Our Business	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Our Business [Abstract]
Our Business	1. Our Business Ferro Corporation (“Ferro,” “we,” “us” or “the Company”) is a leading producer of specialty materials that are sold to a broad range of manufacturers who, in turn, make products for many end-use markets. Ferro’s products fall into two general categories: functional coatings, which perform specific functions in the manufacturing processes and end products of our customers; and color solutions, which provide aesthetic and performance characteristics to our customers’ products. We differentiate ourselves in our industry by innovation and new products and services and the consistent high quality of our products, combined with delivery of localized technical service and customized application technology support. Our value-added technical services assist customers in their material specification and evaluation, product design, and manufacturing process characterization in order to help them optimize the application of our products. We manage our businesses through four business units that are differentiated from one another by product type. The four business units are listed below:  Tile Coating Systems(1)  Porcelain Enamel(2)  Performance Colors and Glass  Color Solutions (1)Tile Coating Systems was historically a part of the Performance Coatings reportable segment. As of December 31, 2019, the results of the Tile Coatings business portion of Tile Coating Systems are reported as discontinued operations, for financial reporting purposes. (2)Porcelain Enamel, previously a part of the Performance Coatings reportable segment, is integrated into the Performance Colors and Glass reportable segment, for financial reporting purposes. We produce our products primarily in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (“EMEA”) region, the United States (“U.S.”), the Asia Pacific region, and Latin America. We sell our products directly to customers and through the use of agents or distributors throughout the world. Our products are sold principally in the EMEA region, the U.S., the Asia Pacific region, and Latin America. Our customers manufacture products to serve a variety of end markets, including appliances, automobiles, building and renovation, electronics, household furnishings, industrial products, packaging, and sanitation. During the fourth quarter of 2019, substantially all of the assets and liabilities of our Tile Coatings business were classified as held-for-sale in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. As further discussed in Note 4, we entered into a definitive agreement to sell our Tile Coatings business which has historically been included in the Performance Coatings reportable segment. Therefore, the associated operating results, net of income tax, have been classified as discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations for all periods presented.