability		79.4
Forecast [Member]
Future minimum lease payments [Line Items]
Short-term Lease Payments	$ 5.0
Finance Lease [Member]
Future minimum lease payments [Line Items]
2019 (excluding the six months ended June 30, 2019)		0.5
2020		1.1
2021		1.0
2022		0.9
2023		0.9
Thereafter		0.0
Total future undiscounted minimum lease payments		4.4
Less: impact of discounting		(1.4)
Finance Lease, Liability		3.0
Operating lease [Member]
Future minimum lease payments [Line Items]
2019 (excluding the six months ended June 30, 2019)		13.0
2020		24.0
2021		16.8
2022		12.8
2023		7.9
Thereafter		19.0
Total future undiscounted minimum lease payments		93.5
Less: impact of discounting		(14.1)
Operating Lease, Liability		$ 79.4

[Line Items] for Future minimum lease payments [Table]

No definition available.

Name:	axl_FutureminimumleasepaymentsLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	axl_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Present value of lessee's discounted obligation for lease payments from finance lease.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 842
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 6
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=77888426&loc=SL77918701-209980

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 842
-SubTopic 20
-Section 45
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (b)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=77888419&loc=SL77918627-209977

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinanceLeaseLiability
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of lessee's undiscounted obligation for lease payments for finance lease.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinanceLeaseLiabilityPaymentsDue
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of lessee's undiscounted obligation for lease payments for finance lease, due after fifth fiscal year following latest fiscal year.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinanceLeaseLiabilityPaymentsDueAfterYearFive
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of lessee's undiscounted obligation for lease payments for finance lease, due in fifth fiscal year following latest fiscal year.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinanceLeaseLiabilityPaymentsDueYearFive
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of lessee's undiscounted obligation for lease payments for finance lease, due in fourth fiscal year following latest fiscal year.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinanceLeaseLiabilityPaymentsDueYearFour
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of lessee's undiscounted obligation for lease payments for finance lease, due in third fiscal year following latest fiscal year.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinanceLeaseLiabilityPaymentsDueYearThree
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of lessee's undiscounted obligation for lease payments for finance lease, due in second fiscal year following latest fiscal year.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinanceLeaseLiabilityPaymentsDueYearTwo
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of lessee's undiscounted obligation for lease payments for finance lease, due in remainder of fiscal year following latest fiscal year ended.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2009/role/commonPracticeRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 842
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 6
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=77888426&loc=SL77918701-209980

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinanceLeaseLiabilityPaymentsRemainderOfFiscalYear
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of lessee's undiscounted obligation for lease payments in excess of discounted obligation for lease payments for finance lease.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinanceLeaseLiabilityUndiscountedExcessAmount
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of lessee's undiscounted obligation for lease payments for operating lease.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LesseeOperatingLeaseLiabilityPaymentsDue
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of lessee's undiscounted obligation for lease payments for operating lease, due after fifth fiscal year following latest fiscal year.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LesseeOperatingLeaseLiabilityPaymentsDueAfterYearFive
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of lessee's undiscounted obligation for lease payments for operating lease, due in fifth fiscal year following latest fiscal year.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LesseeOperatingLeaseLiabilityPaymentsDueYearFive
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of lessee's undiscounted obligation for lease payments for operating lease, due in fourth fiscal year following latest fiscal year.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LesseeOperatingLeaseLiabilityPaymentsDueYearFour
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of lessee's undiscounted obligation for lease payments for operating lease, due in third fiscal year following latest fiscal year.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LesseeOperatingLeaseLiabilityPaymentsDueYearThree
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of lessee's undiscounted obligation for lease payments for operating lease, due in second fiscal year following latest fiscal year.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LesseeOperatingLeaseLiabilityPaymentsDueYearTwo
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of lessee's undiscounted obligation for lease payments for operating lease having an initial or remaining lease term in excess of one year due in remainder of fiscal year following latest fiscal year.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LesseeOperatingLeaseLiabilityPaymentsRemainderOfFiscalYear
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of lessee's undiscounted obligation for lease payments in excess of discounted obligation for lease payments for operating lease.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LesseeOperatingLeaseLiabilityUndiscountedExcessAmount
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Present value of lessee's discounted obligation for lease payments from operating lease.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 842
-SubTopic 20
-Section 45
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (b)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=77888419&loc=SL77918627-209977

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_OperatingLeaseLiability
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of cash outflow for short-term lease payment excluded from lease liability.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 842
-SubTopic 20
-Section 45
-Paragraph 5
-Subparagraph (d)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=77888419&loc=SL77918643-209977

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShortTermLeasePayments
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	srt_StatementScenarioAxis=srt_ScenarioForecastMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_LeaseArrangementTypeAxis=axl_FinanceLeaseMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_LeaseArrangementTypeAxis=axl_OperatingleaseMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: