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Fair Value Measurements and Financial Instruments - Additional Information (Detail)	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015 USD ($) NOK / $ NOK / € CAD / $	Sep. 30, 2015 USD ($) NOK / $ NOK / € CAD / $	Sep. 30, 2015 EUR (€) NOK / $ NOK / € CAD / $	Sep. 30, 2015 CAD NOK / $ NOK / € CAD / $	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($)
Financial Instrument At Fair Value [Line Items]
Estimated fair value of currency forward contracts	$ (2,700,000)	$ (2,700,000)			$ (4,200,000)
Fair value of interest rate swap contract, current and noncurrent	5,700,000	5,700,000
Marketable securities	256,000,000	256,000,000			255,600,000
Interest Rate Swap
Financial Instrument At Fair Value [Line Items]
Fair value of interest rate swap contract, current	3,500,000	3,500,000
Fair value of interest rate swap contract, noncurrent	2,200,000	2,200,000
Kronos Worldwide, Inc. \| 2014 Term Loan
Financial Instrument At Fair Value [Line Items]
Estimated market price of the notes	998.75	998.75			983.1
Principal amount of debt instrument	1,000	1,000			1,000
Kronos Worldwide, Inc. \| Interest Rate Swap \| LIBOR
Financial Instrument At Fair Value [Line Items]
Notional amount currency forward contract	$ 344,750,000	$ 344,750,000
Derivative, type of instrument		pay- fixed/receive-variable interest rate swap
Interest rate swap, type of interest rate		fixed
Interest rate swap, fixed rate	2.016%	2.016%	2.016%	2.016%
Interest rate swap, floor rate	1.00%	1.00%	1.00%	1.00%
Interest rate swap, inception date		Aug. 07, 2015
Interest rate swap, effective date		Sep. 30, 2015
Interest rate swap, notional amount decline each quarter		$ 875,000
Interest rate swap, notional amount decline commencing date		Dec. 31, 2015
Interest rate swap, final maturity date		Feb. 29, 2020
Interest rate swap, gains or losses representing hedge ineffectiveness		$ 0
Pretax loss amount recognized in other comprehensive income (loss) related to interest rate swap contract		5,700,000
Reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in to earnings		0
Accumulated other comprehensive income expected to be reclassified to earnings in next twelve months	$ 3,500,000	3,500,000
Fair value of interest rate swap contract, current and noncurrent	5,700,000	5,700,000
Kronos Worldwide, Inc. \| Interest Rate Swap \| LIBOR \| Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities
Financial Instrument At Fair Value [Line Items]
Fair value of interest rate swap contract, current	3,500,000	3,500,000
Kronos Worldwide, Inc. \| Interest Rate Swap \| LIBOR \| Other Noncurrent Liabilities
Financial Instrument At Fair Value [Line Items]
Fair value of interest rate swap contract, noncurrent	2,200,000	2,200,000
Amalgamated Sugar Company LLC
Financial Instrument At Fair Value [Line Items]
Marketable securities	250,000,000	250,000,000			$ 250,000,000
Chemicals \| Forward Contracts
Financial Instrument At Fair Value [Line Items]
Estimated fair value of currency forward contracts	(2,700,000)	(2,700,000)
Currency transaction loss	(2,700,000)
Chemicals \| Norwegian Kroner \| Forward Contracts
Financial Instrument At Fair Value [Line Items]
Notional amount currency forward contract	8,100,000	8,100,000
Maturity rate of derivative	$ 2,700,000	$ 2,700,000
Chemicals \| Norwegian Kroner \| Forward Contracts \| Euro
Financial Instrument At Fair Value [Line Items]
Notional amount currency forward contract \| €			€ 5,000,000
Exchange rate \| NOK / €	8.56	8.56	8.56	8.56
Chemicals \| Canadian
Financial Instrument At Fair Value [Line Items]
Notional amount currency forward contract \| CAD				CAD 25,600,000
Exchange rate \| CAD / $	1.29	1.29	1.29	1.29
Maturity rate of derivative \| CAD				CAD 2,600,000
Minimum \| Chemicals \| Norwegian Kroner \| Forward Contracts
Financial Instrument At Fair Value [Line Items]
Exchange rate \| NOK / $	7.10	7.10	7.10	7.10
Maximum \| Chemicals \| Norwegian Kroner \| Forward Contracts
Financial Instrument At Fair Value [Line Items]
Exchange rate \| NOK / $	7.11	7.11	7.11	7.11