Nature of Operations and Basis of Presentation	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Nature of Operations and Basis of Presentation	Nature of Operations and Basis of Presentation Packaging Corporation of America ("we," "us," "our," "PCA," or the "Company") was incorporated on January 25, 1999. In April 1999, PCA acquired the containerboard and corrugated packaging products business of Pactiv Corporation (Pactiv), formerly known as Tenneco Packaging, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Tenneco Inc. On October 25, 2013, PCA acquired Boise Inc. (Boise). For more information, see Note 3, Acquisitions. After the acquisition of Boise, we became a large diverse manufacturer of both packaging and paper products. We are headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois, and we operate largely in the United States but also have operations in Europe, Mexico, and Canada. We have approximately 14,000 employees. We report our businesses in three reportable segments: Packaging, Paper, and Corporate and Other. Our Packaging segment produces a wide variety of corrugated packaging products. The Paper segment manufactures and sells a range of papers, including communication-based papers, and pressure sensitive papers (collectively, white papers), and market pulp. Corporate and other includes support staff services and related assets and liabilities, transportation assets, and activity related to other ancillary support operations. For more information about our segments, see Note 18, Segment Information. In these consolidated financial statements, certain amounts in prior periods' consolidated financial statements have been reclassified to conform with the current period presentation. Effective January 1, 2014, the Company elected to change its method of accounting for certain inventories from lower of cost, as determined by the LIFO method, or market, to lower of cost, as determined by the average cost method, or market. We applied this change in method of inventory costing retrospectively to all prior periods presented in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles relating to accounting changes. For more information about our inventory valuation, see Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of PCA and its majority-owned subsidiaries after elimination of intercompany balances and transactions. Boise's results are included in our results subsequent to October 25, 2013, the date of acquisition.

Nature of Operations and Basis of Presentation

Packaging Corporation of America ("we," "us," "our," "PCA," or the "Company") was incorporated on January 25, 1999. In April 1999, PCA acquired the containerboard and corrugated packaging products business of Pactiv Corporation (Pactiv), formerly known as Tenneco Packaging, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Tenneco Inc. On October 25, 2013, PCA acquired Boise Inc. (Boise). For more information, see Note 3, Acquisitions. After the acquisition of Boise, we became a large diverse manufacturer of both packaging and paper products. We are headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois, and we operate largely in the United States but also have operations in Europe, Mexico, and Canada. We have approximately 14,000 employees.

We report our businesses in three reportable segments: Packaging, Paper, and Corporate and Other. Our Packaging segment produces a wide variety of corrugated packaging products. The Paper segment manufactures and sells a range of papers, including communication-based papers, and pressure sensitive papers (collectively, white papers), and market pulp. Corporate and other includes support staff services and related assets and liabilities, transportation assets, and activity related to other ancillary support operations. For more information about our segments, see Note 18, Segment Information.

In these consolidated financial statements, certain amounts in prior periods' consolidated financial statements have been reclassified to conform with the current period presentation.

Effective January 1, 2014, the Company elected to change its method of accounting for certain inventories from lower of cost, as determined by the LIFO method, or market, to lower of cost, as determined by the average cost method, or market. We applied this change in method of inventory costing retrospectively to all prior periods presented in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles relating to accounting changes. For more information about our inventory valuation, see Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies.

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of PCA and its majority-owned subsidiaries after elimination of intercompany balances and transactions. Boise's results are included in our results subsequent to October 25, 2013, the date of acquisition.