Revenue Recognition (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]

Summary of revenues by primary geographical markets

A summary of the Company's revenues by primary geographical markets as well as by key product and service groups is as follows:

	Three Months Ended
	March 31, 2018
(In thousands)	Harsco Metals & Minerals Segment		Harsco Industrial Segment		Harsco Rail Segment		Corporate		Consolidated Totals
Primary Geographical Markets (a):
Western Europe	$	96,921	$	—	$	14,720	$	—	$	111,641
North America	71,065		78,858		40,405		39		190,367
Latin America (b)	41,458		4,740		833		—		47,031
Asia-Pacific	36,221		—		3,720		—		39,941
Middle East and Africa	11,553		—		—		—		11,553
Eastern Europe	7,505		—		—		—		7,505
Total Revenues (c)	$	264,723	$	83,598	$	59,678	$	39	$	408,038
Key Product and Service Groups:
On-site services and material logistics, product quality improvement and resource recovery for iron, steel and metals manufacturing; as well as value- added environmental solutions for industrial co-products.	$	264,723	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	264,723
Railway track maintenance services and equipment	—		—		59,678		—		59,678
Industrial grating and fencing products	—		30,097		—		—		30,097
Air-cooled heat exchangers	—		44,267		—		—		44,267
Heat transfer products	—		9,234		—		—		9,234
General Corporate	—		—		—		39		39
Total Revenues (c)	$	264,723	$	83,598	$	59,678	$	39	$	408,038

	Three Months Ended
	March 31, 2017
(In thousands)	Harsco Metals & Minerals Segment		Harsco Industrial Segment		Harsco Rail Segment		Corporate		Consolidated Totals
Primary Geographical Markets (a):
Western Europe	$	91,720	$	—	$	9,539	$	—	$	101,259
North America	67,233		58,351		45,150		34		170,768
Latin America (b)	38,020		6,582		476		—		45,078
Asia-Pacific	32,557		952		4,423		—		37,932
Middle East and Africa	10,556		—		—		—		10,556
Eastern Europe	6,948		—		—		—		6,948
Total Revenues (c)	$	247,034	$	65,885	$	59,588	$	34	$	372,541
Key Product and Service Groups:
On-site services and material logistics, product quality improvement and resource recovery for iron, steel and metals manufacturing; as well as value- added environmental solutions for industrial co-products.	$	247,034	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	247,034
Railway track maintenance services and equipment	—		—		59,588		—		59,588
Industrial grating and fencing products	—		28,159		—		—		28,159
Air-cooled heat exchangers	—		30,461		—		—		30,461
Heat transfer products	—		7,265		—		—		7,265
General Corporate	—		—		—		34		34
Total Revenues (c)	$	247,034	$	65,885	$	59,588	$	34	$	372,541

(a) Revenues are attributed to individual countries based on the location of the facility generating the revenue.

(b) Includes Mexico.

(c) The Company has adopted the new revenue recognition standard utilizing the modified retrospective transition method, including use of practical expedients. Comparative information has not been restated and continues to be reported under U.S. GAAP in effect for those periods. See Note 2, Recently Adopted and Recently Issued Accounting Standards for additional information.

Summary of contract assets and advances on contracts

The following table reflects Contract assets and Advances on contracts:

(In thousands)	March 31, 2018		December 31, 2017
Contract assets:
Current portion of contract assets	$	23,871	$	—
Contract assets	3,566		—
Total contract assets	$	27,437	$	—
Advances on contracts:
Current portion of advances on contracts	$	38,147	$	117,958
Advances on contracts	21,837		—
Total advances on contracts	$	59,984	$	117,958