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SALES OF ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE (Activity of Deferred Purchase Price Receivables) (Details) - USD ($)
 3 Months Ended
Nov. 30, 2017
Nov. 30, 2016
Securitization or Asset-backed Financing Arrangement, Financial Asset for Which Transfer is Accounted as Sale [Roll Forward]    
Beginning balance $ 706,595,000  
Ending balance 772,588,000  
Deferred purchase price receivables    
Securitization or Asset-backed Financing Arrangement, Financial Asset for Which Transfer is Accounted as Sale [Roll Forward]    
Beginning balance 215,123,000 $ 289,748,000
Transfers of accounts receivable 656,642,000 556,964,000
Collections (578,389,000) (551,274,000)
Exit from programs   (33,917,000)
Ending balance 293,376,000 261,521,000
UNITED STATES | Deferred purchase price receivables    
Securitization or Asset-backed Financing Arrangement, Financial Asset for Which Transfer is Accounted as Sale [Roll Forward]    
Beginning balance 135,623,000 212,762,000 [1]
Transfers of accounts receivable 535,893,000 470,145,000 [1]
Collections (450,482,000) (467,190,000) [1]
Exit from programs [1]   0
Ending balance 221,034,000 215,717,000 [1]
UNITED STATES | Businesses Sold or Held for Sale    
Securitization or Asset-backed Financing Arrangement, Financial Asset for Which Transfer is Accounted as Sale [Roll Forward]    
Transfers of accounts receivable   33,900,000
Collections   (39,500,000)
AUSTRALIA | Deferred purchase price receivables    
Securitization or Asset-backed Financing Arrangement, Financial Asset for Which Transfer is Accounted as Sale [Roll Forward]    
Beginning balance [2]   26,662,000
Transfers of accounts receivable [2]   16,914,000
Collections [2]   (9,659,000)
Exit from programs [2]   (33,917,000)
Ending balance [2]   0
AUSTRALIA | Businesses Sold or Held for Sale    
Securitization or Asset-backed Financing Arrangement, Financial Asset for Which Transfer is Accounted as Sale [Roll Forward]    
Transfers of accounts receivable   0
Collections   (3,700,000)
Exit from programs   1,600,000
POLAND | Deferred purchase price receivables    
Securitization or Asset-backed Financing Arrangement, Financial Asset for Which Transfer is Accounted as Sale [Roll Forward]    
Beginning balance 79,500,000 50,324,000
Transfers of accounts receivable 120,749,000 69,905,000
Collections (127,907,000) (74,425,000)
Exit from programs   0
Ending balance $ 72,342,000 $ 45,804,000
[1] Includes the sale of trade accounts receivable activities related to the CMC Cometals discontinued operation. See Note 2, Changes in Business, for further discussion. For the three months ended November 30, 2016, there were transfers of trade accounts receivable of $33.9 million and collections were $39.5 million.
[2] Includes the sale of trade accounts receivable activities related to the Australian steel distribution business discontinued operation. For the three months ended November 30, 2016, there were no transfers of trade accounts receivable, collections were $3.7 million and redemptions of trade accounts receivable associated with the exit from the program were $1.6 million.