v2.4.0.8

Novartis Collaboration Agreement - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Jul. 31, 2009	Sep. 28, 2013
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Collaboration agreements revenue		$ 197.9
Novartis [Member] | Collaboration Agreement [Member] | 2012-2013 [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Share of revenue from assay that includes test for HCV	47.00%
Novartis [Member] | Collaboration Agreement [Member] | 2014 [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Share of revenue from assay that includes test for HCV	48.00%
Novartis [Member] | Collaboration Agreement [Member] | 2015 [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Share of revenue from assay that includes test for HCV	50.00%
Blood screening [Member] | Novartis [Member] | Collaboration Agreement [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Collaboration agreement maturity date		Jun. 30, 2025
Manufacturing costs entitled to recover	50.00%
Share of revenue from assay that excludes test for HCV	50.00%

X

- Definition

Collaboration agreements revenue.

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No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	holx_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

X

- Definition

Collaborative Arrangement Maturity Date

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No definition available.

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Name:	holx_CollaborativeArrangementMaturityDate
Namespace Prefix:	holx_
Data Type:	xbrli:dateItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

X

- Definition

Manufacturing Costs Entitled To Recover

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No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	holx_ManufacturingCostsEntitledToRecover
Namespace Prefix:	holx_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

X

- Definition

Represents the percentage of revenue that the Company is entitled to receive from Novartis from the use of any assay that does not test for HCV.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	holx_ShareOfRevenueFromAnyAssayThatExcludesTestForHcv
Namespace Prefix:	holx_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

X

- Definition

Represents the percentage of revenue that the Company is entitled to receive from Novartis from the use of any assay that includes a test for HCV.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	holx_ShareOfRevenueFromAnyAssayThatIncludesTestForHcv
Namespace Prefix:	holx_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

X

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_CollaborativeArrangementsAndNoncollaborativeArrangementTransactionsLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration