Document and Entity Information Document (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011	Feb. 03, 2012	Jul. 02, 2011
Document Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	HNI CORP
Entity Central Index Key	0000048287
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-K
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2011
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2011
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		44,880,243
Trading Symbol	HNI
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Public Float			$ 692,789,990