Income Taxes - Significant Components of Company's Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Oct. 31, 2014	Oct. 31, 2013
Deferred Tax Assets
Net operating loss and other carryforwards	$ 108.5	$ 100.8
Pension liabilities	48.2	23.7
Insurance operations	4.1	6.4
Incentive liabilities	12.9	14.1
Environmental reserves	5.4	7.3
Inventories	5.7us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsInventory	6.1us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsInventory
State income taxes	9.2gef_DeferredTaxAssetsStateIncomeTaxes	9.6gef_DeferredTaxAssetsStateIncomeTaxes
Postretirement benefit obligations	4.1	5.6
Other	7.6us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsOther	10.8us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsOther
Interest accrued	2.3gef_DeferredTaxAssetsInterestExpense	5.6gef_DeferredTaxAssetsInterestExpense
Allowance for doubtful accounts	4.6	3.0
Restructuring reserves	1.4	0.5
Deferred compensation	2.7	2.4
Foreign tax credits	2.3	2.5
Vacation accruals	1.8	1.5
Workers compensation accruals	4.6	3.9
Total Deferred Tax Assets	225.4us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsGross	203.8us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsGross
Valuation allowance	(108.5)	(79.0)
Net Deferred Tax Assets	116.9us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsNet	124.8us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsNet
Deferred Tax Liabilities
Properties, plants and equipment	109.0	115.8
Goodwill and other intangible assets	79.9	98.6
Foreign Income Inclusion	1.1	0.8
Foreign exchange gains	7.4	7.7
Timberland transactions	106.4	102.1
Total Deferred Tax Liabilities	303.8us-gaap_DeferredTaxLiabilities	325.0us-gaap_DeferredTaxLiabilities
Net Deferred Tax Liability	$ (186.9)us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsLiabilitiesNet	$ (200.2)us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsLiabilitiesNet

Deferred tax assets deferred compensation.

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Deferred tax assets interest expense.

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Deferred tax assets state income taxes.

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Deferred tax assets tax deferred expense incentives.

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Deferred tax assets tax deferred expense reserves and accruals environmental reserves.

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Deferred tax liabilities foreign income inclusion.

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Deferred tax liabilities timberland transactions.

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Amount before allocation of valuation allowances of deferred tax asset attributable to deductible temporary differences and carryforwards.

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Amount before allocation of valuation allowances of deferred tax asset attributable to deductible temporary differences from inventory.

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Amount after allocation of valuation allowances of deferred tax asset attributable to deductible temporary differences and carryforwards, net of deferred tax liability attributable to taxable temporary differences.

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Amount before allocation of valuation allowances of deferred tax asset attributable to deductible operating loss carryforwards.

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Amount before allocation of valuation allowances of deferred tax asset attributable to deductible temporary differences not separately disclosed.

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Amount before allocation of valuation allowances of deferred tax asset attributable to deductible foreign tax credit carryforwards.

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Amount before allocation of valuation allowances of deferred tax asset attributable to deductible temporary differences from compensated absences (includes, but not limited to, sick and personal days).

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Amount before allocation of valuation allowances of deferred tax asset attributable to deductible temporary differences from employee compensation.

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Amount before allocation of valuation allowances of deferred tax asset attributable to deductible temporary differences from pension benefits.

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Amount before allocation of valuation allowances of deferred tax asset attributable to deductible temporary differences from postretirement benefits.

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Amount before allocation of valuation allowances of deferred tax asset attributable to deductible temporary differences from the allowance for doubtful accounts.

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Amount before allocation of valuation allowances of deferred tax asset attributable to deductible temporary differences from restructuring reserve.

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Amount before allocation of valuation allowances of deferred tax asset attributable to deductible temporary differences from estimated losses under self insurance.

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Amount of deferred tax assets for which it is more likely than not that a tax benefit will not be realized.

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Amount of deferred tax liability attributable to taxable temporary differences net of deferred tax asset attributable to deductible temporary differences and carryforwards after valuation allowances.

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Amount of deferred tax liability attributable to taxable temporary differences from intangible assets including goodwill.

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Amount of deferred tax liability attributable to taxable temporary differences from property, plant, and equipment.

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Amount of deferred tax liability attributable to taxable temporary differences from unrealized gains on foreign currency transactions.

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