<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<FilingSummary xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
  <Version>2.4.0.6</Version>
  <ProcessingTime />
  <ReportFormat>Html</ReportFormat>
  <ContextCount>8</ContextCount>
  <ElementCount>95</ElementCount>
  <EntityCount>1</EntityCount>
  <FootnotesReported>false</FootnotesReported>
  <SegmentCount>0</SegmentCount>
  <ScenarioCount>0</ScenarioCount>
  <TuplesReported>false</TuplesReported>
  <UnitCount>3</UnitCount>
  <MyReports>
    <Report>
      <IsDefault>false</IsDefault>
      <HasEmbeddedReports>false</HasEmbeddedReports>
      <HtmlFileName>R1.htm</HtmlFileName>
      <LongName>000 - Document - Document And Entity Information</LongName>
      <ReportType>Sheet</ReportType>
      <Role>http://www.spanamerica.com/20111231/role/DocumentAndEntityInformation</Role>
      <ShortName>Document And Entity Information</ShortName>
    </Report>
    <Report>
      <IsDefault>true</IsDefault>
      <HasEmbeddedReports>false</HasEmbeddedReports>
      <HtmlFileName>R2.htm</HtmlFileName>
      <LongName>001 - Statement - Consolidated Balance Sheets</LongName>
      <ReportType>Sheet</ReportType>
      <Role>http://www.spanamerica.com/20111231/role/ConsolidatedBalanceSheets</Role>
      <ShortName>Consolidated Balance Sheets</ShortName>
    </Report>
    <Report>
      <IsDefault>false</IsDefault>
      <HasEmbeddedReports>false</HasEmbeddedReports>
      <HtmlFileName>R3.htm</HtmlFileName>
      <LongName>002 - Statement - Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parentheticals)</LongName>
      <ReportType>Sheet</ReportType>
      <Role>http://www.spanamerica.com/20111231/role/ConsolidatedBalanceSheetsParentheticals</Role>
      <ShortName>Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parentheticals)</ShortName>
    </Report>
    <Report>
      <IsDefault>false</IsDefault>
      <HasEmbeddedReports>false</HasEmbeddedReports>
      <HtmlFileName>R4.htm</HtmlFileName>
      <LongName>003 - Statement - Consolidated Statements Of Income</LongName>
      <ReportType>Sheet</ReportType>
      <Role>http://www.spanamerica.com/20111231/role/ConsolidatedStatementsOfIncome</Role>
      <ShortName>Consolidated Statements Of Income</ShortName>
    </Report>
    <Report>
      <IsDefault>false</IsDefault>
      <HasEmbeddedReports>false</HasEmbeddedReports>
      <HtmlFileName>R5.htm</HtmlFileName>
      <LongName>004 - Statement - Consolidated Statements Of Cash Flows</LongName>
      <ReportType>Sheet</ReportType>
      <Role>http://www.spanamerica.com/20111231/role/ConsolidatedStatementsOfCashFlows</Role>
      <ShortName>Consolidated Statements Of Cash Flows</ShortName>
    </Report>
    <Report>
      <IsDefault>false</IsDefault>
      <HasEmbeddedReports>false</HasEmbeddedReports>
      <HtmlFileName>R6.htm</HtmlFileName>
      <LongName>005 - Disclosure - Note 1. Significant Accounting Policies</LongName>
      <ReportType>Sheet</ReportType>
      <Role>http://www.spanamerica.com/20111231/role/Note1SignificantAccountingPolicies</Role>
      <ShortName>Note 1. Significant Accounting Policies</ShortName>
    </Report>
    <Report>
      <IsDefault>false</IsDefault>
      <HasEmbeddedReports>false</HasEmbeddedReports>
      <HtmlFileName>R7.htm</HtmlFileName>
      <LongName>006 - Disclosure - Note 2. Acquisition Of M .C. Healthcare Products Inc .</LongName>
      <ReportType>Sheet</ReportType>
      <Role>http://www.spanamerica.com/20111231/role/Note2AcquisitionOfMCHealthcareProductsInc</Role>
      <ShortName>Note 2. Acquisition Of M .C. Healthcare Products Inc .</ShortName>
    </Report>
    <Report>
      <IsDefault>false</IsDefault>
      <HasEmbeddedReports>false</HasEmbeddedReports>
      <HtmlFileName>R8.htm</HtmlFileName>
      <LongName>007 - Disclosure - Note 3. Fair Value Of Financial Instruments</LongName>
      <ReportType>Sheet</ReportType>
      <Role>http://www.spanamerica.com/20111231/role/Note3FairValueOfFinancialInstruments</Role>
      <ShortName>Note 3. Fair Value Of Financial Instruments</ShortName>
    </Report>
    <Report>
      <IsDefault>false</IsDefault>
      <HasEmbeddedReports>false</HasEmbeddedReports>
      <HtmlFileName>R9.htm</HtmlFileName>
      <LongName>008 - Disclosure - Note 4. Inventories</LongName>
      <ReportType>Sheet</ReportType>
      <Role>http://www.spanamerica.com/20111231/role/Note4Inventories</Role>
      <ShortName>Note 4. Inventories</ShortName>
    </Report>
    <Report>
      <IsDefault>false</IsDefault>
      <HasEmbeddedReports>false</HasEmbeddedReports>
      <HtmlFileName>R10.htm</HtmlFileName>
      <LongName>009 - Disclosure - Note 5. Property And Equipment</LongName>
      <ReportType>Sheet</ReportType>
      <Role>http://www.spanamerica.com/20111231/role/Note5PropertyAndEquipment</Role>
      <ShortName>Note 5. Property And Equipment</ShortName>
    </Report>
    <Report>
      <IsDefault>false</IsDefault>
      <HasEmbeddedReports>false</HasEmbeddedReports>
      <HtmlFileName>R11.htm</HtmlFileName>
      <LongName>010 - Disclosure - Note 6. Other Assets</LongName>
      <ReportType>Sheet</ReportType>
      <Role>http://www.spanamerica.com/20111231/role/Note6OtherAssets</Role>
      <ShortName>Note 6. Other Assets</ShortName>
    </Report>
    <Report>
      <IsDefault>false</IsDefault>
      <HasEmbeddedReports>false</HasEmbeddedReports>
      <HtmlFileName>R12.htm</HtmlFileName>
      <LongName>011 - Disclosure - Note 7. Product Warranties</LongName>
      <ReportType>Sheet</ReportType>
      <Role>http://www.spanamerica.com/20111231/role/Note7ProductWarranties</Role>
      <ShortName>Note 7. Product Warranties</ShortName>
    </Report>
    <Report>
      <IsDefault>false</IsDefault>
      <HasEmbeddedReports>false</HasEmbeddedReports>
      <HtmlFileName>R13.htm</HtmlFileName>
      <LongName>012 - Disclosure - Note 8. Earnings Per Common Share</LongName>
      <ReportType>Sheet</ReportType>
      <Role>http://www.spanamerica.com/20111231/role/Note8EarningsPerCommonShare</Role>
      <ShortName>Note 8. Earnings Per Common Share</ShortName>
    </Report>
    <Report>
      <IsDefault>false</IsDefault>
      <HasEmbeddedReports>false</HasEmbeddedReports>
      <HtmlFileName>R14.htm</HtmlFileName>
      <LongName>013 - Disclosure - Note 9. Operations And Industry Segments</LongName>
      <ReportType>Sheet</ReportType>
      <Role>http://www.spanamerica.com/20111231/role/Note9OperationsAndIndustrySegments</Role>
      <ShortName>Note 9. Operations And Industry Segments</ShortName>
    </Report>
    <Report>
      <IsDefault>false</IsDefault>
      <HasEmbeddedReports>false</HasEmbeddedReports>
      <HtmlFileName>R15.htm</HtmlFileName>
      <LongName>014 - Disclosure - Note 10. Commitments And Contingencies</LongName>
      <ReportType>Sheet</ReportType>
      <Role>http://www.spanamerica.com/20111231/role/Note10CommitmentsAndContingencies</Role>
      <ShortName>Note 10. Commitments And Contingencies</ShortName>
    </Report>
    <Report>
      <IsDefault>false</IsDefault>
      <HasEmbeddedReports>false</HasEmbeddedReports>
      <LongName>All Reports</LongName>
      <ReportType>Book</ReportType>
      <ShortName>All Reports</ShortName>
    </Report>
  </MyReports>
  <Logs>
    <Log type="Info">Process Flow-Through: 001 - Statement - Consolidated Balance Sheets</Log>
    <Log type="Info">	Process Flow-Through: Removing column 'Jan. 01, 2011'</Log>
    <Log type="Info">	Process Flow-Through: Removing column 'Oct. 02, 2010'</Log>
    <Log type="Info">Process Flow-Through: 002 - Statement - Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parentheticals)</Log>
    <Log type="Info">Process Flow-Through: 003 - Statement - Consolidated Statements Of Income</Log>
    <Log type="Info">Process Flow-Through: 004 - Statement - Consolidated Statements Of Cash Flows</Log>
  </Logs>
  <InputFiles>
    <File>span-20111231.xml</File>
    <File>span-20111231.xsd</File>
    <File>span-20111231_cal.xml</File>
    <File>span-20111231_def.xml</File>
    <File>span-20111231_lab.xml</File>
    <File>span-20111231_pre.xml</File>
  </InputFiles>
  <SupplementalFiles />
  <BaseTaxonomies />
  <HasPresentationLinkbase>true</HasPresentationLinkbase>
  <HasCalculationLinkbase>true</HasCalculationLinkbase>
</FilingSummary>
