Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2022	Sep. 30, 2021	Sep. 30, 2022	Sep. 30, 2021
Income Statement [Abstract]
Net sales	$ 381,694	$ 340,197	$ 1,084,699	$ 989,915
Cost of products sold	212,299	190,758	608,120	552,693
Gross profit	169,395	149,439	476,579	437,222
Selling, general and administrative	82,753	87,450	247,378	246,339
Research and development	14,416	14,946	43,017	42,149
Restructuring charges (Note 3)	899	3,853	3,146	12,239
Currency exchange losses (gains), net	2,979	100	4,788	(359)
Product liability expense (Note 18)	4,035	10,688	9,733	25,235
Operating income	64,313	32,402	168,517	111,619
Interest expense	5,962	3,764	14,158	7,847
Other income, net	(2,359)	(2,266)	(15,121)	(8,773)
Total other expense (income), net	3,603	1,498	(963)	(926)
Income before income taxes	60,710	30,904	169,480	112,545
Provision for income taxes (Note 10)	15,804	9,724	41,339	29,281
Net income	44,906	21,180	128,141	83,264
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	0	0	0	(448)
Net income attributable to MSA Safety Incorporated	$ 44,906	$ 21,180	$ 128,141	$ 82,816
Earnings per share attributable to MSA Safety Incorporated common shareholders (Note 9):
Basic (in dollars per share)	$ 1.15	$ 0.54	$ 3.26	$ 2.11
Diluted (in dollars per share)	1.14	0.54	3.25	2.10
Dividends per common share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.46	$ 0.44	$ 1.36	$ 1.31