Segment Information - Additional Information (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of reportable segments	2
Number of persons employed by Chemical Business	508
Number of persons represented by unions under agreements which expire July through November 2013	149
Chemical [Member] | Orica [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Percentage of net sales to one customer	9.00%	11.00%	11.00%