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Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Depreciation On Properties, Plants And Equipment (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Oct. 31, 2012
Buildings [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Interest Cost Capitalized And Depreciation And Amortization Expenses For Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	30 years
Buildings [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Interest Cost Capitalized And Depreciation And Amortization Expenses For Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	45 years
Machinery and Equipment [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Interest Cost Capitalized And Depreciation And Amortization Expenses For Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	3 years
Machinery and Equipment [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Interest Cost Capitalized And Depreciation And Amortization Expenses For Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	19 years

X

- Details

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Namespace Prefix:	gef_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

X

- Definition

Useful life of long lived, physical assets used in the normal conduct of business and not intended for resale, in 'PnYnMnDTnHnMnS' format, for example, 'P1Y5M13D' represents the reported fact of one year, five months, and thirteen days. Examples include, but not limited to, land, buildings, machinery and equipment, office equipment, furniture and fixtures, and computer equipment.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration