Background	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2017
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Background	Background Ingevity Corporation ("Ingevity," "the company", "we," "us" or "our") is a leading global manufacturer of specialty chemicals and high performance activated carbon materials. We provide innovative solutions to meet our customers’ unique and demanding requirements through proprietary formulated products. We report in two business segments, Performance Materials and Performance Chemicals. Our Performance Materials segment consists of our automotive technologies and process purifications product families. Automotive technologies produces automotive carbon products used in gasoline vapor emission control systems in cars, trucks, motorcycles and boats. Process purifications produces a number of activated carbon products for food, water, beverage and chemical purification applications. Our Performance Chemicals segment consists of our pavement technologies, oilfield technologies and industrial specialties product families. Ingevity’s Performance Chemical products serve as critical inputs used in a variety of high performance applications, including asphalt paving, oil exploration and production, printing inks, adhesives, agrochemicals, and lubricants. Separation and Distribution On May 15, 2016 (the "Distribution Date"), we completed the previously announced separation of Ingevity from WestRock Company (“WestRock”) (herein referred to as the "Separation"). The Separation was completed pursuant to a Separation and Distribution Agreement and other agreements with WestRock related to the Separation, including an Employee Matters Agreement ("EMA"), a Tax Matters Agreement ("TMA"), a Transition Services Agreement and an Intellectual Property Agreement (collectively, the "Separation Agreements"), each of which was filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 16, 2016. The Separation was completed by way of a distribution of all of the then outstanding shares of common stock of Ingevity through a dividend in kind of Ingevity's common stock (par value $0.01) to holders of record of WestRock common stock (par value $0.01) as of the close of business of May 4, 2016 (the "Record Date"). Ingevity's common stock began "regular-way" trading on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") on May 16, 2016 under the symbol "NGVT".

Background

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2017

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Ingevity Corporation ("Ingevity," "the company", "we," "us" or "our") is a leading global manufacturer of specialty chemicals and high performance activated carbon materials. We provide innovative solutions to meet our customers’ unique and demanding requirements through proprietary formulated products. We report in two business segments, Performance Materials and Performance Chemicals.

Our Performance Materials segment consists of our automotive technologies and process purifications product families. Automotive technologies produces automotive carbon products used in gasoline vapor emission control systems in cars, trucks, motorcycles and boats. Process purifications produces a number of activated carbon products for food, water, beverage and chemical purification applications.

Our Performance Chemicals segment consists of our pavement technologies, oilfield technologies and industrial specialties product families. Ingevity’s Performance Chemical products serve as critical inputs used in a variety of high performance applications, including asphalt paving, oil exploration and production, printing inks, adhesives, agrochemicals, and lubricants.

Separation and Distribution

On May 15, 2016 (the "Distribution Date"), we completed the previously announced separation of Ingevity from WestRock Company (“WestRock”) (herein referred to as the "Separation"). The Separation was completed pursuant to a Separation and Distribution Agreement and other agreements with WestRock related to the Separation, including an Employee Matters Agreement ("EMA"), a Tax Matters Agreement ("TMA"), a Transition Services Agreement and an Intellectual Property Agreement (collectively, the "Separation Agreements"), each of which was filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 16, 2016. The Separation was completed by way of a distribution of all of the then outstanding shares of common stock of Ingevity through a dividend in kind of Ingevity's common stock (par value $0.01) to holders of record of WestRock common stock (par value $0.01) as of the close of business of May 4, 2016 (the "Record Date"). Ingevity's common stock began "regular-way" trading on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") on May 16, 2016 under the symbol "NGVT".