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13. Subsequent Event	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2011
Subsequent Event [Abstract]
Subsequent Events [Text Block]	13.    SUBSEQUENT EVENT On October 4, 2011, we acquired all the issued and outstanding stock of QuantaLife, Inc. (QuantaLife) for cash consideration of $164.8 million, less a $5.0 million holdback of cash until the completion of certain post-closing matters, netting to $159.8 million in cash, plus potential future net contingent consideration payments that could be up to approximately $48 million. QuantaLife will be included in our Life Science segment. The acquired assets will be measured at their estimated fair values at the acquisition date based upon management's best estimates. Goodwill will be measured as the excess of the consideration transferred over the fair values of the identifiable net assets acquired. We do not expect the goodwill that will be recorded with this acquisition to be deductible for tax purposes. Integrating the acquired QuantaLife business into Bio-Rad's life science research is expected to expand our current state of the art methods of quantitative PCR and we believe it will complement Bio-Rad's existing amplification business.

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The entire disclosure for significant events or transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date through the date the financial statements were issued or the date the financial statements were available to be issued. Examples include: the sale of a capital stock issue, purchase of a business, settlement of litigation, catastrophic loss, significant foreign exchange rate changes, loans to insiders or affiliates, and transactions not in the ordinary course of business.

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