Discontinued Operations - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011	Oct. 31, 2011 Contract
Income from discontinued operations for the quarter	$ 12.2	$ 138.0	$ 5.3	$ 431.8
Number of Contracts					425

Income (loss) from discontinued operations including gain (loss) net of tax.

No definition available.

Name:	itt_IncomeLossFromDiscontinuedOperationsIncludingGainLossNetOfTax
Namespace Prefix:	itt_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration