Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income (Unaudited) - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017
Net sales	$ 575,911	$ 504,666	$ 1,127,430	$ 1,004,717
Cost of goods sold	274,244	231,291	523,560	461,279
Gross profit	301,667	273,375	603,870	543,438
Selling, general and administrative expense	210,425	212,489	419,555	406,891
Research and Development Expense	47,450	62,587	96,877	112,039
Segment profit (loss)	43,792	(1,701)	87,438	24,508
Interest expense	5,977	6,045	11,759	11,361
Foreign exchange (gains) losses, net	(15)	2,516	1,239	4,305
Unrealized Gain on Securities	(286,398)	0	(1,102,332)	0
Nonoperating Income (Expense)	15,858	11,382	27,003	12,425
Income before income taxes	340,086	1,120	1,203,775	21,267
(Provision) benefit for income taxes	(72,043)	3,915	(278,958)	(3,819)
Net income attributable to Bio-Rad	$ 268,043	$ 5,035	$ 924,817	$ 17,448
Basic earnings per share:
Net income per share basic attributable to Bio-Rad	$ 8.99	$ 0.17	$ 31.03	$ 0.59
Weighted average common shares - basic	29,814	29,613	29,801	29,597
Diluted earnings per share:
Net income per share diluted attributable to Bio-Rad	$ 8.87	$ 0.17	$ 30.63	$ 0.58
Weighted average common shares - diluted	30,219	30,006	30,197	29,962