Label	Element	Value
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Registrant Name	dei_EntityRegistrantName	RUSSELL INVESTMENT CO
Prospectus Date	rr_ProspectusDate	Mar. 01, 2013
Russell Commodity Strategies Fund
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Risk/Return [Heading]	rr_RiskReturnHeading	RUSSELL COMMODITY STRATEGIES FUND
Objective [Heading]	rr_ObjectiveHeading	Investment Objective (Non-Fundamental)
Objective, Primary [Text Block]	rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock	The Fund seeks to provide long term total return.
Expense [Heading]	rr_ExpenseHeading	Fees and Expenses of the Fund
Expense Narrative [Text Block]	rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock	The following tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold Shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in Russell Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the Front-End Sales Charges section and the More About Deferred Sales Charges section beginning on pages 216 and 219, respectively, of the Prospectus, and the Purchase, Exchange and Redemption of Fund Shares section, beginning on page 30 of the Fund's Statement of Additional Information. Please see the Expense Notes section of the Fund's Prospectus for further information regarding expenses of the Fund.
Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]	rr_ShareholderFeesCaption	Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Operating Expenses Caption [Text]	rr_OperatingExpensesCaption	Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination	February 28, 2014
Portfolio Turnover [Heading]	rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading	Portfolio Turnover
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]	rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock	The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 60% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate	rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate	60.00%
Expense Breakpoint Discounts [Text]	rr_ExpenseBreakpointDiscounts	You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in Russell Funds.
Expense Breakpoint, Minimum Investment Required [Amount]	rr_ExpenseBreakpointMinimumInvestmentRequiredAmount	50,000
Expenses Restated to Reflect Current [Text]	rr_ExpensesRestatedToReflectCurrent	"Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses" and "Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses" have been restated to reflect the Fund's proportionate share of the operating expenses of any other fund, including the Subsidiary and the Russell U.S. Cash Management Fund, in which the Fund invests. The Fund's proportionate share of these operating expenses is reflected under "Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses." "Other Expenses," "Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses" and "Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses" have been restated to reflect expenses expected to be incurred by the Fund during the current fiscal year. "Less Fee Waivers and Expense Reimbursements" and "Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses" have been restated to remove the effect of non-contractual waivers that were in effect for the fiscal period ended October 31, 2012.
Expense Example [Heading]	rr_ExpenseExampleHeading	Example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]	rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock	This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.                The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes your investment has a 5% return each year and that operating expenses remain the same. The calculation of costs for the one year period takes into account the effect of any current contractual fee waivers and/or reimbursements and permanent fee waivers. The calculation of costs for the remaining periods takes such contractual fee waivers and/or reimbursements into account only for the first year of the periods and such permanent fee waivers for all periods.                Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, under these assumptions your costs would be:
Strategy [Heading]	rr_StrategyHeading	Investments, Risks and Performance Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
Strategy Narrative [Text Block]	rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock	The Fund pursues its investment objective by investing directly, and/or indirectly through a wholly-owned subsidiary, in commodity index-linked securities, other commodity-linked securities, derivative instruments (including swap agreements, and commodity-linked structured notes, futures and options contracts with respect to indexes or individual commodities and options on futures contracts), cash and fixed income securities that together are intended to provide exposure to the performance of the collateralized commodity futures market. It is designed to generally achieve positive performance relative to that of the Dow Jones – UBS Commodity Index Total Return ("DJ-UBS Index"), although there can be no guarantee that this positive performance will be achieved. The DJ-UBS Index is a broadly diversified futures index composed of futures contracts on 22 physical commodities. The Fund gains exposure to the commodities markets by investing up to 25% of its total assets in a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund (the "Subsidiary") organized as a company under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The Fund's or the Subsidiary's use of derivatives may cause the Fund's or Subsidiary's investment returns to be impacted by the performance of securities the Fund or the Subsidiary does not own and result in the Fund's or the Subsidiary's total investment exposure exceeding the value of its portfolio.                 The Fund may invest in corporate debt securities, U.S. Government securities, variable and floating rate securities, mortgage-backed securities, asset-backed securities and municipal debt obligations. The fixed income portion of the portfolio includes debt securities that are considered to be of "investment grade" quality at the time of purchase, but the Fund may also invest its assets in debt securities that are rated below investment grade (commonly referred to as "high-yield" or "junk bonds"). The average duration of the fixed income portion of the portfolio (excluding structured notes) is one year or less. The Fund may also invest in bank obligations.                 The Fund may purchase and sell non-commodity futures contracts, including interest rate, Treasury, Eurodollar, and currency futures, and may enter into spot and forward currency contracts.                 The Fund may invest up to 35% of its assets in securities of issuers economically tied to non-U.S. countries, including issuers economically tied to emerging market countries.                The Fund is classified as a "non-diversified fund" under the Investment Company Act of 1940 which means that a relatively high percentage of the Fund's assets may be invested in a limited number of issuers.                The Fund employs multiple money managers unaffiliated with Russell Investment Management Company ("RIMCo"), each with its own investment style. Fund assets not allocated to money managers are managed by RIMCo. Assets not allocated to money managers include the Fund's liquidity reserves and assets which may be managed directly by RIMCo to modify the Fund's overall portfolio characteristics by investing in securities or other instruments that RIMCo believes will achieve the desired risk/return profile for the Fund. Please refer to the "Investment Objective and Investment Strategies" section in the Fund' s Prospectus for further information.
Risk [Heading]	rr_RiskHeading	Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
Risk Narrative [Text Block]	rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock	An investment in the Fund, like any investment, has risks. The value of the Fund fluctuates and you could lose money. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are those associated with: Active Management. Despite strategies designed to achieve the Fund's investment objective, the value of investments will change with market conditions, and so will the value of any investment in the Fund and you could lose money. The securities selected for the portfolio may not perform as RIMCo or the Fund's money managers expect. Additionally, securities selected may cause a Fund to underperform relative to other funds with similar investment objectives and strategies. There is no guarantee that RIMCo will effectively assess a Fund's characteristics or exposures and it is possible that its judgments regarding a Fund's risk/return profile may prove incorrect. In addition, actions taken to modify overall portfolio characteristics, including risk, may be ineffective and/or cause the Fund to underperform. Multi-Manager Approach. While the investment styles employed by the money managers are intended to be complementary, they may not in fact be complementary. A multi-manager approach could result in more exposure to certain types of securities and higher portfolio turnover. Commodity Risk. Exposure to the commodities markets may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities, particularly if the investments involve leverage. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates or sectors affecting a particular industry or commodity and international economic, political and regulatory developments. The use of leveraged commodity-linked derivatives creates an opportunity for increased return, but also creates the possibility for a greater loss. Subsidiary Risk. By investing in the Subsidiary, the Fund will be indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the Subsidiary's investments, which are generally similar to those that are permitted to be held by the Fund. The Subsidiary is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, and is generally not subject to all of the provisions of the 1940 Act. Tax Risk. The tax treatment of the Fund's investments may be adversely affected by future legislation, Treasury Regulations and/or guidance issued by the Internal Revenue Service (" IRS") that could affect whether income derived from such investments is "qualifying income" under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, or otherwise alter the character, timing and/or amount of the Fund's taxable income or any gains and distributions made by the Fund. Fixed Income Securities. Prices of fixed income securities generally rise and fall in response to, among other things, interest rate changes. The Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security or other issuer of credit support is unable or unwilling to make timely principal and/or interest payments, or to otherwise honor its obligations. In addition, fixed income securities may be downgraded in credit rating or go into default. Non-Investment Grade Debt Securities ("High Yield" or "Junk Bonds"). Non-investment grade debt securities involve higher volatility and higher risk of default than investment grade bonds. Government Issued or Guaranteed Securities, U.S. Government Securities. Bonds issued or guaranteed by a government are subject to inflation risk, price depreciation risk and default risk. Bank Obligations. The banking industry may be particularly susceptible to certain economic factors such as interest rate changes, adverse developments in the real estate market, fiscal and monetary policy and general economic cycles. The banking industry may also be impacted by legal and regulatory developments. Municipal Obligations. Municipal obligations are subject to interest rate, credit and illiquidity risk and are affected by economic, business or political developments and may be subject to provisions of litigation, bankruptcy and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors. U.S. and Non-U.S. Corporate Debt Securities Risk. Investments in U.S. and non-U.S. corporate debt securities are subject to interest rate risk and market risk, and are affected by perceptions of the creditworthiness and business prospects of individual issuers. Non-U.S. corporate debt securities may expose the Fund to greater risk than investments in U.S. corporate debt securities. Variable and Floating Rate Securities Risk. Variable and floating rate securities generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Mortgage-Backed Securities. Mortgage-backed securities may be affected by, among other things, changes or perceived changes in interest rates, factors concerning the interests in and structure of the issuer or the originator of the mortgage, or the quality of the underlying assets. The underlying assets may default or decline in quality or value. Asset-Backed Securities. Payment of principal and interest on asset-backed securities may be largely dependent upon the cash flows generated by the assets backing the securities and asset-backed securities may not have the benefit of any security interest in the related assets. Non-U.S. Securities. Non-U.S. securities have risks relating to political, economic and regulatory conditions in foreign countries. Non-U.S. and Emerging Markets Debt. The value of an investment in non-U.S. and emerging markets debt may be affected by political or economic conditions or foreign currency exchange rates. Prices of emerging markets debt can be severely affected not only by rising interest rates and adverse currency fluctuations, but also by the deterioration of credit quality or default by the issuer. Currency Risk. Non-U.S. securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, non-U.S. currencies are subject to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar or, in the case of hedging positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency being hedged. As a result, investments in non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities and currencies may reduce the returns of the Fund. Derivatives. Investments in a derivative instrument could lose more than the principal amount invested. Compared to conventional securities, derivatives can be more sensitive to changes in interest rates or to sudden fluctuations in market prices and thus the Fund's losses may be greater if it invests in derivatives than if it invests only in conventional securities. The use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in equity or fixed income securities, currencies or other investments. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks such as liquidity risk, market risk, credit risk, default risk, counterparty risk (the risk that the other party in an agreement will fail to perform its obligations) and management risk. They also involve the risk of mispricing or improper valuation and the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate exactly with the change in the value of the underlying asset, rate or index. Currency Trading Risk. Currency trading strategies may involve instruments that have volatile prices, are illiquid or create economic leverage. Forward currency contracts are subject to the risk that should forward prices increase, a loss will be incurred to the extent that the price of the currency agreed to be purchased exceeds the price of the currency agreed to be sold. Leveraging Risk. As a result of the Fund's use of derivatives, the Fund may be subject to leveraging risk. Leverage tends to exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of a security, which exposes the Fund to a heightened risk of loss. Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk is the risk that the other party or parties to an agreement or a participant to a transaction, such as a broker, might default on a contract or fail to perform by failing to pay amounts due or failing to fulfill the obligations of the contract or transaction. Liquidity Risk. The market for certain investments may become illiquid under adverse or volatile market or economic conditions, making those investments difficult to sell. The market price of certain investments may fall dramatically if there is no liquid trading market. Non-Diversification Risk. To the extent the Fund invests a relatively high percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or group of issuers, the Fund's performance will be more vulnerable to changes in the market value of that single issuer or group of issuers, and more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence. Large Redemptions. The Fund is used as an investment by certain funds of funds and in asset allocation programs and may have a large percentage of its Shares owned by such funds or held in such programs. Large redemption activity could result in the Fund incurring additional costs and being forced to sell portfolio securities at a loss to meet redemptions. Global Financial Markets Risk. Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected and conditions (including recent volatility and instability) and events (including natural disasters) in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. In addition, governmental and quasi-governmental organizations have taken a number of unprecedented actions designed to support the markets. Such events and conditions may adversely affect the value of the Fund's securities, result in greater market or liquidity risk or cause difficulty valuing the Fund' s portfolio instruments or achieving the Fund's objective.                Please refer to the "Risks" section in the Fund's Prospectus for further information.
Risk Lose Money [Text]	rr_RiskLoseMoney	An investment in the Fund, like any investment, has risks. The value of the Fund fluctuates and you could lose money.
Risk Nondiversified Status [Text]	rr_RiskNondiversifiedStatus	Non-Diversification Risk. To the extent the Fund invests a relatively high percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or group of issuers, the Fund's performance will be more vulnerable to changes in the market value of that single issuer or group of issuers, and more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]	rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading	Performance
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]	rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns	The following bar chart illustrates the risks of investing in the Fund by showing how the performance of the Fund's Class S Shares varies from year to year over a 10-year period (or if the Fund has not been in operation for 10 years, since the beginning of the Fund's operations).
Performance Availability Website Address [Text]	rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress	www.russell.com
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]	rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture	Past performance, both before-tax and after-tax, is no indication of future results.
Bar Chart [Heading]	rr_BarChartHeading	Class S Calendar Year Total Returns
Bar Chart Narrative [Text Block]	rr_BarChartNarrativeTextBlock	The following bar chart illustrates the risks of investing in the Fund by showing how the performance of the Fund's Class S Shares varies from year to year over a 10-year period (or if the Fund has not been in operation for 10 years, since the beginning of the Fund's operations). The returns (both before and after tax) for other Classes of Shares offered by this Prospectus may be lower than the returns shown in the bar chart, depending upon the fees and expenses of those Classes. The highest and lowest returns for a full quarter during the periods shown in the bar chart are set forth next to the bar chart.
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]	rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock	Highest Quarter 15.43% (3Q/12) Lowest Quarter (11.08)% (3Q/11)
Performance Table Heading	rr_PerformanceTableHeading	Average annual total returns for the periods ended December 31, 2012
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate	rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate	After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred	rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred	After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
Performance Table One Class of after Tax Shown [Text]	rr_PerformanceTableOneClassOfAfterTaxShown	After-tax returns are shown only for one class. The after-tax returns for other classes will vary.
Performance Table Explanation after Tax Higher	rr_PerformanceTableExplanationAfterTaxHigher	If the Fund has realized capital losses, the total return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund Shares may be higher than the total return before taxes and the total return after taxes on distributions.
Performance Table Narrative	rr_PerformanceTableNarrativeTextBlock	The table accompanying the bar chart further illustrates the risks of investing in the Fund by showing how the Fund's average annual returns for the periods shown compare with the returns of one or more indexes that measure broad market performance. After-tax returns are shown only for one class. The after-tax returns for other classes will vary. After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns reflect foreign tax credits passed by the Fund to its shareholders thereby increasing total returns after taxes on distributions and total returns after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund Shares. If the Fund has realized capital losses, the total return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund Shares may be higher than the total return before taxes and the total return after taxes on distributions. For more information, see the Performance Notes section in the Fund's Prospectus.                 Past performance, both before-tax and after-tax, is no indication of future results. More current performance information is available at www.russell.com.
Russell Commodity Strategies Fund | Class A
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice	5.75%
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load)	rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther	1.00%	[1]
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther	none
Advisory Fee	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	1.25%	[2]
Distribution (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	0.25%	[2]
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.31%	[2]
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets	0.28%	[2]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	2.09%	[2]
Less Fee Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets	(0.51%)	[2]
Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_NetExpensesOverAssets	1.58%	[2]
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	726
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	1,095
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	1,486
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	2,580
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(8.21%)
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	1.34%
Russell Commodity Strategies Fund | Class C
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load)	rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther	none	[1]
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther	none
Advisory Fee	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	1.25%	[2]
Distribution (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	0.75%	[2]
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.56%	[2]
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets	0.28%	[2]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	2.84%	[2]
Less Fee Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets	(0.51%)	[2]
Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_NetExpensesOverAssets	2.33%	[2]
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	236
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	779
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	1,348
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	2,896
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(3.37%)
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	2.97%
Russell Commodity Strategies Fund | Class E
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load)	rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther	none	[1]
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther	none
Advisory Fee	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	1.25%	[2]
Distribution (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	none	[2]
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.56%	[2]
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets	0.28%	[2]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	2.09%	[2]
Less Fee Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets	(0.51%)	[2]
Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_NetExpensesOverAssets	1.58%	[2]
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	161
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	551
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	967
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	2,127
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(2.62%)
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	3.73%
Russell Commodity Strategies Fund | Class S
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load)	rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther	none	[1]
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther	none
Advisory Fee	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	1.25%	[2]
Distribution (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	none	[2]
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.31%	[2]
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets	0.28%	[2]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	1.84%	[2]
Less Fee Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets	(0.51%)	[2]
Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_NetExpensesOverAssets	1.33%	[2]
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	135
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	474
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	837
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	1,857
2011	rr_AnnualReturn2011	(11.67%)
2012	rr_AnnualReturn2012	(2.41%)
Highest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel	Highest Quarter
Highest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate	Sep. 30, 2012
Highest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn	15.43%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel	Lowest Quarter
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate	Sep. 30, 2011
Lowest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn	(11.08%)
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(2.41%)
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	4.01%
Russell Commodity Strategies Fund | Class Y
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load)	rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther	none	[1]
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther	none
Advisory Fee	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	1.25%	[2]
Distribution (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	none	[2]
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.11%	[2]
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets	0.28%	[2]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	1.64%	[2]
Less Fee Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets	(0.51%)	[2]
Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_NetExpensesOverAssets	1.13%	[2]
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	115
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	412
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	731
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	1,636
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(2.31%)
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	4.16%
Russell Commodity Strategies Fund | Return After Taxes on Distributions | Class S
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(2.41%)
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	1.65%
Russell Commodity Strategies Fund | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Class S
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(1.57%)
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	2.14%
Russell Commodity Strategies Fund | Dow Jones - UBS Commodity Index Total Return (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(1.06%)
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	4.20%

[1] The Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) is charged on the lesser of the purchase price of the Shares being redeemed or the net asset value of those Shares at the time of redemption.

[2] Russell Investment Management Company ("RIMCo") has contractually agreed to waive, until February 28, 2014, 0.25% of its 1.25% advisory fee for the Fund. This waiver may not be terminated during the relevant period except with Board approval. A wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund (the "Subsidiary"), organized as a company under the laws of the Cayman Islands, pays RIMCo an advisory fee and pays Russell Fund Services Company ("RFSC") an administrative fee at the annual rates of 1.25% and 0.05%, respectively, of the Subsidiary's net assets (collectively, the "Subsidiary Fees"). Pursuant to a contractual agreement with the Fund, RIMCo and RFSC have agreed to permanently waive all or a portion of the advisory fees and the administrative fees paid by the Fund to RIMCo and RFSC, respectively, in the amount equal to the amount of the Subsidiary Fees received by RIMCo and RFSC, if any. This waiver may not be terminated by RIMCo or RFSC. "Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses" and "Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses" have been restated to reflect the Fund's proportionate share of the operating expenses of any other fund, including the Subsidiary and the Russell U.S. Cash Management Fund, in which the Fund invests. The Fund's proportionate share of these operating expenses is reflected under "Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses." "Other Expenses," "Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses" and "Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses" have been restated to reflect expenses expected to be incurred by the Fund during the current fiscal year. "Less Fee Waivers and Expense Reimbursements" and "Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses" have been restated to remove the effect of non-contractual waivers that were in effect for the fiscal period ended October 31, 2012.