Accounting Policies	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2014
Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Accounting Policies	Accounting Policies The interim consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Allegheny Technologies Incorporated and its subsidiaries. Unless the context requires otherwise, “Allegheny Technologies”, “ATI” and “the Company” refer to Allegheny Technologies Incorporated and its subsidiaries. These unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for interim financial information and with the instructions for Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and note disclosures required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. In management’s opinion, all adjustments (which include only normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified in order to conform with the fiscal year 2014 presentation. These unaudited consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K. The results of operations for these interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the operating results for any future period. The December 31, 2013 financial information has been derived from the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements. ATI’s strategic vision is to be an aligned and integrated specialty materials and components company. In conjunction with this initiative, in the first quarter of 2014, the High Performance Metals segment was renamed the High Performance Materials & Components segment. Individual business unit names within each segment were also changed to reflect their aligned and integrated product focus. There was no change to the business units that comprise each business segment or the manner in which resources are allocated and performance is assessed for the business units by management. Therefore, there was no change to business segment reporting as a result of this initiative. New Accounting Pronouncements Adopted In January 2014, the Company adopted changes issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) that require an entity to net its liability for unrecognized tax positions against a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss or a tax credit carryforward when settlement in this manner is available under the tax law. The adoption of these changes had no impact on the consolidated financial statements. In January 2014, the Company adopted changes issued by the FASB to the accounting for obligations resulting from joint and several liability arrangements. This guidance requires an entity that is joint and severally liable to measure the obligation as the sum of the amount the entity has agreed with co-obligors to pay and any additional amount it expects to pay on behalf of one or more co-obligors. Required disclosures include a description of the nature of the arrangement, how the liability arose, the relationship with co-obligors and the terms and conditions of the arrangement. The adoption of these changes had no impact on the consolidated financial statements. In January 2014, the Company adopted changes issued by the FASB to a parent entity’s accounting for the cumulative translation adjustment (CTA) upon derecognition of certain subsidiaries or groups of assets within a foreign entity or of an investment in a foreign entity. The amendments specify that CTA should be released into earnings when an entity ceases to have a controlling financial interest in a subsidiary or group of assets within a consolidated foreign entity and the sale or transfer results in the complete or substantially complete liquidation of the foreign entity. For sales of an equity method investment that is a foreign entity, a pro rata portion of CTA attributable to the investment would be recognized in earnings when the investment is sold. When an entity sells either a part or all of its investment in a consolidated foreign entity, CTA would be recognized in earnings only if the sale results in the parent no longer having a controlling financial interest in the foreign entity. In addition, CTA should be recognized in earnings in a business combination achieved in stages (i.e., a step acquisition). The adoption of these changes had no impact on the consolidated financial statements. Pending Accounting Pronouncements In April 2014, the FASB issued changes to the criteria for reporting discontinued operations. Under the new criteria, a disposal of a component of an entity is required to be reported as discontinued operations only if the disposal represents a strategic shift that has, or will have, a major effect on an entity’s operations and financial results. The current criteria that there be no significant continuing involvement in the operations of the component after the disposal transaction has been removed under the new guidance. The new guidance also requires the presentation of the assets and liabilities of a disposal group that includes a discontinued operation for each comparative period and requires additional disclosures about discontinued operations, including the major line items constituting the pretax profit or loss of the discontinued operation, certain cash flow information for the discontinued operation, expanded disclosures about an entity’s significant continuing involvement in a discontinued operation, and disclosures about a disposal of an individually significant component of an entity that does not qualify for discontinued operations presentation. The provisions of the new guidance become effective for all disposals that occur for the Company beginning in fiscal year 2015. The Company does not anticipate a material impact to the consolidated financial statements upon adoption.

Accounting Policies

The interim consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Allegheny Technologies Incorporated and its subsidiaries. Unless the context requires otherwise, “Allegheny Technologies”, “ATI” and “the Company” refer to Allegheny Technologies Incorporated and its subsidiaries.

These unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for interim financial information and with the instructions for Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and note disclosures required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. In management’s opinion, all adjustments (which include only normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified in order to conform with the fiscal year 2014 presentation. These unaudited consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K. The results of operations for these interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the operating results for any future period. The December 31, 2013 financial information has been derived from the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements.

ATI’s strategic vision is to be an aligned and integrated specialty materials and components company. In conjunction with this initiative, in the first quarter of 2014, the High Performance Metals segment was renamed the High Performance Materials & Components segment. Individual business unit names within each segment were also changed to reflect their aligned and integrated product focus. There was no change to the business units that comprise each business segment or the manner in which resources are allocated and performance is assessed for the business units by management. Therefore, there was no change to business segment reporting as a result of this initiative.

New Accounting Pronouncements Adopted

In January 2014, the Company adopted changes issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) that require an entity to net its liability for unrecognized tax positions against a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss or a tax credit carryforward when settlement in this manner is available under the tax law. The adoption of these changes had no impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In January 2014, the Company adopted changes issued by the FASB to the accounting for obligations resulting from joint and several liability arrangements. This guidance requires an entity that is joint and severally liable to measure the obligation as the sum of the amount the entity has agreed with co-obligors to pay and any additional amount it expects to pay on behalf of one or more co-obligors. Required disclosures include a description of the nature of the arrangement, how the liability arose, the relationship with co-obligors and the terms and conditions of the arrangement. The adoption of these changes had no impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In January 2014, the Company adopted changes issued by the FASB to a parent entity’s accounting for the cumulative translation adjustment (CTA) upon derecognition of certain subsidiaries or groups of assets within a foreign entity or of an investment in a foreign entity. The amendments specify that CTA should be released into earnings when an entity ceases to have a controlling financial interest in a subsidiary or group of assets within a consolidated foreign entity and the sale or transfer results in the complete or substantially complete liquidation of the foreign entity. For sales of an equity method investment that is a foreign entity, a pro rata portion of CTA attributable to the investment would be recognized in earnings when the investment is sold. When an entity sells either a part or all of its investment in a consolidated foreign entity, CTA would be recognized in earnings only if the sale results in the parent no longer having a controlling financial interest in the foreign entity. In addition, CTA should be recognized in earnings in a business combination achieved in stages (i.e., a step acquisition). The adoption of these changes had no impact on the consolidated financial statements.

Pending Accounting Pronouncements

In April 2014, the FASB issued changes to the criteria for reporting discontinued operations. Under the new criteria, a disposal of a component of an entity is required to be reported as discontinued operations only if the disposal represents a strategic shift that has, or will have, a major effect on an entity’s operations and financial results. The current criteria that there be no significant continuing involvement in the operations of the component after the disposal transaction has been removed under the new guidance. The new guidance also requires the presentation of the assets and liabilities of a disposal group that includes a discontinued operation for each comparative period and requires additional disclosures about discontinued operations, including the major line items constituting the pretax profit or loss of the discontinued operation, certain cash flow information for the discontinued operation, expanded disclosures about an entity’s significant continuing involvement in a discontinued operation, and disclosures about a disposal of an individually significant component of an entity that does not qualify for discontinued operations presentation. The provisions of the new guidance become effective for all disposals that occur for the Company beginning in fiscal year 2015. The Company does not anticipate a material impact to the consolidated financial statements upon adoption.