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Business Segments (Narrative) (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2014 | Dec. 31, 2013 | Dec. 31, 2012
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items] |  |  |
Capital Charges Rate | 1.00%fstr_CapitalChargesRate |  |
Concentration Risk, Percentage | 10.00%us-gaap_ConcentrationRiskPercentage1 | 10.00%us-gaap_ConcentrationRiskPercentage1 | 10.00%us-gaap_ConcentrationRiskPercentage1
Segment Reporting, Factors Used to Identify Entity's Reportable Segments | The Company is a leading manufacturer, fabricator, and distributor of products and services for rail, construction, energy, and utility markets. The Company is organized and evaluated by product group, which is the basis for identifying reportable segments. Each segment represents a revenue-producing component of the Company for which separate financial information is produced internally and is subject to evaluation by the Company's chief operating decision maker in deciding how to allocate resources. Each segment is evaluated based upon their contribution to the Company's consolidated results based upon segment profit. The Company markets its products directly in all major industrial areas of the United States, Canada, and Europe, primarily through an internal sales force.The Company's Rail Products segment provides a full line of new and used rail, trackwork, and accessories to railroads, mines, and industry. The Rail segment also designs and produces concrete railroad ties, insulated rail joints, power rail, track fasteners, coverboards, and special accessories for mass transit and other rail systems. In addition, the Rail Products segment engineers, manufactures, and assembles friction management products and railway wayside data collection and management systems. The Company's Construction Products segment sells and rents steel sheet piling, H-bearing pile, and other piling products for foundation and earth retention requirements. The Company's Fabricated Products division sells bridge decking, bridge railing, structural steel fabrications, expansion joints, bridge forms, and other products for highway construction and repair. The concrete products businesses produce precast concrete buildings and a variety of specialty precast concrete products.The Company's Tubular Products segment supplies pipe coatings for natural gas pipelines and utilities, blending, injection, and metering equipment for the oil and gas market, and produces threaded pipe products for industrial water well and irrigation markets. |  |
Segment Reporting, Measurement for Transactions Between Reportable Segments | The following table illustrates net sales, profits, assets, depreciation/amortization, and expenditures for long-lived assets of the Company by segment from continuing operations. Segment profit is the earnings from continuing operations before income taxes and includes internal cost of capital charges for net assets used in the segment at a rate of generally 1% per month. The internal cost of capital charges are eliminated during the consolidation process. The accounting policies of the reportable segments are the same as those described in the summary of significant accounting policies except that the Company accounts for inventory on a First-In, First-Out (FIFO) basis at the segment level compared to a Last-In, First-Out (LIFO) basis at the consolidated level |  |
Customer 1 - 10% of Sales [Member] |  |  |
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items] |  |  |
Revenues | 0 us-gaap_Revenues / us-gaap_MajorCustomersAxis = fstr_Customer1Member | 0 us-gaap_Revenues / us-gaap_MajorCustomersAxis = fstr_Customer1Member | 0 us-gaap_Revenues / us-gaap_MajorCustomersAxis = fstr_Customer1Member

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- Definition For an entity that discloses a concentration risk in relation to quantitative amount, which serves as the "benchmark" (or denominator) in the equation, this concept represents the concentration percentage derived from the division. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 825 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 21 -Subparagraph (a) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=35750535&loc=d3e13537-108611 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 275 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 20 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6927468&loc=d3e6404-108592 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 825 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 20 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=35750535&loc=d3e13531-108611 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 275 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 18 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6927468&loc=d3e6351-108592 + Details
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- Definition Description of the factors used to identify reportable segments, including the basis of organization (for example, whether management has chosen to organize the enterprise around differences in products and services, geographic areas, regulatory environments, or a combination of factors and whether operating segments have been aggregated to reportable segments). + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 280 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 21 -Subparagraph (a) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6534315&loc=d3e8721-108599 + Details
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- Definition Amount of revenue recognized from goods sold, services rendered, insurance premiums, or other activities that constitute an earning process. Includes, but is not limited to, investment and interest income before deduction of interest expense when recognized as a component of revenue, and sales and trading gain (loss). + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 225 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 2 -Subparagraph (SX 210.5-03.1) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=26872669&loc=d3e20235-122688 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher SEC -Name Regulation S-X (SX) -Number 210 -Section 03 -Paragraph 1 -Article 5 + Details
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