Document and Entity Information	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015 shares
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	20-F
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2015
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Trading Symbol	ORBK
Entity Registrant Name	ORBOTECH LTD
Entity Central Index Key	0000749037
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	43,079,320