Document and Entity Information - shares	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016	Apr. 22, 2016
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2016
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Registrant Name	HUBBELL INCORPORATED
Entity Central Index Key	0000048898
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock Shares Outstanding (shares)		55,326,163
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2016
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1