Income Taxes	3 Months Ended
Jan. 31, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	INCOME TAXES Income tax expense for the quarter was computed in accordance with ASC 740-270 Income Taxes - Interim Reporting ("ASC 740-270"). Under this method, losses from jurisdictions for which a valuation allowance has been provided have not been included in the amount to which the ASC 740-270 rate was applied to calculate income tax expense for the quarter. Income tax expense of the Company fluctuates primarily due to changes in income mix by jurisdiction, changes in losses and income from jurisdictions for which a valuation allowance has been provided and the impact of discrete items in the respective quarter. Income tax expense was $11.8 million and $6.0 million for the three months ended January 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. Prior to the three months ended January 31, 2017 the Company asserted under ASC 740-30, formally Accounting Principles Board opinion 23 ("APB 23"), that unremitted earnings of its subsidiaries directly, or indirectly, owned by Greif International Holdings BV (“GIH”) were permanently reinvested. During the first quarter of 2017, the Company reassessed its unremitted earnings position and has concluded that the unremitted earnings of subsidiaries owned directly, or indirectly, by GIH may be used to fund the repayment of third-party debt of GIH’s foreign parent company. Further, the Company has concluded that, until such third-party debt has been fully repaid, the current earnings of the subsidiaries owned directly, or indirectly, by GIH may be distributed to and utilized to repay such debt. Under ASC 740-30, a tax liability must be accrued when unremitted earnings are not planned to be permanently reinvested in the country in which they are earned. Accordingly, deferred tax liabilities with respect to pre-2017 unremitted earnings have been recorded in the first quarter of 2017 and, starting in fiscal year 2017, deferred tax liabilities will be recorded on current year earnings not required to be immediately reinvested by the respective subsidiary of GIH.

Income Taxes

3 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2017

INCOME TAXES

Income tax expense for the quarter was computed in accordance with ASC 740-270 Income Taxes - Interim Reporting ("ASC 740-270"). Under this method, losses from jurisdictions for which a valuation allowance has been provided have not been included in the amount to which the ASC 740-270 rate was applied to calculate income tax expense for the quarter. Income tax expense of the Company fluctuates primarily due to changes in income mix by jurisdiction, changes in losses and income from jurisdictions for which a valuation allowance has been provided and the impact of discrete items in the respective quarter.

Income tax expense was $11.8 million and $6.0 million for the three months ended January 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Prior to the three months ended January 31, 2017 the Company asserted under ASC 740-30, formally Accounting Principles Board opinion 23 ("APB 23"), that unremitted earnings of its subsidiaries directly, or indirectly, owned by Greif International Holdings BV (“GIH”) were permanently reinvested. During the first quarter of 2017, the Company reassessed its unremitted earnings position and has concluded that the unremitted earnings of subsidiaries owned directly, or indirectly, by GIH may be used to fund the repayment of third-party debt of GIH’s foreign parent company. Further, the Company has concluded that, until such third-party debt has been fully repaid, the current earnings of the subsidiaries owned directly, or indirectly, by GIH may be distributed to and utilized to repay such debt. Under ASC 740-30, a tax liability must be accrued when unremitted earnings are not planned to be permanently reinvested in the country in which they are earned. Accordingly, deferred tax liabilities with respect to pre-2017 unremitted earnings have been recorded in the first quarter of 2017 and, starting in fiscal year 2017, deferred tax liabilities will be recorded on current year earnings not required to be immediately reinvested by the respective subsidiary of GIH.