Quarterly Financial Data - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended																12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2016		Sep. 30, 2016		Jun. 30, 2016		Mar. 31, 2016		Dec. 31, 2015		Sep. 30, 2015		Jun. 30, 2015		Mar. 31, 2015		Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Quarterly Financial Data [Line Items]
Net sales	$ 1,476.6	[1]	$ 1,484.0	[2]	$ 1,417.4	[3]	$ 1,401.0	[4]	$ 1,390.9	[5]	$ 1,470.8	[6]	$ 1,454.3	[7]	$ 1,425.7	[8]	$ 5,779.0	$ 5,741.7	$ 5,852.6
Gross profit	327.1	[1]	329.5	[2]	320.1	[3]	299.0	[4]	285.0	[5]	328.3	[6]	317.6	[7]	277.0	[8]	1,275.7	1,208.0	1,229.5
Operating Income (Loss)	(192.9)	[1]	(206.4)	[2]	(200.2)	[3]	(180.8)	[4]	(175.9)	[5]	(219.4)	[6]	(197.6)	[7]	(157.1)	[8]	(780.3)	(750.0)	(702.7)
Net income attributable to Packaging Corporation of America	$ 110.6	[1]	$ 119.4	[2]	$ 115.9	[3]	$ 103.7	[4]	$ 104.3	[5]	$ 127.8	[6]	$ 114.0	[7]	$ 90.8	[8]	$ 449.6	$ 436.8	$ 392.6
Basic income per common share (US$ per share)	$ 1.17	[1]	$ 1.27	[2]	$ 1.23	[3]	$ 1.09	[4]	$ 1.07	[5]	$ 1.31	[6]	$ 1.16	[7]	$ 0.92	[8]	$ 4.76	$ 4.47	$ 3.99
Diluted income per common share (US$ per share)	1.17	[1]	1.26	[2]	1.23	[3]	1.09	[4]	1.07	[5]	1.31	[6]	1.16	[7]	0.92	[8]	4.75	4.47	$ 3.99
Stock price - high	88.41	[1]	82.77	[2]	71.31	[3]	62.67	[4]	70.04	[5]	73.60	[6]	78.98	[7]	84.88	[8]	88.41	84.88
Stock price - low	$ 78.03	[1]	$ 65.12	[2]	$ 58.44	[3]	$ 44.32	[4]	$ 59.54	[5]	$ 58.29	[6]	$ 62.48	[7]	$ 73.03	[8]	$ 44.32	$ 58.29
Interest expense, net																	$ (91.8)	$ (85.5)	$ (88.4)	[9]
Income before taxes																	688.5	$ 664.5	$ 614.3
Corrugated Products Facility Closure
Quarterly Financial Data [Line Items]
Operating Income (Loss)	$ (4.5)		$ (2.0)		$ (1.7)		$ (2.8)
Decrease (Increase) in net income	$ (2.9)		$ (1.4)		$ (1.0)		$ (1.9)
Decrease (Increase) in net income per diluted share	$ (0.03)		$ (0.02)		$ (0.01)		$ (0.02)
Withdrawal from Multiemployer Defined Benefit Plan
Quarterly Financial Data [Line Items]
Operating Income (Loss)					$ (0.9)
Decrease (Increase) in net income					$ (0.6)
Decrease (Increase) in net income per diluted share					$ (0.01)
DeRidder Restructuring Costs
Quarterly Financial Data [Line Items]
Operating Income (Loss)									$ (3.5)		$ (3.8)		$ (1.0)		$ 10.3
Decrease (Increase) in net income									$ 2.2		$ 2.3		$ 0.7		$ (6.6)
Decrease (Increase) in net income per diluted share									$ 0.02		$ 0.02		$ 0.01		$ (0.07)
TimBar Corporation
Quarterly Financial Data [Line Items]
Net sales																	$ 116.9
Operating Income (Loss)	$ (1.2)		$ (2.9)		$ (0.3)
Decrease (Increase) in net income	$ (0.8)		$ (1.9)		$ (0.2)
Decrease (Increase) in net income per diluted share	$ (0.01)		$ (0.02)		$ (0.0)
Boise Inc. | Integration-Related and Other Costs
Quarterly Financial Data [Line Items]
Operating Income (Loss)									$ 3.8		$ 2.4		$ 3.7		$ 3.5
Decrease (Increase) in net income									$ (2.6)		$ (1.7)		$ (2.3)		$ (2.2)
Decrease (Increase) in net income per diluted share									$ (0.03)		$ (0.02)		$ (0.03)		$ (0.02)
Mill at St. Helens, Oregon | DeRidder Restructuring Costs
Quarterly Financial Data [Line Items]
Operating Income (Loss)											$ (6.7)
Decrease (Increase) in net income											$ 4.4
Decrease (Increase) in net income per diluted share											$ 0.05
Louisiana State | DeRidder Restructuring Costs
Quarterly Financial Data [Line Items]
Operating Income (Loss)															$ (3.6)
Wallula, Washington Mill
Quarterly Financial Data [Line Items]
Operating Income (Loss)	$ (2.7)
Decrease (Increase) in net income	$ (1.8)
Decrease (Increase) in net income per diluted share	$ (0.02)

[1] Includes $4.5 million of closure costs related to a corrugated products facility and a paper products facility ($2.9 million after-tax or $0.03 per diluted share), $2.7 million of costs related to ceased production of softwood market pulp operations at our Wallula, Washington mill and the permanent shutdown of the No.1 machine ($1.8 million after-tax or $0.02 per diluted share), and $1.2 million of acquisition-related costs for TimBar Corporation and Columbus Container, Inc. acquisitions ($0.8 million after-tax or $0.01 per diluted share).

[2] Includes $2.0 million of closure costs related to a corrugated products facility and a paper products facility ($1.4 million after-tax or $0.02 per diluted share) and $2.9 million of acquisition-related costs for TimBar Corporation and Columbus Container, Inc. acquisitions ($1.9 million after-tax or $0.02 per diluted share).

[3] Includes $1.7 million of closure costs related to a corrugated products facility and a paper products facility ($1.0 million after-tax or $0.01 per diluted share), $0.3 million of acquisition-related costs for TimBar Corporation ($0.2 million after-tax or $0.0 per diluted share), and $0.9 million related to our withdrawal from a multiemployer pension plan for one of our corrugated products facilities ($0.6 million after-tax or $0.01 per diluted share).

[4] Includes $2.8 million of closure costs related to a corrugated products facility and a paper products facility. ($1.9 million after-tax or $0.02 per diluted share).

[5] Includes $3.5 million of income from DeRidder restructuring ($2.2 million after-tax or $0.02 per diluted share) and $3.8 million of integration-related and other costs ($2.6 million after-tax or $0.03 per diluted share).

[6] Includes $3.8 million of income from DeRidder restructuring ($2.3 million after-tax or $0.02 per diluted share) and $2.4 million of integration-related and other costs ($1.7 million after-tax or $0.02 per diluted share). Also includes $6.7 million gain from the sale of our paper mill site at St. Helens, Oregon ($4.4 million after tax or $0.05 per diluted share).

[7] Includes $1.0 million of income from DeRidder restructuring ($0.7 million after-tax or $0.01 per diluted share) and $3.7 million of integration-related and other costs ($2.3 million after-tax or $0.03 per diluted share).

[8] Includes $10.3 million of DeRidder restructuring charges ($6.6 million after-tax or $0.07 per diluted share) and $3.5 million of integration-related and other costs ($2.2 million after-tax or $0.02 per diluted share). Also includes a $3.6 million tax credit from the State of Louisiana related to our capital investment and the jobs retained at the DeRidder, Louisiana mill.

[9] Includes $1.5 million of expense related to the write-off of deferred financing costs in connection with the debt refinancing discussed in Note 9, Debt.