Document and Entity Information (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Oct. 25, 2013	Dec. 16, 2013	Apr. 26, 2013
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Oct. 25, 2013
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2013
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Trading Symbol	ESL
Entity Registrant Name	ESTERLINE TECHNOLOGIES CORP
Entity Central Index Key	0000033619
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--10-25
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		31,575,039
Entity Public Float			$ 2,308,350,938