NATURE OF OPERATIONS (Narrative) (Details)	12 Months Ended
Aug. 31, 2019 segments micro_mill scrap_processing_facility scrap_metal_shredder mini_mill
Number of electric arc furnace mini mills	8
Number of electric arc furnace micro mills \| micro_mill	2
Number of business segments \| segments	4
Americas Mills
Number of electric arc furnace mini mills	7
Number of scrap processing facilities \| scrap_processing_facility	8
Number of Metal Scrap Shredders \| scrap_metal_shredder	2

Number of operating segments. An operating segment is a component of an enterprise: (a) that engages in business activities from which it may earn revenues and incur expenses (including revenues and expenses relating to transactions with other components of the same enterprise), (b) whose operating results are regularly reviewed by the enterprise's chief operating decision maker to make decisions about resources to be allocated to the segment and assess its performance, and (c) for which discrete financial information is available. An operating segment may engage in business activities for which it has yet to earn revenues, for example, start-up operations may be operating segments before earning revenues.

No definition available.

Name:	us-gaap_NumberOfOperatingSegments
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration