Organization	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2011
Organization [Abstract]
Organization	Note 2—Organization: The Company is a leading producer and global supplier of titanium mill products and a manufacturer of fabricated titanium and specialty metal components for the international aerospace, defense, energy, and industrial and consumer markets. It is a successor to entities that have been operating in the titanium industry since 1951. The Company first became publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange in 1990 under the name RMI Titanium Co. and the symbol “RTI,” and was reorganized into a holding company structure in 1998 under the name RTI International Metals, Inc. The Company conducts business in three segments: the Titanium Group, the Fabrication Group, and the Distribution Group. The Titanium Group melts, processes, and produces a complete range of titanium mill products which are further processed by its customers for use in a variety of commercial aerospace, defense, and industrial and consumer applications. With operations in Niles, Ohio; Canton, Ohio; and Hermitage, Pennsylvania; and a new facility under construction in Martinsville, Virginia, the Titanium Group has overall responsibility for the production of primary mill products including, but not limited to, bloom, billet, sheet, and plate. In addition, the Titanium Group produces ferro titanium alloys for its steel-making customers. The Titanium Group also focuses on the research and development of evolving technologies relating to raw materials, melting, and other production processes, and the application of titanium in new markets. The Fabrication Group is comprised of companies with significant hard-metal expertise that extrude, fabricate, machine, and assemble titanium and other specialty metal parts and components. Its products, many of which are complex engineered parts and assemblies, serve commercial aerospace, defense, oil and gas, power generation, medical device, and chemical process industries, as well as a number of other industrial and consumer markets. With operations located in Houston, Texas; Washington, Missouri; Laval, Canada; and a representative office in China, the Fabrication Group provides value-added products and services such as engineered tubulars and extrusions, fabricated and machined components and sub-assemblies, as well as engineered systems for deepwater oil and gas exploration and production infrastructure. The Distribution Group stocks, distributes, finishes, cuts-to-size, and facilitates just-in-time delivery services of titanium, steel, and other specialty metal products, primarily nickel-based specialty alloys. With operations in Garden Grove, California; Windsor, Connecticut; Sullivan, Missouri; Staffordshire, England; and Rosny-Sur-Seine, France; the Distribution Group is in close proximity to its wide variety of commercial aerospace, defense, and industrial and consumer customers. Both the Fabrication Group and the Distribution Group utilize the Titanium Group as their primary source of titanium mill products.

Organization

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Note 2—Organization:

The Company is a leading producer and global supplier of titanium mill products and a manufacturer of fabricated titanium and specialty metal components for the international aerospace, defense, energy, and industrial and consumer markets. It is a successor to entities that have been operating in the titanium industry since 1951. The Company first became publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange in 1990 under the name RMI Titanium Co. and the symbol “RTI,” and was reorganized into a holding company structure in 1998 under the name RTI International Metals, Inc.

The Company conducts business in three segments: the Titanium Group, the Fabrication Group, and the Distribution Group.

The Titanium Group melts, processes, and produces a complete range of titanium mill products which are further processed by its customers for use in a variety of commercial aerospace, defense, and industrial and consumer applications. With operations in Niles, Ohio; Canton, Ohio; and Hermitage, Pennsylvania; and a new facility under construction in Martinsville, Virginia, the Titanium Group has overall responsibility for the production of primary mill products including, but not limited to, bloom, billet, sheet, and plate. In addition, the Titanium Group produces ferro titanium alloys for its steel-making customers. The Titanium Group also focuses on the research and development of evolving technologies relating to raw materials, melting, and other production processes, and the application of titanium in new markets.

The Fabrication Group is comprised of companies with significant hard-metal expertise that extrude, fabricate, machine, and assemble titanium and other specialty metal parts and components. Its products, many of which are complex engineered parts and assemblies, serve commercial aerospace, defense, oil and gas, power generation, medical device, and chemical process industries, as well as a number of other industrial and consumer markets. With operations located in Houston, Texas; Washington, Missouri; Laval, Canada; and a representative office in China, the Fabrication Group provides value-added products and services such as engineered tubulars and extrusions, fabricated and machined components and sub-assemblies, as well as engineered systems for deepwater oil and gas exploration and production infrastructure.

The Distribution Group stocks, distributes, finishes, cuts-to-size, and facilitates just-in-time delivery services of titanium, steel, and other specialty metal products, primarily nickel-based specialty alloys. With operations in Garden Grove, California; Windsor, Connecticut; Sullivan, Missouri; Staffordshire, England; and Rosny-Sur-Seine, France; the Distribution Group is in close proximity to its wide variety of commercial aerospace, defense, and industrial and consumer customers.

Both the Fabrication Group and the Distribution Group utilize the Titanium Group as their primary source of titanium mill products.