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ACQUISITIONS (Details) | 3 Months Ended | 12 Months Ended |  |  |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Dec. 31, 2020 USD ($) countries $ / shares shares | Dec. 31, 2020 USD ($) countries numberOfCities $ / shares shares | Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($) shares | Jun. 22, 2020 USD ($) $ / shares shares | Dec. 31, 2018 shares | Dec. 31, 2017 shares
Business Acquisition [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |
Goodwill, Acquired During Period |  | $ 1,384,027,000 | $ 5,767,000 |  |  |
Preferred stock, shares issued | shares | 21,612 | 21,612 | 0 |  | 0 | 0
Preferred stock, par value | $ / shares | $ 0.01 | $ 0.01 |  |  |  |
Business Acquisition, Description of Acquired Entity |  | Anixter is a leading distributor of network and security solutions, electrical and electronic solutions, and utility power solutions with locations in over 300 cities across approximately 50 countries, and 2019 annual sales of more than $8 billion. |  |  |  |
Business Combination, Reason for Business Combination |  | The Merger brought together two companies with highly compatible capabilities and characteristics. The combination of WESCO and Anixter created an enterprise with scale and should afford the Company the opportunity to digitize its business, and expand its services portfolio and supply chain offerings. |  |  |  |
Number of Cities in which an Entity Operates | numberOfCities |  | 300 |  |  |  |
Business Combination, Provisional Information, Initial Accounting Incomplete, Reasons |  | The estimated fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed are based on preliminary calculations and valuations using estimates and assumptions at the time of acquisition. The determination of the fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, especially those related to identifiable intangible assets, is preliminary due to the complexity of combining multibillion dollar businesses. Accordingly, as the Company obtains additional information during the measurement period (not to exceed one year from the acquisition date), estimates and assumptions for the preliminary purchase consideration allocations may change materially. |  |  |  |
Anixter International [Member] |  |  |  |  |  |
Business Acquisition [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |
Business Acquisition, Effective Date of Acquisition |  | Jun. 22, 2020 |  |  |  |
Business Acquisition, Revenue Reported by Acquired Entity for Last Annual Period |  | $ 8,000,000,000 |  |  |  |
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Intangible Assets, Other than Goodwill |  |  |  | $ 1,838,065,000 |  |
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Gross |  | $ 3,811,038,000 |  |  |  |
Common stock, shares issued | shares |  |  |  | 0.2397 |  |
Preferred stock, shares issued | shares |  |  |  | 0.6356 |  |
Common Stock |  |  |  | $ 0.01 |  |
Preferred Stock, Dividend Rate, Percentage |  | 10.625% |  |  |  |
Preferred stock, par value | $ / shares |  |  |  | $ 25,000 |  |
Additional countries (in countries) | countries | 50 | 50 |  |  |  |
Business Combination, Pro Forma Information, Revenue of Acquiree since Acquisition Date, Actual |  | $ 4,500,000,000 |  |  |  |
Business Combination, Pro Forma Information, Earnings or Loss of Acquiree since Acquisition Date, Actual |  | 180,000,000.0 |  |  |  |
Business Acquisition, Transaction Costs | $ 132,200,000 | 132,200,000 |  |  |  |
Business Combination, Provisional Information, Initial Accounting Incomplete, Adjustment, Inventory |  | 8,200,000 |  |  |  |
Business Combination, Provisional Information, Initial Accounting Incomplete, Adjustment, Operating Lease Assets |  | 18,000,000.0 |  |  |  |
Business Combination, Provisional Information, Initial Accounting Incomplete, Adjustment, Intangibles | $ 6,400,000 | 5,400,000 |  |  |  |
Business Combination, Provisional Information, Initial Accounting Incomplete, Adjustment, Other Noncurrent Assets |  | 15,500,000 |  |  |  |
Business Combination, Provisional Information, Initial Accounting Incomplete, Adjustment, Operating Lease Liabilities |  | 17,000,000.0 |  |  |  |
Business Combination, Provisional Information, Initial Accounting Incomplete, Adjustment, Deferred Income Taxes |  | 27,500,000 |  |  |  |
Business Combination, Provisional Information, Initial Accounting Incomplete, Adjustment, Other Noncurrent Liabilities |  | 38,700,000 |  |  |  |
Goodwill, Purchase Accounting Adjustments |  | 2,400,000 |  |  |  |
Business Acquisition, Pro Forma Revenue |  | $ 16,016,902,000 | $ 17,204,472,000 |  |  |
Anixter International [Member] | Cash [Member] |  |  |  |  |  |
Business Acquisition [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |
Business Acquisition, Share Price | $ / shares |  |  |  | $ 72.82 |  |
Sylvania Lighting Services Corp. [Member] |  |  |  |  |  |
Business Acquisition [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |
Business Acquisition, Effective Date of Acquisition |  | Mar. 05, 2019 |  |  |  |
Business Acquisition, Revenue Reported by Acquired Entity for Last Annual Period |  | $ 100,000,000 |  |  |  |
Noncompete Agreements [Member] | Anixter International [Member] |  |  |  |  |  |
Business Acquisition [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life |  | 2 years |  |  |  |
Maximum [Member] |  |  |  |  |  |
Business Acquisition [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life |  | 20 years |  |  |  |
Maximum [Member] | Trademarks |  |  |  |  |  |
Business Acquisition [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life |  | 15 years |  |  |  |
Maximum [Member] | Customer Relationships |  |  |  |  |  |
Business Acquisition [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life |  | 20 years |  |  |  |
Maximum [Member] | Noncompete Agreements [Member] |  |  |  |  |  |
Business Acquisition [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life |  | 5 years |  |  |  |
Minimum |  |  |  |  |  |
Business Acquisition [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life |  | 2 years |  |  |  |
Minimum | Trademarks |  |  |  |  |  |
Business Acquisition [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life |  | 10 years |  |  |  |
Minimum | Customer Relationships |  |  |  |  |  |
Business Acquisition [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life |  | 10 years |  |  |  |
Minimum | Noncompete Agreements [Member] |  |  |  |  |  |
Business Acquisition [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life |  | 2 years |  |  |  |

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