Income Taxes	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2015
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	NOTE 9—INCOME TAXES At the end of each reporting period, Real Industry makes an estimate of its annual effective income tax rate. The estimate used for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 may change in subsequent periods. The effective tax rate for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 differed from the federal statutory rate applied to earnings and losses before income taxes primarily as a result of the mix of earnings and losses and tax rates between tax jurisdictions and changes in valuation allowances. As of December 31, 2014, the Company had estimated federal and California NOLs of $933.6 million and $994.7 million, respectively. The federal NOLs have a 20-year life and begin to expire after the 2027 tax year, while the California NOLs have either a 10-year or 20-year life and begin to expire after the 2017 tax year. In order to preserve these tax attributes, restrictions are included in Real Industry’s Amended and Restated Bylaws on transfers of its common stock (the “Tax Benefit Preservation Provision”). Unless approved by the board of directors (the “Board”), any attempted transfer of Real Industry common stock is prohibited and void to the extent that, as a result of such transfer (or any series of transfers) (i) any person or group of persons owning 4.9% of the then-outstanding shares of Real Industry common stock, whether directly or indirectly (a “4.9-percent holder”); or (ii) the ownership interests of any “five-percent holder” (as defined in Section 1.382-2T(g) of the Tax Code) shall be increased or decreased, unless such decrease is the result of a transfer to a public group through the facilities of a national exchange. Persons wishing to become a 4.9-percent holder (or existing five-percent holders wishing to increase or decrease their percentage ownership, unless the decrease relates to a transfer to a public group) must request a waiver of the restriction from Real Industry, and the Board may grant a waiver in its sole discretion. The Tax Benefit Preservation Provision is meant to reduce the potential for a “change of control” event, which, if it were to occur, would have the effect of limiting the amount of NOLs available in a particular year. Real Industry has valuation allowances recorded to reduce certain deferred tax assets to amounts that are more likely than not to be realized. The valuation allowances relate to the potential inability to realize our deferred tax assets associated with net operating loss carryforwards in the United States and certain other foreign jurisdictions. Real Industry intends to maintain its valuation allowances until sufficient positive evidence exists to support their reversal. The Company and its subsidiaries file income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction, various state and local jurisdictions, as well as foreign jurisdictions located in Canada, Mexico, Germany, Norway, and the United Kingdom. With few exceptions, the 2010 through 2014 tax years remain open to examination.

NOTE 9—INCOME TAXES

At the end of each reporting period, Real Industry makes an estimate of its annual effective income tax rate. The estimate used for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 may change in subsequent periods. The effective tax rate for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 differed from the federal statutory rate applied to earnings and losses before income taxes primarily as a result of the mix of earnings and losses and tax rates between tax jurisdictions and changes in valuation allowances.

As of December 31, 2014, the Company had estimated federal and California NOLs of $933.6 million and $994.7 million, respectively. The federal NOLs have a 20-year life and begin to expire after the 2027 tax year, while the California NOLs have either a 10-year or 20-year life and begin to expire after the 2017 tax year. In order to preserve these tax attributes, restrictions are included in Real Industry’s Amended and Restated Bylaws on transfers of its common stock (the “Tax Benefit Preservation Provision”). Unless approved by the board of directors (the “Board”), any attempted transfer of Real Industry common stock is prohibited and void to the extent that, as a result of such transfer (or any series of transfers) (i) any person or group of persons owning 4.9% of the then-outstanding shares of Real Industry common stock, whether directly or indirectly (a “4.9-percent holder”); or (ii) the ownership interests of any “five-percent holder” (as defined in Section 1.382-2T(g) of the Tax Code) shall be increased or decreased, unless such decrease is the result of a transfer to a public group through the facilities of a national exchange. Persons wishing to become a 4.9-percent holder (or existing five-percent holders wishing to increase or decrease their percentage ownership, unless the decrease relates to a transfer to a public group) must request a waiver of the restriction from Real Industry, and the Board may grant a waiver in its sole discretion. The Tax Benefit Preservation Provision is meant to reduce the potential for a “change of control” event, which, if it were to occur, would have the effect of limiting the amount of NOLs available in a particular year.

Real Industry has valuation allowances recorded to reduce certain deferred tax assets to amounts that are more likely than not to be realized. The valuation allowances relate to the potential inability to realize our deferred tax assets associated with net operating loss carryforwards in the United States and certain other foreign jurisdictions. Real Industry intends to maintain its valuation allowances until sufficient positive evidence exists to support their reversal.

The Company and its subsidiaries file income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction, various state and local jurisdictions, as well as foreign jurisdictions located in Canada, Mexico, Germany, Norway, and the United Kingdom. With few exceptions, the 2010 through 2014 tax years remain open to examination.