Consolidating Balance Sheet (Detail) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 144,630	$ 223,166	$ 202,271	$ 88,579
Receivables, net of allowances	142,886	124,635
Inventories of products	313,775	340,323
Inventories of materials and supplies	10,694	10,331
Deferred income taxes	9,032	7,869
Other current assets	19,601	28,363
Total current assets	640,618	734,687
Property, plant and equipment, less accumulated depreciation	402,609	381,205
Intangible assets, less accumulated amortization	58,447	63,393
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries	0	0
Investment in unconsolidated joint venture	13,754	13,582
Debt issuance costs	9,756	10,846
Deferred income taxes	617	79
Other long-term assets	26,047	25,397
Total assets	1,151,848	1,229,189
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	0	15,074
Accounts payable-trade	93,193	99,167
Other payables and accruals	39,687	50,978
Deferred income taxes	412	513
Due to related party	22,813	16,080
Total current liabilities	156,105	181,812
Long-term debt, net of current portion	351,028	432,943
Deferred income taxes	21,355	22,273
Other long-term liabilities	103,051	99,946
Total liabilities	631,539	736,974
Commitments and contingencies (note 10)
Stockholders’ and member’s equity:
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value; 100,000 shares authorized; none issued	0	0
Common stock, $0.01 par value; 500,000 shares authorized; 32,528 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2013; 32,277 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2012	325	323
Additional paid in capital	361,627	354,957
Member’s equity	0	0
Retained earnings	165,928	171,445
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	(37,898)	(34,510)
Kraton stockholders’ and member’s equity	489,982	492,215
Noncontrolling interest	30,327	0
Total stockholders’ and member’s equity	520,309	492,215	531,600	517,794
Total liabilities and stockholders’ and member’s equity	1,151,848	1,229,189
Kraton
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0	0
Receivables, net of allowances	0	0
Inventories of products	0	0
Inventories of materials and supplies	0	0
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Other current assets	0	0
Total current assets	0	0
Property, plant and equipment, less accumulated depreciation	0	0
Intangible assets, less accumulated amortization	0	0
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries	527,880	526,725
Investment in unconsolidated joint venture	0	0
Debt issuance costs	0	0
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Other long-term assets	0	0
Total assets	527,880	526,725
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt		0
Accounts payable-trade	0	0
Other payables and accruals	0	0
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Due to related party	0	0
Total current liabilities	0	0
Long-term debt, net of current portion	0	0
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Other long-term liabilities	0	0
Total liabilities	0	0
Commitments and contingencies (note 10)
Stockholders’ and member’s equity:
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value; 100,000 shares authorized; none issued	0	0
Common stock, $0.01 par value; 500,000 shares authorized; 32,528 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2013; 32,277 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2012	325	323
Additional paid in capital	361,627	354,957
Member’s equity	0	0
Retained earnings	165,928	171,445
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	0	0
Kraton stockholders’ and member’s equity	527,880
Noncontrolling interest	0
Total stockholders’ and member’s equity	527,880	526,725
Total liabilities and stockholders’ and member’s equity	527,880	526,725
Kraton Polymers LLC
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0	0
Receivables, net of allowances	10	426
Inventories of products	0	0
Inventories of materials and supplies	0	0
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Other current assets	3,186	3,787
Total current assets	3,196	4,213
Property, plant and equipment, less accumulated depreciation	49,525	56,626
Intangible assets, less accumulated amortization	35,920	41,056
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries	1,306,496	1,258,814
Investment in unconsolidated joint venture	813	813
Debt issuance costs	6,319	10,846
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Other long-term assets	1,619	1,500
Total assets	1,403,888	1,373,868
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt		15,074
Accounts payable-trade	99	2,072
Other payables and accruals	1,969	8,995
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Due to related party	0	0
Total current liabilities	2,068	26,141
Long-term debt, net of current portion	351,028	432,943
Deferred income taxes	10,642	12,206
Other long-term liabilities	513,004	377,032
Total liabilities	876,742	848,322
Commitments and contingencies (note 10)
Stockholders’ and member’s equity:
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value; 100,000 shares authorized; none issued	0	0
Common stock, $0.01 par value; 500,000 shares authorized; 32,528 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2013; 32,277 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2012	0	0
Additional paid in capital	0	0
Member’s equity	527,880	526,725
Retained earnings	0	0
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	(734)	(1,179)
Kraton stockholders’ and member’s equity	527,146
Noncontrolling interest	0
Total stockholders’ and member’s equity	527,146	525,546
Total liabilities and stockholders’ and member’s equity	1,403,888	1,373,868
Guarantor Subsidiaries
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	10,454	80,903	74,186	6,030
Receivables, net of allowances	45,923	44,728
Inventories of products	179,869	180,776
Inventories of materials and supplies	8,485	8,013
Deferred income taxes	5,768	5,768
Other current assets	1,482	691
Total current assets	251,981	320,879
Property, plant and equipment, less accumulated depreciation	231,383	222,956
Intangible assets, less accumulated amortization	22,713	22,337
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries	0	0
Investment in unconsolidated joint venture	0	0
Debt issuance costs	2,018	0
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Other long-term assets	552,087	480,756
Total assets	1,060,182	1,046,928
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt		0
Accounts payable-trade	35,354	44,304
Other payables and accruals	21,259	21,744
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Due to related party	0	0
Total current liabilities	56,613	66,048
Long-term debt, net of current portion	0	0
Deferred income taxes	5,768	5,768
Other long-term liabilities	91,096	89,825
Total liabilities	153,477	161,641
Commitments and contingencies (note 10)
Stockholders’ and member’s equity:
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value; 100,000 shares authorized; none issued	0	0
Common stock, $0.01 par value; 500,000 shares authorized; 32,528 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2013; 32,277 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2012	0	0
Additional paid in capital	0	0
Member’s equity	959,792	938,374
Retained earnings	0	0
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	(53,087)	(53,087)
Kraton stockholders’ and member’s equity	906,705
Noncontrolling interest	0
Total stockholders’ and member’s equity	906,705	885,287
Total liabilities and stockholders’ and member’s equity	1,060,182	1,046,928
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	134,176	142,263	128,085	82,549
Receivables, net of allowances	96,953	79,481
Inventories of products	133,906	159,547
Inventories of materials and supplies	2,209	2,318
Deferred income taxes	3,264	2,101
Other current assets	14,933	23,885
Total current assets	385,441	409,595
Property, plant and equipment, less accumulated depreciation	121,701	101,623
Intangible assets, less accumulated amortization	(186)	0
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries	0	0
Investment in unconsolidated joint venture	12,941	12,769
Debt issuance costs	1,419	0
Deferred income taxes	617	79
Other long-term assets	117,763	193,141
Total assets	639,696	717,207
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt		0
Accounts payable-trade	57,740	52,791
Other payables and accruals	16,459	20,239
Deferred income taxes	412	513
Due to related party	22,813	16,080
Total current liabilities	97,424	89,623
Long-term debt, net of current portion	0	0
Deferred income taxes	4,945	4,299
Other long-term liabilities	144,373	283,089
Total liabilities	246,742	377,011
Commitments and contingencies (note 10)
Stockholders’ and member’s equity:
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value; 100,000 shares authorized; none issued	0	0
Common stock, $0.01 par value; 500,000 shares authorized; 32,528 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2013; 32,277 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2012	0	0
Additional paid in capital	0	0
Member’s equity	346,704	320,440
Retained earnings	0	0
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	15,923	19,756
Kraton stockholders’ and member’s equity	362,627
Noncontrolling interest	30,327
Total stockholders’ and member’s equity	392,954	340,196
Total liabilities and stockholders’ and member’s equity	639,696	717,207
Eliminations
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0	0
Receivables, net of allowances	0	0
Inventories of products	0	0
Inventories of materials and supplies	0	0
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Other current assets	0	0
Total current assets	0	0
Property, plant and equipment, less accumulated depreciation	0	0
Intangible assets, less accumulated amortization	0	0
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries	(1,834,376)	(1,785,539)
Investment in unconsolidated joint venture	0	0
Debt issuance costs	0	0
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Other long-term assets	(645,422)	(650,000)
Total assets	(2,479,798)	(2,435,539)
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt		0
Accounts payable-trade	0	0
Other payables and accruals	0	0
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Due to related party	0	0
Total current liabilities	0	0
Long-term debt, net of current portion	0	0
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Other long-term liabilities	(645,422)	(650,000)
Total liabilities	(645,422)	(650,000)
Commitments and contingencies (note 10)
Stockholders’ and member’s equity:
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value; 100,000 shares authorized; none issued	0	0
Common stock, $0.01 par value; 500,000 shares authorized; 32,528 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2013; 32,277 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2012	0	0
Additional paid in capital	0	0
Member’s equity	(1,834,376)	(1,785,539)
Retained earnings	0	0
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	0	0
Kraton stockholders’ and member’s equity	(1,834,376)
Noncontrolling interest	0
Total stockholders’ and member’s equity	(1,834,376)	(1,785,539)
Total liabilities and stockholders’ and member’s equity	$ (2,479,798)	$ (2,435,539)