Organization and Basis of Presentation	3 Months Ended
Organization and Basis of Presentation	Mar. 31, 2019
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Organization and Basis of Presentation	Organization and Basis of Presentation Forum Energy Technologies, Inc. (the “Company,” “we,” “our,” or “us”), a Delaware corporation, is a global oilfield products company, serving the drilling, subsea, completions, production and infrastructure sectors of the oil and natural gas industry. The Company designs, manufactures and distributes products and engages in aftermarket services, parts supply and related services that complement the Company’s product offering. Basis of Presentation The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of the Company include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Our investments in operating entities where we have the ability to exert significant influence, but do not control operating and financial policies, are accounted for using the equity method of accounting, with our share of the net income reported in “Loss from equity investment” in the condensed consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss). These investments are included in “Investment in unconsolidated subsidiary” in the condensed consolidated balance sheets. The Company’s share of equity earnings are reported within operating income (loss), as the investee’s operations are integral to the operations of the Company. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments, necessary for the fair statement of the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows have been included. Operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2019 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2019 or any other interim period. These interim financial statements are unaudited and have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) regarding interim financial reporting. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and notes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for complete consolidated financial statements and should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2018, which are included in the Company’s 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 28, 2019 (the “Annual Report”). Change of Segment In the first quarter 2019, we changed our reporting segments in order to align with business activity drivers and the manner in which management reviews and evaluates operating performance. Forum now operates in the following three reporting segments: Drilling & Downhole, Completions and Production. This move better aligns with the key phases of the well cycle and provides improved operating efficiencies. Historically, we operated in three business segments: Drilling & Subsea, Completions, and Production & Infrastructure. We have moved the Downhole product line from Completions to Drilling & Subsea to form the new Drilling & Downhole segment. Completions retains the Stimulation & Intervention and Coiled Tubing product lines. Finally, we renamed Production & Infrastructure as the Production segment. Our historical results of operations have been recast to retrospectively reflect these changes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Refer to Note 11 Business Segments for further information.