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Statutory Financial Information, Capital Requirements, and Restrictions on Dividends and Transfers of Funds (Dividends) (Details) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Statutory adjusted capital in excess of authorized risk based capital ratio	4.5sigi_StatutoryAdjustedCapitalInExcessOfAuthorizedRiskBasedCapitalRatio
Total stockholders’ equity	$ 1,275,586,000us-gaap_StockholdersEquity	$ 1,153,928,000us-gaap_StockholdersEquity	$ 1,090,592,000us-gaap_StockholdersEquity
Ordinary dividends paid	57,500,000us-gaap_CashDividendsPaidToParentCompany
Maximum ordinary dividends	162,000,000us-gaap_StatutoryAccountingPracticesStatutoryAmountAvailableForDividendPaymentsWithRegulatoryApproval
Maximum borrowing percentage	10.00%sigi_MaximumBorrowingPercentage
Selective Insurace Company of America (SICA) [Member]
Ordinary dividends paid	22,000,000us-gaap_CashDividendsPaidToParentCompany / sigi_DividendsPaidToParentAxis = sigi_SelectiveInsuranceCompanyOfAmericaMember
Maximum ordinary dividends	62,300,000us-gaap_StatutoryAccountingPracticesStatutoryAmountAvailableForDividendPaymentsWithRegulatoryApproval / sigi_DividendsPaidToParentAxis = sigi_SelectiveInsuranceCompanyOfAmericaMember
Selective Way Insurance Company (SWIC) [Member]
Ordinary dividends paid	18,200,000us-gaap_CashDividendsPaidToParentCompany / sigi_DividendsPaidToParentAxis = sigi_SelectiveWayInsuranceCompanyMember
Maximum ordinary dividends	32,700,000us-gaap_StatutoryAccountingPracticesStatutoryAmountAvailableForDividendPaymentsWithRegulatoryApproval / sigi_DividendsPaidToParentAxis = sigi_SelectiveWayInsuranceCompanyMember
Selective Insurance Company of South Carolina (SICSC) [Member]
Ordinary dividends paid	5,000,000us-gaap_CashDividendsPaidToParentCompany / sigi_DividendsPaidToParentAxis = sigi_SelectiveInsuranceCompanyOfSouthCarolinaMember
Maximum ordinary dividends	14,000,000us-gaap_StatutoryAccountingPracticesStatutoryAmountAvailableForDividendPaymentsWithRegulatoryApproval / sigi_DividendsPaidToParentAxis = sigi_SelectiveInsuranceCompanyOfSouthCarolinaMember
Selective Insurance Company of the Southeast (SICSE) [Member]
Ordinary dividends paid	2,000,000us-gaap_CashDividendsPaidToParentCompany / sigi_DividendsPaidToParentAxis = sigi_SelectiveInsuranceCompanyOfSoutheastMember
Maximum ordinary dividends	10,500,000us-gaap_StatutoryAccountingPracticesStatutoryAmountAvailableForDividendPaymentsWithRegulatoryApproval / sigi_DividendsPaidToParentAxis = sigi_SelectiveInsuranceCompanyOfSoutheastMember
Selective Insurance Company of New York (SICNY) [Member]
Ordinary dividends paid	2,500,000us-gaap_CashDividendsPaidToParentCompany / sigi_DividendsPaidToParentAxis = sigi_SelectiveInsuranceCompanyOfNewYorkMember
Maximum ordinary dividends	8,300,000us-gaap_StatutoryAccountingPracticesStatutoryAmountAvailableForDividendPaymentsWithRegulatoryApproval / sigi_DividendsPaidToParentAxis = sigi_SelectiveInsuranceCompanyOfNewYorkMember
Selective Insurance Company of New England (SICNE) [Member]
Ordinary dividends paid	2,000,000us-gaap_CashDividendsPaidToParentCompany / sigi_DividendsPaidToParentAxis = sigi_SelectiveInsuranceCompanyOfNewEnglandMember
Maximum ordinary dividends	4,400,000us-gaap_StatutoryAccountingPracticesStatutoryAmountAvailableForDividendPaymentsWithRegulatoryApproval / sigi_DividendsPaidToParentAxis = sigi_SelectiveInsuranceCompanyOfNewEnglandMember
Selective Auto Insurance Company of New Jersey (SAICNJ) [Member]
Ordinary dividends paid	1,000,000us-gaap_CashDividendsPaidToParentCompany / sigi_DividendsPaidToParentAxis = sigi_SelectiveAutoInsuranceCompanyOfNewJerseyMember
Maximum ordinary dividends	8,900,000us-gaap_StatutoryAccountingPracticesStatutoryAmountAvailableForDividendPaymentsWithRegulatoryApproval / sigi_DividendsPaidToParentAxis = sigi_SelectiveAutoInsuranceCompanyOfNewJerseyMember
Mesa Underwriting Specialty Insurance Company (MUSIC) [Member]
Maximum ordinary dividends	7,300,000us-gaap_StatutoryAccountingPracticesStatutoryAmountAvailableForDividendPaymentsWithRegulatoryApproval / sigi_DividendsPaidToParentAxis = sigi_MesaUnderwritingSpecialtyInsuranceCompanyMember
Selective Casualty Insurance Company (SCIC) [Member]
Ordinary dividends paid	3,000,000us-gaap_CashDividendsPaidToParentCompany / sigi_DividendsPaidToParentAxis = sigi_SelectiveCasualtyInsuranceCompanyMember
Maximum ordinary dividends	9,500,000us-gaap_StatutoryAccountingPracticesStatutoryAmountAvailableForDividendPaymentsWithRegulatoryApproval / sigi_DividendsPaidToParentAxis = sigi_SelectiveCasualtyInsuranceCompanyMember
Selective Fire and Casualty Insurance Company (SFCIC) [Member]
Ordinary dividends paid	1,800,000us-gaap_CashDividendsPaidToParentCompany / sigi_DividendsPaidToParentAxis = sigi_SelectiveFireAndCasualtyInsuranceCompanyMember
Maximum ordinary dividends	4,100,000us-gaap_StatutoryAccountingPracticesStatutoryAmountAvailableForDividendPaymentsWithRegulatoryApproval / sigi_DividendsPaidToParentAxis = sigi_SelectiveFireAndCasualtyInsuranceCompanyMember
Parent Company [Member]
Investment Portfolio	83,000,000sigi_InvestmentPortfolioAndCashAvailableToFutureDividendsAndInterestPayments / sigi_DividendsPaidToParentAxis = us-gaap_ParentCompanyMember
Total stockholders’ equity	1,300,000,000us-gaap_StockholdersEquity / sigi_DividendsPaidToParentAxis = us-gaap_ParentCompanyMember
Additional Borrowing Capacity for Parent	$ 46,400,000sigi_AdditionalBorrowingCapacityForParent / sigi_DividendsPaidToParentAxis = us-gaap_ParentCompanyMember

X

- Definition

The additional borrowing capacity for the Parent from the Indiana Subsidiaries.

+ References

No definition available.

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X

- Definition

Investment Portfolio and cash available to fund future dividents and interest payments

+ References

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X

- Definition

The maximum collaterized borrowing percentage from SISE and SISC admitted assets

+ References

No definition available.

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X

- Definition

The amount of statutory adjusted capital in excess of the authorized control level risk-based capital computed using statutory accounting practices prescribed by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

+ References

No definition available.

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- Definition

This element represents disclosure of the total aggregate cash dividends paid to the entity by consolidated subsidiaries, by unconsolidated subsidiaries, and by 50% or less owned persons accounted for using the equity method.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 235

-SubTopic 10

-Section S99

-Paragraph 3

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- Definition

Amount of dividends that can be declared or paid with approval of regulatory agency.

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-SubTopic 10

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- Definition

Total of all stockholders' equity (deficit) items, net of receivables from officers, directors, owners, and affiliates of the entity which are attributable to the parent. The amount of the economic entity's stockholders' equity attributable to the parent excludes the amount of stockholders' equity which is allocable to that ownership interest in subsidiary equity which is not attributable to the parent (noncontrolling interest, minority interest). This excludes temporary equity and is sometimes called permanent equity.

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-Paragraph 2

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