Consolidated Statements of Income - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Net sales	$ 2,068,172	$ 2,019,441	$ 2,175,044
Cost of goods sold	930,085	897,771	996,527
Gross profit	1,138,087	1,121,670	1,178,517
Selling, general and administrative expense	816,724	761,990	808,200
Research and development expense	205,864	192,972	220,333
Impairment losses on goodwill and long-lived assets	62,305	0	0
Income from operations	53,194	166,708	149,984
Interest expense	21,942	21,692	22,131
Foreign exchange losses, net	4,542	10,249	9,305
Other (income) expense, net	(14,850)	(11,080)	(13,009)
Income before income taxes	41,560	145,847	131,557
Provision for income taxes	(13,435)	(32,754)	(42,712)
Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Parent	$ 28,125	$ 113,093	$ 88,845
Basic earnings per share:
Net income per share basic attributable to Bio-Rad	$ 0.96	$ 3.87	$ 3.08
Weighted average common shares - basic	29,440	29,186	28,876
Diluted earnings per share:
Net income per share diluted attributable to Bio-Rad	$ 0.95	$ 3.85	$ 3.05
Weighted average common shares - diluted	29,646	29,409	29,133