Document and Entity Information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017 shares
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	Curtiss Wright Corporation
Entity Central Index Key	0000026324
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2017
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2017
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Amendment Flag	false
Entity common stock shares outstanding	44,129,363
Entity well known seasoned issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes