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Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements (Details) - Senior Unsecured Notes - USD ($) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended
	Apr. 30, 2013	Nov. 30, 2006
Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements
Aggregate principal amount	$ 1,100	$ 1,100
Ownership interest in domestic subsidiaries (as a percent)	100.00%	100.00%

X

- Definition

Represents the parent entity's interest in net assets of the subsidiary, expressed as a percentage.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	rs_MajorityInterestOwnershipPercentageByParent
Namespace Prefix:	rs_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

X

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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

X

- Definition

The cash inflow during the period from additional borrowings in aggregate debt. Includes proceeds from short-term and long-term debt.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ProceedsFromIssuanceOfDebt
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

X

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis=rs_SeniorUnsecuredNotesPubliclyTradedMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: