3.8.0.1 html 159 200 1 false 45 0 false 8 false false R1.htm 0001000 - Document - Document and Entity Information Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/DocumentAndEntityInformation Document and Entity Information Cover 1 false false R2.htm 1001000 - Statement - Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/CondensedConsolidatedBalanceSheets Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets Statements 2 false false R3.htm 1001501 - Statement - Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/CondensedConsolidatedBalanceSheetsParenthetical Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) Statements 3 false false R4.htm 1002000 - Statement - Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/CondensedConsolidatedStatementsOfOperations Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations Statements 4 false false R5.htm 1003000 - Statement - Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/CondensedConsolidatedStatementsOfComprehensiveLoss Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss Statements 5 false false R6.htm 1004000 - Statement - Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/CondensedConsolidatedStatementsOfCashFlows Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows Statements 6 false false R7.htm 2101100 - Disclosure - Description of Business Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/DescriptionOfBusiness Description of Business Notes 7 false false R8.htm 2102100 - Disclosure - Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/BasisOfPresentationAndSummaryOfSignificantAccountingPolicies Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Notes 8 false false R9.htm 2103100 - Disclosure - Net Loss Per Share Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/NetLossPerShare Net Loss Per Share Notes 9 false false R10.htm 2103100 - Disclosure - Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Notes) Notes http://www.nanostring.com/role/RevenueFromContractsWithCustomersNotes Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Notes) Notes 10 false false R11.htm 2104100 - Disclosure - Concentration of Risks Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/ConcentrationOfRisks Concentration of Risks Notes 11 false false R12.htm 2105100 - Disclosure - Short-term Investments Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/ShortTermInvestments Short-term Investments Notes 12 false false R13.htm 2106100 - Disclosure - Fair Value Measurements Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/FairValueMeasurements Fair Value Measurements Notes 13 false false R14.htm 2107100 - Disclosure - Inventory Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/Inventory Inventory Notes 14 false false R15.htm 2108100 - Disclosure - Long-term Debt Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/LongTermDebt Long-term Debt Notes 15 false false R16.htm 2109100 - Disclosure - Collaboration Agreements Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/CollaborationAgreements Collaboration Agreements Notes 16 false false R17.htm 2110100 - Disclosure - Commitments and Contingencies Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/CommitmentsAndContingencies Commitments and Contingencies Notes 17 false false R18.htm 2111100 - Disclosure - Information about Geographic Areas Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/InformationAboutGeographicAreas Information about Geographic Areas Notes 18 false false R19.htm 2202201 - Disclosure - Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies) Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/BasisOfPresentationAndSummaryOfSignificantAccountingPoliciesPolicies Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies) Policies http://www.nanostring.com/role/BasisOfPresentationAndSummaryOfSignificantAccountingPolicies 19 false false R20.htm 2303301 - Disclosure - Net Loss Per Share (Tables) Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/NetLossPerShareTables Net Loss Per Share (Tables) Tables http://www.nanostring.com/role/NetLossPerShare 20 false false R21.htm 2303301 - Disclosure - Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Tables) Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/RevenueFromContractsWithCustomersTables Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Tables) Tables http://www.nanostring.com/role/RevenueFromContractsWithCustomersNotes 21 false false R22.htm 2305301 - Disclosure - Short-term Investments (Tables) Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/ShortTermInvestmentsTables Short-term Investments (Tables) Tables http://www.nanostring.com/role/ShortTermInvestments 22 false false R23.htm 2306301 - Disclosure - Fair Value Measurements (Tables) Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/FairValueMeasurementsTables Fair Value Measurements (Tables) Tables http://www.nanostring.com/role/FairValueMeasurements 23 false false R24.htm 2307301 - Disclosure - Inventory (Tables) Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/InventoryTables Inventory (Tables) Tables http://www.nanostring.com/role/Inventory 24 false false R25.htm 2308301 - Disclosure - Long-term Debt (Tables) Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/LongTermDebtTables Long-term Debt (Tables) Tables http://www.nanostring.com/role/LongTermDebt 25 false false R26.htm 2311301 - Disclosure - Information about Geographic Areas (Tables) Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/InformationAboutGeographicAreasTables Information about Geographic Areas (Tables) Tables http://www.nanostring.com/role/InformationAboutGeographicAreas 26 false false R27.htm 2401401 - Disclosure - Description of Business - Additional Information (Details) Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/DescriptionOfBusinessAdditionalInformationDetails Description of Business - Additional Information (Details) Details 27 false false R28.htm 2402402 - Disclosure - Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Detail) Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/BasisOfPresentationAndSummaryOfSignificantAccountingPoliciesAdditionalInformationDetail Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Detail) Details 28 false false R29.htm 2403402 - Disclosure - Net Loss Per Share - Summary of Shares Underlying Outstanding Options and Warrants were Excluded from Computation of Basic and Diluted Net Loss Per Share (Detail) Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/NetLossPerShareSummaryOfSharesUnderlyingOutstandingOptionsAndWarrantsWereExcludedFromComputationOfBasicAndDilutedNetLossPerShareDetail Net Loss Per Share - Summary of Shares Underlying Outstanding Options and Warrants were Excluded from Computation of Basic and Diluted Net Loss Per Share (Detail) Details 29 false false R30.htm 2403402 - Disclosure - Revenue from Contracts with Customers - Narrative (Details) Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/RevenueFromContractsWithCustomersNarrativeDetails Revenue from Contracts with Customers - Narrative (Details) Details 30 false false R31.htm 2403403 - Disclosure - Revenue from Contracts with Customers - Schedule of Disaggregated Revenue (Details) Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/RevenueFromContractsWithCustomersScheduleOfDisaggregatedRevenueDetails Revenue from Contracts with Customers - Schedule of Disaggregated Revenue (Details) Details 31 false false R32.htm 2403404 - Disclosure - Revenue from Contracts with Customers - Performance Obligations (Details) Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/RevenueFromContractsWithCustomersPerformanceObligationsDetails Revenue from Contracts with Customers - Performance Obligations (Details) Details 32 false false R33.htm 2403405 - Disclosure - Revenue from Contracts with Customers - Schedule of Impact of Changes in Accounting Standard (Details) Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/RevenueFromContractsWithCustomersScheduleOfImpactOfChangesInAccountingStandardDetails Revenue from Contracts with Customers - Schedule of Impact of Changes in Accounting Standard (Details) Details 33 false false R34.htm 2404401 - Disclosure - Concentration of Risks - Additional Information (Detail) Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/ConcentrationOfRisksAdditionalInformationDetail Concentration of Risks - Additional Information (Detail) Details 34 false false R35.htm 2405402 - Disclosure - Short-term Investments - Available-for-Sale Securities (Detail) Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/ShortTermInvestmentsAvailableForSaleSecuritiesDetail Short-term Investments - Available-for-Sale Securities (Detail) Details 35 false false R36.htm 2405403 - Disclosure - Short-term Investments - Fair Values of Available-for-Sale Securities by Contractual Maturity (Detail) Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/ShortTermInvestmentsFairValuesOfAvailableForSaleSecuritiesByContractualMaturityDetail Short-term Investments - Fair Values of Available-for-Sale Securities by Contractual Maturity (Detail) Details 36 false false R37.htm 2405404 - Disclosure - Short-term Investments - Summary of Investments in a Continuous Loss Position (Details) Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/ShortTermInvestmentsSummaryOfInvestmentsInContinuousLossPositionDetails Short-term Investments - Summary of Investments in a Continuous Loss Position (Details) Details 37 false false R38.htm 2405405 - Disclosure - Short-term Investments - Additional Information (Detail) Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/ShortTermInvestmentsAdditionalInformationDetail Short-term Investments - Additional Information (Detail) Details 38 false false R39.htm 2406402 - Disclosure - Fair Value Measurements - Company's Available-for-Sale Securities by Level within Fair Value Hierarchy (Detail) Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/FairValueMeasurementsCompanysAvailableForSaleSecuritiesByLevelWithinFairValueHierarchyDetail Fair Value Measurements - Company's Available-for-Sale Securities by Level within Fair Value Hierarchy (Detail) Details 39 false false R40.htm 2407402 - Disclosure - Inventory - Schedule of Inventory (Detail) Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/InventoryScheduleOfInventoryDetail Inventory - Schedule of Inventory (Detail) Details 40 false false R41.htm 2408402 - Disclosure - Long-term Debt - Additional Information (Detail) Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/LongTermDebtAdditionalInformationDetail Long-term Debt - Additional Information (Detail) Details 41 false false R42.htm 2408403 - Disclosure - Long-term Debt - Components of Borrowings, Including Current Portion (Detail) Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/LongTermDebtComponentsOfBorrowingsIncludingCurrentPortionDetail Long-term Debt - Components of Borrowings, Including Current Portion (Detail) Details 42 false false R43.htm 2408404 - Disclosure - Long-term Debt - Scheduled Future Principal Payments under Outstanding Debt Obligations (Detail) Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/LongTermDebtScheduledFuturePrincipalPaymentsUnderOutstandingDebtObligationsDetail Long-term Debt - Scheduled Future Principal Payments under Outstanding Debt Obligations (Detail) Details 43 false false R44.htm 2409401 - Disclosure - Collaboration Agreements - Additional Information (Detail) Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/CollaborationAgreementsAdditionalInformationDetail Collaboration Agreements - Additional Information (Detail) Details 44 false false R45.htm 2411402 - Disclosure - Information about Geographic Areas - Additional Information (Detail) Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/InformationAboutGeographicAreasAdditionalInformationDetail Information about Geographic Areas - Additional Information (Detail) Details 45 false false R46.htm 2411403 - Disclosure - Information about Geographic Areas - Classification of Revenue by Geography (Detail) Sheet http://www.nanostring.com/role/InformationAboutGeographicAreasClassificationOfRevenueByGeographyDetail Information about Geographic Areas - Classification of Revenue by Geography (Detail) Details 46 false false All Reports Book All Reports nstg-20180331.xml nstg-20180331.xsd nstg-20180331_cal.xml nstg-20180331_def.xml nstg-20180331_lab.xml nstg-20180331_pre.xml http://xbrl.sec.gov/dei/2014-01-31 http://xbrl.sec.gov/country/2017-01-31 http://fasb.org/us-gaap/2017-01-31 true true