Document and Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2011	Jul. 18, 2011 Class A Common Stock	Jul. 18, 2011 Class B Common Stock
Class Of Stock [Line Items]
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2011
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Registrant Name	HUBBELL INCORPORATED
Entity Central Index Key	0000048898
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Well Known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Common Stock Shares Outstanding		7,167,506	52,775,144
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2011
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2