BASIS OF PRESENTATION (Policies)	9 Months Ended
BASIS OF PRESENTATION (Policies)	Sep. 30, 2014
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Basis Of Accounting	Curtiss-Wright Corporation and its subsidiaries (the Corporation or the Company) is a diversified, multinational manufacturing and service company that designs, manufactures, and overhauls precision components and systems and provides highly engineered products and services to the commercial/industrial, defense, and energy markets. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Curtiss-Wright and its majority-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of the Corporation have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, which requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amount of assets, liabilities, revenue, and expenses and disclosure of contingent liabilities in the accompanying financial statements. Actual results may differ from these estimates. The most significant of these estimates includes the estimate of costs to complete long-term contracts under the percentage-of-completion accounting methods, the estimate of useful lives for property, plant, and equipment, cash flow estimates used for testing the recoverability of assets, pension plan and postretirement obligation assumptions, estimates for inventory obsolescence, estimates for the valuation and useful lives of intangible assets, legal reserves, and the estimate of future environmental costs. Changes in estimates of contract sales, costs, and profits are recognized using the cumulative catch-up method of accounting. This method recognizes in the current period the cumulative effect of the changes on current and prior periods. Accordingly, the effect of the changes on future periods of contract performance is recognized as if the revised estimate had been the original estimate. There were no individual significant changes in estimated contract costs in the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2014 and 2013. In the opinion of management, all adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation have been reflected in these financial statements. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Corporation’s 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K. The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of trends or of the operating results for a full year.
Discontinued operations	Discontinued operations During the second quarter the Corporation sold its Benshaw and 3D Radar businesses, which had been previously reported within the Defense segment, and during the third quarter, the Corporation sold its Vessels business, which had been previously reported within the Energy segment. In addition, during the third quarter, the Corporation reclassified (i) the upstream processing and downstream refining oil and gas businesses (ii) an engineered packaging business and an aviation ground vehicle support business and (iii) two surface treatment facilities, which had previously been reported within the Energy, Defense, and Commercial/Industrial segments, respectively, as assets held for sale. The results of operations of these businesses are reported as discontinued operations within our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Earnings. Prior year amounts have been restated to conform to the current year presentation. Please refer to Footnote 3 of our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for further information.
Corrections of Prior Years Amounts	Changes in Segment Presentation As a result of certain organizational changes in 2014, the Corporation revised its reportable segments to align to the major markets it currently serves: Commercial/Industrial, Defense, and Energy. Prior period financial information has been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation. The change in reportable segments did not impact the Corporation's previously reported Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. See Note 11 of the Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for more information on the Corporation's reportable segments. Out of Period Correction of an Immaterial Error Related to Three and Six Month Periods ended June 30, 2013 In the third quarter of 2013, the Corporation recorded an out of period adjustment related to the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2013 of $18 million to decrease comprehensive income and increase our deferred tax liability to reflect the tax impact of a May 31, 2013 amendment to our Curtiss-Wright Pension Plan which required a plan remeasurement. This error did not affect our condensed consolidated statement of net earnings or condensed consolidated statements of cash flows for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2013 or the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2013. The Corporation evaluated the effects of this error on the June 30, 2013 condensed consolidated financial statements and based on an analysis of quantitative and qualitative factors, the Corporation determined that the error was not material and, therefore, amendment of previously filed reports is not required.

Disclosure of accounting policy for any discontinued operations. The results of operations of a component of an entity that either has been disposed of or is classified as held for sale is reported in discontinued operations if both: (a) the operations and cash flows of the component have been (or will be) eliminated from the ongoing operations of the entity as a result of the disposal transaction and (b) the entity will not have any significant continuing involvement in the operations of the component after the disposal transaction. If the entity elects to allocate interest expense to a discontinued operation, it may disclose its accounting policy for this election and describe its method of allocation.

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