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Stock-based Compensation - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended			1 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Apr. 30, 2013	Apr. 30, 2014	Apr. 30, 2012
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Treasury stock acquisition price	$ 18,147,000us-gaap_TreasuryStockValueAcquiredCostMethod	$ 85,837,000us-gaap_TreasuryStockValueAcquiredCostMethod	$ 170,292,000us-gaap_TreasuryStockValueAcquiredCostMethod
Employee Stock Option
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Treasury stock shares acquired	190,919us-gaap_TreasuryStockSharesAcquired / us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis = us-gaap_EmployeeStockOptionMember
Options outstanding, aggregate intrinsic value	4,300,000us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardOptionsOutstandingIntrinsicValue / us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis = us-gaap_EmployeeStockOptionMember
Options outstanding, weighted-average remaining contractual term	4 years 11 months 1 day
Options exercisable, aggregate intrinsic value	4,200,000us-gaap_SharebasedCompensationArrangementBySharebasedPaymentAwardOptionsExercisableIntrinsicValue1 / us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis = us-gaap_EmployeeStockOptionMember
Options exercisable, weighted-average remaining contractual term	4 years 3 months 11 days
Outstanding non-vested options	862,000us-gaap_SharebasedCompensationArrangementBySharebasedPaymentAwardOptionsNonvestedNumberOfShares / us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis = us-gaap_EmployeeStockOptionMember
Employee Stock Option | Acquired to satisfy the exercise price
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Treasury stock acquisition price	4,600,000us-gaap_TreasuryStockValueAcquiredCostMethod / us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis = us-gaap_EmployeeStockOptionMember / pten_TreasuryStockActivityByTypeAxis = pten_TransactionOneMember
Employee Stock Option | Acquired to satisfy payroll tax withholding obligations
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Treasury stock acquisition price	1,600,000us-gaap_TreasuryStockValueAcquiredCostMethod / us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis = us-gaap_EmployeeStockOptionMember / pten_TreasuryStockActivityByTypeAxis = pten_TransactionTwoMember
Restricted Stock Awards
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Outstanding non-vested restricted stock	1,400,000pten_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsVestedAndExpectedToVestOutstandingNumber / us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis = us-gaap_RestrictedStockMember
Performance Units Awards
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Award description	Generally, the recipients will receive a target number of shares if the Company’s total shareholder return is positive and, when compared to the peer group, is at the 50th percentile and two times the target if at the 75th percentile or higher.
Performance period	3 years
Performance Units Awards | 2009
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Award description	Generally, the recipients would receive a target payment if the Company’s total shareholder return was positive and, when compared to the peer group, was at or above the 50th percentile but less than the 75th percentile and two times the target if at the 75th percentile or higher.
Target awards payment	3,400,000pten_PerformanceBasedAwardTargetShareAmount / us-gaap_AwardDateAxis = pten_YearTwoThousandNineMember / us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis = us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
Pro-rated obligation						1,700,000us-gaap_AccruedBonusesCurrentAndNoncurrent / us-gaap_AwardDateAxis = pten_YearTwoThousandNineMember / us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis = us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
Compensation expense			(1,900,000)us-gaap_AllocatedShareBasedCompensationExpense / us-gaap_AwardDateAxis = pten_YearTwoThousandNineMember / us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis = us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
Performance Units Awards | 2010
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Compensation expense		260,000us-gaap_AllocatedShareBasedCompensationExpense / us-gaap_AwardDateAxis = pten_YearTwentyTenMember / us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis = us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember	1,039,000us-gaap_AllocatedShareBasedCompensationExpense / us-gaap_AwardDateAxis = pten_YearTwentyTenMember / us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis = us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
Shares issued				357,500us-gaap_StockIssuedDuringPeriodSharesOther / us-gaap_AwardDateAxis = pten_YearTwentyTenMember / us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis = us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
Performance Units Awards | 2011
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Compensation expense	$ 464,000us-gaap_AllocatedShareBasedCompensationExpense / us-gaap_AwardDateAxis = pten_YearTwentyElevenMember / us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis = us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember	$ 1,856,000us-gaap_AllocatedShareBasedCompensationExpense / us-gaap_AwardDateAxis = pten_YearTwentyElevenMember / us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis = us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember	$ 1,856,000us-gaap_AllocatedShareBasedCompensationExpense / us-gaap_AwardDateAxis = pten_YearTwentyElevenMember / us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis = us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
Shares issued					288,750us-gaap_StockIssuedDuringPeriodSharesOther / us-gaap_AwardDateAxis = pten_YearTwentyElevenMember / us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis = us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. 2014 Long-Term Incentive Plan | Maximum
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Option term	10 years
Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. 2014 Long-Term Incentive Plan | Non Employee Director
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards vesting period	1 year
Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. 2014 Long-Term Incentive Plan | Employees
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards vesting period	3 years
Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. 2005 Long-Term Incentive Plan, as amended | Non Employee Director | Employee Stock Option
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards vesting period	1 year
Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. 2005 Long-Term Incentive Plan, as amended | Non Employee Director | Restricted Stock Awards
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards vesting period	1 year
Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. 2005 Long-Term Incentive Plan, as amended | Employees | Employee Stock Option
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards vesting period	3 years
Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. 2005 Long-Term Incentive Plan, as amended | Employees | Restricted Stock Awards
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards vesting period	3 years
Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. Amended and Restated 1997 Long-Term Incentive Plan, as amended ("1997 Plan") | Restricted Stock Awards
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards vesting period	4 years
Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. Amended and Restated 1997 Long-Term Incentive Plan, as amended ("1997 Plan") | Maximum | Employee Stock Option
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards vesting period	5 years
Option term	10 years
Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. Amended and Restated 1997 Long-Term Incentive Plan, as amended ("1997 Plan") | Minimum | Employee Stock Option
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards vesting period	3 years

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Carrying value as of the balance sheet date of obligations incurred and payable for incentive compensation awarded to employees and directors or earned by them based on the terms of one or more relevant arrangements.

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Period which an employee's right to exercise an award is no longer contingent on satisfaction of either a service condition, market condition or a performance condition, in 'PnYnMnDTnHnMnS' format, for example, 'P1Y5M13D' represents the reported fact of one year, five months, and thirteen days.

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Amount of difference between fair value of the underlying shares reserved for issuance and exercise price of vested portions of options outstanding and currently exercisable.

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Weighted average remaining contractual term for vested portions of options outstanding and currently exercisable or convertible, in 'PnYnMnDTnHnMnS' format, for example, 'P1Y5M13D' represents the reported fact of one year, five months, and thirteen days.

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Amount by which the current fair value of the underlying stock exceeds the exercise price of options outstanding.

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