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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Details 3) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2012 item | Dec. 31, 2011 | Dec. 31, 2010
Segment Information |  |  |
Number of reportable segments | 1 |  |
Number of operating segments | 1 |  |
Sales (as a percent) | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00%
Carbon steel |  |  |
Segment Information |  |  |
Sales (as a percent) | 51.00% | 53.00% | 52.00%
Aluminum |  |  |
Segment Information |  |  |
Sales (as a percent) | 15.00% | 15.00% | 18.00%
Stainless steel |  |  |
Segment Information |  |  |
Sales (as a percent) | 15.00% | 15.00% | 16.00%
Alloy steel |  |  |
Segment Information |  |  |
Sales (as a percent) | 12.00% | 10.00% | 8.00%
Toll processing |  |  |
Segment Information |  |  |
Sales (as a percent) | 2.00% | 2.00% | 2.00%
Other |  |  |
Segment Information |  |  |
Sales (as a percent) | 5.00% | 5.00% | 4.00%

X
- Definition Number of operating segments. An operating segment is a component of an enterprise: (a) that engages in business activities from which it may earn revenues and incur expenses (including revenues and expenses relating to transactions with other components of the same enterprise), (b) whose operating results are regularly reviewed by the enterprise's chief operating decision maker to make decisions about resources to be allocated to the segment and assess its performance, and (c) for which discrete financial information is available. An operating segment may engage in business activities for which it has yet to earn revenues, for example, start-up operations may be operating segments before earning revenues. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | rs_NumberOfOperatingSegments
Namespace Prefix: | rs_
Data Type: | xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

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- Definition The number of reportable segments of the entity. + References No definition available. + Details
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Namespace Prefix: | rs_
Data Type: | xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

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- Definition Represents the percentage of revenue from sale of goods and services. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | rs_SalesRevenueGoodsAndServicesNetPercentage
Namespace Prefix: | rs_
Data Type: | num:percentItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

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- Details
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Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration