Commitments and Contingencies - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended				1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended				12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2012 Pryor Facility [Member]	Feb. 29, 2012 Orica International [Member] T	Dec. 31, 2012 Hallowell Facility [Member] Subsidiary	Dec. 31, 2012 Chemical Business [Member] Plant	Dec. 31, 2012 Climate Control Business [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Insurance Claims [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 El Dorado Facility [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Expenses incurred in operating lease agreements	$ 6,830,000	$ 7,773,000	$ 6,079,000
Anhydrous ammonia purchase agreement maturity date	Dec. 31, 2015
Current purchase agreement quantity with Orica International					240,000
Ammonium nitrate supply agreement maturity date					Dec. 2014
Outstanding letters of credit	2,000,000
Customer advances and deposits	8,200,000						7,900,000	200,000
Estimated project cost to construct plant										120,000,000
Indemnify the sureties for payments	12,700,000
Maximum amount of securities can be sold under shelf registration statement	200,000,000
Payments under employment and severance agreements	13,600,000
Penalty related to discharge water permit	124,000
Alleged discharge water permit violation settlement amount	100,000
Capital cost in connection with construction of pipeline	3,700,000
Capitalized cost of construction of pipeline	3,300,000
Estimated share of the annual operating cost of pipeline, minimum	100,000
Estimated share of the annual operating cost of pipeline, maximum	150,000
Maximum penalty amount per day under Clean Air Act							27,500
Number of nitric acid affected plants							8
Plants compliant with Clean Air Act							2
Minimum range of estimated capital cost to meet Clean Air Act emission rates							2,000,000
Maximum range of estimated capital cost to meet Clean Air Act emission rates							3,000,000
Plants requiring capital investment to achieve Clean Air Act compliance							6
Estimated EPA civil penalty liability	100,000
Number of subsidiaries under chemical business that sold their operating assets						2
Current portion of accrued and other liabilities	34,698,000	28,677,000				173,000
Settlements of litigation and potential litigation	2,303,000	1,562,000		2,303,000
Product liability deductible per claim								250,000
Accrued generally liability insurance claims									$ 628,000