Document and Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Apr. 30, 2018 shares
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Apr. 30, 2018
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2018
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Trading Symbol	NDSN
Entity Registrant Name	NORDSON CORP
Entity Central Index Key	0000072331
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--10-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	58,091,870