Fair Value Information and Derivative Financial Instruments (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Financial Assets
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	$ 2,578	$ 2,425
Financial Liabilities
Liabilities Fair Value Disclosure	2,780	1,735
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Precious Metal Swaps [Member]
Financial Liabilities
Liabilities Fair Value Disclosure	269	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Deferred compensation liability
Financial Liabilities
Liabilities Fair Value Disclosure	2,310	1,734
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Foreign currency forward contracts
Financial Liabilities
Liabilities Fair Value Disclosure	201	1
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Precious Metal Swaps [Member]
Financial Assets
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	14	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Deferred compensation investments
Financial Assets
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	2,310	1,734
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Foreign currency forward contracts
Financial Assets
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	254	691
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)
Financial Assets
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	2,310	1,734
Financial Liabilities
Liabilities Fair Value Disclosure	2,310	1,734
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) \| Precious Metal Swaps [Member]
Financial Liabilities
Liabilities Fair Value Disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) \| Deferred compensation liability
Financial Liabilities
Liabilities Fair Value Disclosure	2,310	1,734
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) \| Foreign currency forward contracts
Financial Liabilities
Liabilities Fair Value Disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) \| Precious Metal Swaps [Member]
Financial Assets
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) \| Deferred compensation investments
Financial Assets
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	2,310	1,734
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) \| Foreign currency forward contracts
Financial Assets
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Significant Observable Inputs (Level 2)
Financial Assets
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	268	691
Financial Liabilities
Liabilities Fair Value Disclosure	470	1
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Significant Observable Inputs (Level 2) \| Precious Metal Swaps [Member]
Financial Liabilities
Liabilities Fair Value Disclosure	269	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Significant Observable Inputs (Level 2) \| Deferred compensation liability
Financial Liabilities
Liabilities Fair Value Disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Significant Observable Inputs (Level 2) \| Foreign currency forward contracts
Financial Liabilities
Liabilities Fair Value Disclosure	201	1
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Significant Observable Inputs (Level 2) \| Precious Metal Swaps [Member]
Financial Assets
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	14	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Significant Observable Inputs (Level 2) \| Deferred compensation investments
Financial Assets
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Significant Observable Inputs (Level 2) \| Foreign currency forward contracts
Financial Assets
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	254	691
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Other Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
Financial Assets
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	0	0
Financial Liabilities
Liabilities Fair Value Disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Other Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) \| Precious Metal Swaps [Member]
Financial Liabilities
Liabilities Fair Value Disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Other Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) \| Deferred compensation liability
Financial Liabilities
Liabilities Fair Value Disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Other Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) \| Foreign currency forward contracts
Financial Liabilities
Liabilities Fair Value Disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Other Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) \| Precious Metal Swaps [Member]
Financial Assets
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Other Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) \| Deferred compensation investments
Financial Assets
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Other Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) \| Foreign currency forward contracts
Financial Assets
Assets Fair Value Disclosure	0	0
Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] \| Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative Asset, Notional Amount	13,981	0
Derivative Asset, Fair Value, Gross Asset	127	0
Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] \| Foreign currency forward contracts - euro \| Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets [Member] \| Foreign Exchange Forward [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative Asset, Notional Amount	13,981	0
Derivative Asset, Fair Value, Gross Asset	$ 127	$ 0

Fair value portion of probable future economic benefits obtained or controlled by an entity as a result of past transactions or events.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 820
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=66048111&loc=d3e19207-110258

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_AssetsFairValueDisclosure
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Nominal or face amount used to calculate payments on the derivative asset.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 815
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1A
-Subparagraph (d)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84234895&loc=SL5579245-113959

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 815
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1B
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84234895&loc=SL5580258-113959

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DerivativeAssetNotionalAmount
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Fair value, before effects of master netting arrangements, of a financial asset or other contract with one or more underlyings, notional amount or payment provision or both, and the contract can be net settled by means outside the contract or delivery of an asset. Includes assets elected not to be offset. Excludes assets not subject to a master netting arrangement.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 3
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=51824906&loc=SL20225862-175312

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 815
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 4B
-Subparagraph (a),(c)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84234895&loc=SL5624163-113959

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 20
-Section 55
-Paragraph 7
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=82849420&loc=SL20226000-175313

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 860
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 4D
-Subparagraph (c)(2)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=82924980&loc=SL51823488-111719

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DerivativeFairValueOfDerivativeAsset
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueAssetsAndLiabilitiesMeasuredOnRecurringAndNonrecurringBasisLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinancialInstrumentsFinancialAssetsBalanceSheetGroupingsAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinancialInstrumentsFinancialLiabilitiesBalanceSheetGroupingsAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Fair value of financial and nonfinancial obligations.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LiabilitiesFairValueDisclosure
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueByMeasurementFrequencyAxis=us-gaap_FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueByLiabilityClassAxis=mtrn_PreciousMetalSwapsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueByLiabilityClassAxis=mtrn_DirectorsDeferredCompensationInvestmentsLiabilitiesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueByLiabilityClassAxis=mtrn_ForeignCurrencyForwardContractMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueByAssetClassAxis=mtrn_PreciousMetalSwapsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueByAssetClassAxis=mtrn_DirectorsDeferredCompensationInvestmentsAssetsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueByAssetClassAxis=mtrn_ForeignCurrencyForwardContractMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis=us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel1Member
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis=us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel2Member
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis=us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel3Member
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_HedgingDesignationAxis=us-gaap_NondesignatedMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_BalanceSheetLocationAxis=us-gaap_PrepaidExpensesAndOtherCurrentAssetsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_CurrencyAxis=currency_EUR
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis=us-gaap_ForeignExchangeForwardMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: