Document And Entity Information - shares	9 Months Ended
	Jul. 02, 2016	Aug. 15, 2016
Document Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	SPAN AMERICA MEDICAL SYSTEMS INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000718924
Trading Symbol	span
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--10-01
Entity Filer Category	Non-accelerated Filer
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding (in shares)		2,755,625
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Jul. 02, 2016
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2016
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Amendment Flag	false