XML 24 R37.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT
v2.4.0.8

Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $) | 3 Months Ended
--- | ---
Mar. 31, 2014 | Mar. 31, 2013
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans Table Text Block [Line Items] |  |  |
Effective income tax rate | 18.40% |  | 24.80%
Restructuring and other charges, net | $ 17,000,000 |  | $ 0
Restructuring and other charges, net of tax | 11,100,000 |  |
Pension Benefits |  |  |
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans Table Text Block [Line Items] |  |  |
Actuarial loss | 15,432,000 | [1] | 0
Actuarial loss, net of tax | $ 9,800,000 | [1] |
[1] | In connection with the announced realignment of our operating segments effective January 1, 2014, in the fourth quarter of 2013 we initiated a workforce reduction plan which will result in a reduction of approximately 230 employees worldwide. This workforce reduction triggered a net curtailment gain of approximately $0.8 million in the first quarter of 2014 for one of our U.S. defined benefit plans and our supplemental executive retirement plan (SERP). In connection with the curtailment, we were required to remeasure the related assets and obligations for these plans. As of the January 31, 2014 remeasurement date, the weighted-average discount rate for our domestic pension plans was reduced from 5.14% to 4.97%. Taking into account the discount rate reduction and actual return on plan assets through January 31, 2014, we recorded a mark-to-market actuarial loss (net of the curtailment gain) for the first quarter of 2014 of $15.4 million.

X
- Definition Mark-to-market adjustments for the gain or losses occurring on pension or postretirement plans during the year, and any mark-to-market true-up or other adjustments. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | alb_DefinedBenefitPlanMarkToMarketPensionAndPostretirementAdjustmentstoGainsLosses
Namespace Prefix: | alb_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | credit
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Mark-to-market adjustments for the gain or losses occurring on pension or postretirement plans during the year, and any mark-to-market true-up or other adjustments, net of tax. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | alb_Definedbenefitplanmarktomarketpensionandpostretirementadjustmentstogainslossesnetoftax
Namespace Prefix: | alb_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | credit
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Restructuring, Settlement and Impairment Provisions, net of tax + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | alb_RestructuringSettlementandImpairmentProvisionsnetoftax
Namespace Prefix: | alb_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | debit
Period Type: | duration

X
- Details
Name: | us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlansAndOtherPostretirementBenefitPlansTableTextBlockLineItems
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Percentage of current income tax expense (benefit) and deferred income tax expense (benefit) pertaining to continuing operations. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 12 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32687-109319 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 13 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32698-109319 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 235 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.4-08.(h)(2)) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=26873400&loc=d3e23780-122690 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher SEC -Name Regulation S-X (SX) -Number 210 -Section 08 -Paragraph h -Subparagraph 2 -Article 4 + Details
Name: | us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateContinuingOperations
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | num:percentItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition The aggregate amount provided for estimated restructuring charges, remediation costs, and asset impairment loss during an accounting period. Generally, these items are either unusual or infrequent, but not both (in which case they would be extraordinary items). + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 225 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 2 -Subparagraph (SX 210.5-03.3) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=26872669&loc=d3e20235-122688 + Details
Name: | us-gaap_RestructuringSettlementAndImpairmentProvisions
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | debit
Period Type: | duration