Income (Loss) Per Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Millions, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Income (Loss) Per Share [Abstract]
Net income (loss)	$ 28.0	$ (13.0)	$ (125.1)	$ (27.0)
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests	0.0	(0.1)	0.1	(0.6)
Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Gardner Denver Holdings, Inc.	$ 28.0	$ (12.9)	$ (125.2)	$ (26.4)
Income (Loss) per share [Abstract]
Basic (in dollars per share)	$ 0.14	$ (0.09)	$ (0.71)	$ (0.18)
Diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 0.13	$ (0.09)	$ (0.71)	$ (0.18)
Average shares outstanding [Abstract]
Basic (in shares)	201.3	148.8	175.7	148.8
Dilutive effect of share-based awards (in shares)	6.8	0.0	0.0	0.0
Diluted (in shares)	208.1	148.8	175.7	148.8
Stock Options [Member]
Loss Per Share [Abstract]
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of diluted loss per share (in shares)		15.0	12.3	15.0