2. Acquisitions (Details)	12 Months Ended			0 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		1 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2011 USD ($)	Jan. 10, 2013 AbD Serotec [Member] USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2013 AbD Serotec [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2013 AbD Serotec [Member] USD ($)	Aug. 31, 2012 CellSorter [Member] USD ($)	Jul. 30, 2012 Benelux [Member] USD ($)	Jul. 30, 2012 Benelux [Member] EUR (€)	Jan. 18, 2012 Portland [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure [Member] USD ($)		Dec. 31, 2012 Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure [Member] USD ($)		Dec. 31, 2013 Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure [Member] CellSorter [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure [Member] CellSorter [Member] USD ($)	Aug. 31, 2012 Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure [Member] CellSorter [Member] USD ($)	Aug. 31, 2012 Development [Member] CellSorter [Member] USD ($)	Aug. 31, 2012 Sales [Member] CellSorter [Member] USD ($)
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Percentage of Voting Interests Acquired				100.00%				100.00%	100.00%
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred				$ 62,200,000			$ 49,600,000	$ 5,600,000	€ 4,600,000	$ 12,500,000
Cash Acquired from Acquisition						7,300,000
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Purchase Accounting Adjustments					1,700,000
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Cash Paid							5,000,000
Goodwill, Purchase Accounting Adjustments	0	(600,000)			(2,100,000)
bio_NetAssetPurchaseAccountingAdjustment					400,000
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration, Liability																	44,600,000	19,900,000	24,700,000
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliations, Recurring Basis, Liability Value											20,800,000	[1]	52,600,000	[1]	20,800,000	44,600,000
Goodwill	517,770,000	495,418,000	468,900,000	14,900,000			17,400,000	3,000,000		1,100,000
Employment agreement										2,000,000
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Net				3,300,000			100,000	(2,300,000)		6,300,000
Finite-lived Intangible Assets Acquired				$ 44,000,000			$ 32,100,000	$ 4,900,000		$ 5,100,000

[1] The contingent consideration liability is included in the following accounts in the Consolidated Balance Sheet (in millions): December 31, 2013 December 31, 2012 Other current liabilities$6.1 $27.3Other long-term liabilities14.7 25.3 Total$20.8 $52.6