Document and Entity Information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Oct. 28, 2014 Common Class A [Member]	Oct. 28, 2014 Common Class B [Member]
Entity Registrant Name	BIO RAD LABORATORIES INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000012208
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2014
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2014
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		23,862,625	5,097,303
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes