Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	1. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of American Vanguard Corporation and Subsidiaries (“AVD” or “the Company”) have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“US GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2020. The financial statements and related notes do not include all information and footnotes required by US GAAP for annual reports. This quarterly report should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019. The Company is closely monitoring the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on all aspects of its business, including how the pandemic will impact its customers, business partners, and employees. The Company is considered an essential business by most governments in the jurisdictions and territories in which the Company operates and, as a result, did not incur significant disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic during the three months ended March 31, 2020. However, the Company is unable to predict the impact that the pandemic may have on its future financial condition, results of operations and cash flows due to numerous uncertainties. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic impacts the Company’s operations and those of its customers in the near term will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence. The Company continues to monitor its business for adverse impacts of the pandemic, including volatility in the foreign exchange markets, demand, supply-chain disruptions in certain markets, and increased costs of employee safety, among others. Update to Significant Accounting Policies: On January 1, 2020, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-13, “Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326)”, along with related clarifications and improvements. As a result, we updated our significant accounting policies for the measurement of credit losses below. Refer to Note 15 “Recent Accounting Standards” for further information related to the Company's adoption of this standard. Allowance for Credit Losses – The Company maintains an allowance for credit losses to cover its Current Expected Credit Losses ("CECL") on its trade receivables, other receivables and contract assets arising from the failure of customers to make contractual payments. The Company estimates credit losses expected over the life of its trade receivables and contract assets based on historical information combined with current conditions that may affect a customer’s ability to pay and reasonable and supportable forecasts. In most instances, the Company’s policy is to write-off trade receivables when they are deemed uncollectible. The vast majority of the Company's trade receivables are less than 365 days. Under the CECL impairment model, the Company develops and documents its allowance for credit losses on its trade receivables based on multiple portfolios. The determination of portfolios are based primarily on geographical location, type of customer and aging.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

1. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of American Vanguard Corporation and Subsidiaries (“AVD” or “the Company”) have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“US GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2020. The financial statements and related notes do not include all information and footnotes required by US GAAP for annual reports. This quarterly report should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019.

The Company is closely monitoring the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on all aspects of its business, including how the pandemic will impact its customers, business partners, and employees. The Company is considered an essential business by most governments in the jurisdictions and territories in which the Company operates and, as a result, did not incur significant disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic during the three months ended March 31, 2020. However, the Company is unable to predict the impact that the pandemic may have on its future financial condition, results of operations and cash flows due to numerous uncertainties. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic impacts the Company’s operations and those of its customers in the near term will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence. The Company continues to monitor its business for adverse impacts of the pandemic, including volatility in the foreign exchange markets, demand, supply-chain disruptions in certain markets, and increased costs of employee safety, among others.

Update to Significant Accounting Policies:

On January 1, 2020, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-13, “Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326)”, along with related clarifications and improvements. As a result, we updated our significant accounting policies for the measurement of credit losses below. Refer to Note 15 “Recent Accounting Standards” for further information related to the Company's adoption of this standard.

Allowance for Credit Losses – The Company maintains an allowance for credit losses to cover its Current Expected Credit Losses ("CECL") on its trade receivables, other receivables and contract assets arising from the failure of customers to make contractual payments. The Company estimates credit losses expected over the life of its trade receivables and contract assets based on historical information combined with current conditions that may affect a customer’s ability to pay and reasonable and supportable forecasts. In most instances, the Company’s policy is to write-off trade receivables when they are deemed uncollectible. The vast majority of the Company's trade receivables are less than 365 days.

Under the CECL impairment model, the Company develops and documents its allowance for credit losses on its trade receivables based on multiple portfolios. The determination of portfolios are based primarily on geographical location, type of customer and aging.