Trade, Other and Loans Receivable Impaired Loans (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2015	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2015	Jun. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014
Receivable [Line Items]
Amount recognized	$ 3	$ 2	$ 4	$ 28
Unpaid principle balance	629		629		$ 623
Recorded investment with no allowance	387		387		402
Recorded investment with allowance	74		74		56
Total recorded investment	461		461		458
Related Allowance	58		58		52
Average recorded investment			337		881
Guaranteed by USDA or SBA					4
Commercial – owner occupied
Receivable [Line Items]
Unpaid principle balance	435		435		430
Recorded investment with no allowance	360		360		374
Recorded investment with allowance	18		18		0
Total recorded investment	378		378		374
Related Allowance	1		1		0
Average recorded investment			274		750
Total real estate loans
Receivable [Line Items]
Unpaid principle balance	435		435		430
Recorded investment with no allowance	360		360		374
Recorded investment with allowance	18		18		0
Total recorded investment	378		378		374
Related Allowance	1		1		0
Average recorded investment			274		750
Commercial and industrial
Receivable [Line Items]
Unpaid principle balance	194		194		193
Recorded investment with no allowance	27		27		28
Recorded investment with allowance	56		56		56
Total recorded investment	83		83		84
Related Allowance	$ 57		57		52
Average recorded investment			$ 63		$ 131

Impaired Loans, Guaranteed by US Federal Government

No definition available.

Name:	splp_ImpairedLoansGuaranteedbyUSFederalGovernment
Namespace Prefix:	splp_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_AccountsNotesAndLoansReceivableLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Average amount of investment of impaired financing receivables with related allowance for credit losses and without a related allowance for credit losses.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 310

-SubTopic 10

-Section 50

-Paragraph 15

-Subparagraph (c)(1)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=49124121&loc=d3e5212-111524

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 310

-SubTopic 10

-Section 50

-Paragraph 17

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=49124121&loc=d3e5258-111524

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ImpairedFinancingReceivableAverageRecordedInvestment
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of investment of impaired financing receivables with related allowance for credit losses and without a related allowance for credit losses.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 310

-SubTopic 10

-Section 50

-Paragraph 14A

-Subparagraph (b)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=49124121&loc=SL6953550-111524

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ImpairedFinancingReceivableRecordedInvestment
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of allowance for credit losses related to recorded investment.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ImpairedFinancingReceivableRelatedAllowance
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of unpaid principal balance of impaired financing receivables with related allowance for credit losses and without related allowance for credit losses.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ImpairedFinancingReceivableUnpaidPrincipalBalance
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of interest income, recognized on accrual basis, on financing receivables that are recognized as impaired, for which there is no related allowance for credit losses.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ImpairedFinancingReceivableWithNoRelatedAllowanceInterestIncomeAccrualMethod
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of investment in impaired financing receivables for which there is no related allowance for credit losses.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ImpairedFinancingReceivableWithNoRelatedAllowanceRecordedInvestment
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of investment in impaired financing receivables for which there is a related allowance for credit losses.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ImpairedFinancingReceivableWithRelatedAllowanceRecordedInvestment
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinancingReceivableRecordedInvestmentByClassOfFinancingReceivableAxis=splp_CommercialRealEstateOwnerOccupiedReceivableMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinancingReceivableRecordedInvestmentByClassOfFinancingReceivableAxis=us-gaap_CommercialRealEstatePortfolioSegmentMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinancingReceivableRecordedInvestmentByClassOfFinancingReceivableAxis=splp_CommercialAndIndustrialFinancingReceivableLoansMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: