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Note 1 - Basis of Presentation (Details)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2015
Note 1 - Basis of Presentation (Details) [Line Items]
Number of Reportable Segments	3
Carbon Flat Products And Specialty Metals Flat Products [Member]
Note 1 - Basis of Presentation (Details) [Line Items]
Number of Reportable Segments	2

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- Definition

Number of segments reported by the entity. A reportable segment is a component of an entity for which there is an accounting requirement to report separate financial information on that component in the entity's financial statements.

+ References

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- References

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

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- Details

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