<?xml version="1.0"?>
<ownershipDocument>

    <schemaVersion>X0306</schemaVersion>

    <documentType>4</documentType>

    <periodOfReport>2014-12-29</periodOfReport>

    <issuer>
        <issuerCik>0000059255</issuerCik>
        <issuerName>VALHI INC /DE/</issuerName>
        <issuerTradingSymbol>VHI</issuerTradingSymbol>
    </issuer>

    <reportingOwner>
        <reportingOwnerId>
            <rptOwnerCik>0001600851</rptOwnerCik>
            <rptOwnerName>Harold C. Simmons Family Trust No. 2</rptOwnerName>
        </reportingOwnerId>
        <reportingOwnerAddress>
            <rptOwnerStreet1>THREE LINCOLN CENTER, 5430 LBJ FREEWAY</rptOwnerStreet1>
            <rptOwnerStreet2>SUITE 1700</rptOwnerStreet2>
            <rptOwnerCity>DALLAS</rptOwnerCity>
            <rptOwnerState>TX</rptOwnerState>
            <rptOwnerZipCode>75240</rptOwnerZipCode>
            <rptOwnerStateDescription></rptOwnerStateDescription>
        </reportingOwnerAddress>
        <reportingOwnerRelationship>
            <isDirector>0</isDirector>
            <isOfficer>0</isOfficer>
            <isTenPercentOwner>1</isTenPercentOwner>
            <isOther>0</isOther>
        </reportingOwnerRelationship>
    </reportingOwner>

    <reportingOwner>
        <reportingOwnerId>
            <rptOwnerCik>0001599736</rptOwnerCik>
            <rptOwnerName>Simmons Lisa K</rptOwnerName>
        </reportingOwnerId>
        <reportingOwnerAddress>
            <rptOwnerStreet1>THREE LINCOLN CENTER, 5430 LBJ FREEWAY</rptOwnerStreet1>
            <rptOwnerStreet2>SUITE 1700</rptOwnerStreet2>
            <rptOwnerCity>DALLAS</rptOwnerCity>
            <rptOwnerState>TX</rptOwnerState>
            <rptOwnerZipCode>75240</rptOwnerZipCode>
            <rptOwnerStateDescription></rptOwnerStateDescription>
        </reportingOwnerAddress>
        <reportingOwnerRelationship>
            <isDirector>0</isDirector>
            <isOfficer>0</isOfficer>
            <isTenPercentOwner>1</isTenPercentOwner>
            <isOther>0</isOther>
        </reportingOwnerRelationship>
    </reportingOwner>

    <reportingOwner>
        <reportingOwnerId>
            <rptOwnerCik>0001520515</rptOwnerCik>
            <rptOwnerName>CONNELLY SERENA S</rptOwnerName>
        </reportingOwnerId>
        <reportingOwnerAddress>
            <rptOwnerStreet1>THREE LINCOLN CENTER, 5430 LBJ FREEWAY</rptOwnerStreet1>
            <rptOwnerStreet2>SUITE 1700</rptOwnerStreet2>
            <rptOwnerCity>DALLAS</rptOwnerCity>
            <rptOwnerState>TX</rptOwnerState>
            <rptOwnerZipCode>75240</rptOwnerZipCode>
            <rptOwnerStateDescription></rptOwnerStateDescription>
        </reportingOwnerAddress>
        <reportingOwnerRelationship>
            <isDirector>0</isDirector>
            <isOfficer>0</isOfficer>
            <isTenPercentOwner>1</isTenPercentOwner>
            <isOther>0</isOther>
        </reportingOwnerRelationship>
    </reportingOwner>

    <reportingOwner>
        <reportingOwnerId>
            <rptOwnerCik>0001302221</rptOwnerCik>
            <rptOwnerName>Simmons Annette C</rptOwnerName>
        </reportingOwnerId>
        <reportingOwnerAddress>
            <rptOwnerStreet1>5430 LBJ FREEWAY, SUITE 1700</rptOwnerStreet1>
            <rptOwnerStreet2></rptOwnerStreet2>
            <rptOwnerCity>DALLAS</rptOwnerCity>
            <rptOwnerState>TX</rptOwnerState>
            <rptOwnerZipCode>75240</rptOwnerZipCode>
            <rptOwnerStateDescription></rptOwnerStateDescription>
        </reportingOwnerAddress>
        <reportingOwnerRelationship>
            <isDirector>0</isDirector>
            <isOfficer>0</isOfficer>
            <isTenPercentOwner>1</isTenPercentOwner>
            <isOther>0</isOther>
        </reportingOwnerRelationship>
    </reportingOwner>

    <reportingOwner>
        <reportingOwnerId>
            <rptOwnerCik>0001338019</rptOwnerCik>
            <rptOwnerName>VALHI HOLDING CO</rptOwnerName>
        </reportingOwnerId>
        <reportingOwnerAddress>
            <rptOwnerStreet1>5430 LBJ FREEWAY, SUITE 1700</rptOwnerStreet1>
            <rptOwnerStreet2></rptOwnerStreet2>
            <rptOwnerCity>DALLAS</rptOwnerCity>
            <rptOwnerState>TX</rptOwnerState>
            <rptOwnerZipCode>75240</rptOwnerZipCode>
            <rptOwnerStateDescription></rptOwnerStateDescription>
        </reportingOwnerAddress>
        <reportingOwnerRelationship>
            <isDirector>0</isDirector>
            <isOfficer>0</isOfficer>
            <isTenPercentOwner>1</isTenPercentOwner>
            <isOther>0</isOther>
        </reportingOwnerRelationship>
    </reportingOwner>

    <nonDerivativeTable>
        <nonDerivativeTransaction>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>Common Stock,par value $0.01 per share</value>
            </securityTitle>
            <transactionDate>
                <value>2014-12-29</value>
            </transactionDate>
            <transactionCoding>
                <transactionFormType>4</transactionFormType>
                <transactionCode>J</transactionCode>
                <equitySwapInvolved>0</equitySwapInvolved>
                <footnoteId id="F1"/>
            </transactionCoding>
            <transactionAmounts>
                <transactionShares>
                    <value>3223598</value>
                </transactionShares>
                <transactionPricePerShare>
                    <footnoteId id="F1"/>
                </transactionPricePerShare>
                <transactionAcquiredDisposedCode>
                    <value>D</value>
                </transactionAcquiredDisposedCode>
            </transactionAmounts>
            <postTransactionAmounts>
                <sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
                    <value>314033148</value>
                </sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
            </postTransactionAmounts>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>I</value>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
                <natureOfOwnership>
                    <value>By VHC</value>
                    <footnoteId id="F2"/>
                </natureOfOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </nonDerivativeTransaction>
        <nonDerivativeTransaction>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>Common Stock,par value $0.01 per share</value>
            </securityTitle>
            <transactionDate>
                <value>2014-12-29</value>
            </transactionDate>
            <transactionCoding>
                <transactionFormType>4</transactionFormType>
                <transactionCode>J</transactionCode>
                <equitySwapInvolved>0</equitySwapInvolved>
                <footnoteId id="F1"/>
            </transactionCoding>
            <transactionAmounts>
                <transactionShares>
                    <value>3223598</value>
                </transactionShares>
                <transactionPricePerShare>
                    <footnoteId id="F1"/>
                </transactionPricePerShare>
                <transactionAcquiredDisposedCode>
                    <value>A</value>
                </transactionAcquiredDisposedCode>
            </transactionAmounts>
            <postTransactionAmounts>
                <sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
                    <value>5912992</value>
                </sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
            </postTransactionAmounts>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>D</value>
                    <footnoteId id="F3"/>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
                <natureOfOwnership>
                    <value></value>
                </natureOfOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </nonDerivativeTransaction>
        <nonDerivativeHolding>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>Common Stock,par value $0.01 per share</value>
            </securityTitle>
            <postTransactionAmounts>
                <sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
                    <value>87900</value>
                </sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
            </postTransactionAmounts>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>I</value>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
                <natureOfOwnership>
                    <value>By Grandchildren's Trust</value>
                    <footnoteId id="F4"/>
                </natureOfOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </nonDerivativeHolding>
        <nonDerivativeHolding>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>Common Stock,par value $0.01 per share</value>
            </securityTitle>
            <postTransactionAmounts>
                <sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
                    <value>1212</value>
                </sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
            </postTransactionAmounts>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>D</value>
                    <footnoteId id="F5"/>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
                <natureOfOwnership>
                    <value></value>
                </natureOfOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </nonDerivativeHolding>
    </nonDerivativeTable>

    <footnotes>
        <footnote id="F1">See Exhibit 99.1 attached hereto for a description of the transaction.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F2">Directly held by Valhi Holding Company (&quot;VHC&quot;).  See Exhibit 99.2 to this statement for a description of the (i) the relationship of additional persons who may be deemed to beneficially own these shares and (ii) the shares in the transaction described in Exhibit 99.1.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F3">Consist of 1,870,880 shares held directly by the estate of Harold C. Simmons of which Annette C. Simmons is the independent executor and the desinated legatee of these shares, 818,514 shares she holds directly and 3,223,598 shares held by the Annette C. Simmons Survivor's Trust under the 2005 Management Trust created by Harold C. Simmons and Annette C. Simmons, as settlors, as amended, of which Ms. Simmons is a co-trustee (the &quot;Survivor's Trust&quot;), which shares held by the Survivor's Trust were acquired by the Survivor's Trust in the transaction described in Exhibit 99.1. See Exhibit 99.2 to this statement for a description of the relationships among the persons joining in this filing,</footnote>
        <footnote id="F4">Directly held by The Annette Simmons Grandchildren's Trust (the&quot;Grandchildren'sTrust&quot;).  See Exhibit 99.2 to this statement for a description of the relationship among the reprting owners.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F5">Directly held by Serena Simmons Connelly.</footnote>
    </footnotes>

    <remarks>Exhibit Index
99.1 Description of the Transaction
99.2 Additional Information</remarks>

    <ownerSignature>
        <signatureName>A. Andrew R. Louis, Attorney-in-fact, for Lisa K. Simmons, Co-Trustee of the Harold C. Simmons Family Trust No. 1</signatureName>
        <signatureDate>2014-12-31</signatureDate>
    </ownerSignature>

    <ownerSignature>
        <signatureName>A. Andrew R. Louis, Attorney-in-fact, for Serena S. Connelly, Co-Trustee of the Harold C. Simmons Family Trust No. 1</signatureName>
        <signatureDate>2014-12-31</signatureDate>
    </ownerSignature>

    <ownerSignature>
        <signatureName>A. Andrew R. Louis, Attorney-in-fact, for Lisa K. Simmons, Co-Trustee of the Harold C. Simmons Family Trust No. 2</signatureName>
        <signatureDate>2014-12-31</signatureDate>
    </ownerSignature>

    <ownerSignature>
        <signatureName>A. Andrew R. Louis, Attorney-in-fact, for Serena S. Connelly, Co-Trustee of the Harold C. Simmons Family Trust No. 2</signatureName>
        <signatureDate>2014-12-31</signatureDate>
    </ownerSignature>

    <ownerSignature>
        <signatureName>A. Andrew R. Louis, Attorney-in-fact, for Annette C. Simmons</signatureName>
        <signatureDate>2014-12-31</signatureDate>
    </ownerSignature>

    <ownerSignature>
        <signatureName>A. Andrew R. Louis, Vice President of Valhi Holding Company</signatureName>
        <signatureDate>2014-12-31</signatureDate>
    </ownerSignature>
</ownershipDocument>
