Property, Plant And Equipment (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009	Dec. 31, 2011 Vinyls [Member] years	Dec. 31, 2011 Vinyls [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 PVC Pipe Facilities [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Depreciation expense on property, plant and equipment	$ 110,268,000	$ 105,744,000	$ 100,333,000
Asset impairment charges	1,975,000				0	1,975,000
Long-lived assets	$ 1,232,066,000	$ 1,170,334,000		$ 100,049,000	$ 100,049,000
Number of years forecasted to test recoverability of building products assets				15
Percentage future cash flows of building products assets could decrease by and not be impaired				20.00%

The charge against earnings resulting from the aggregate write down of all assets from their carrying value to their fair value.

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The amount of expense recognized in the current period that reflects the allocation of the cost of tangible assets over the assets' useful lives. Includes production and non-production related depreciation.

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- Definition

Tangible assets that are held by an entity for use in the production or supply of goods and services, for rental to others, or for administrative purposes and that are expected to provide economic benefit for more than one year; net of accumulated depreciation. Examples include land, buildings, machinery and equipment, and other types of furniture and equipment including, but not limited to, office equipment, furniture and fixtures, and computer equipment and software.

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