Contingencies - Environmental and Anti-Dumping (Details) $ in Millions								1 Months Ended			12 Months Ended
	Oct. 05, 2015 $ / lb	Apr. 30, 2015 $ / lb	Nov. 19, 2014 $ / lb	Apr. 01, 2014 company	Feb. 24, 2014 USD ($)	Jan. 09, 2014 $ / lb	Oct. 31, 2011 USD ($) $ / lb	Oct. 31, 2015 company $ / lb	May. 31, 2015 company	Feb. 28, 2013	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($) item	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($)
Waterlink's Columbus, Ohio property | Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
Contingencies
Recorded liability estimates for environmental loss contingencies | $												$ 0.1
Waterlink's Columbus, Ohio property | Accrued pension and other liabilities
Contingencies
Recorded liability estimates for environmental loss contingencies | $											$ 0.3	0.4
Big Sandy Plant
Contingencies
Civil penalty paid | $					$ 1.6
Number of ground water monitoring wells installed | item											2
Big Sandy Plant | Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
Contingencies
Recorded liability estimates for environmental loss contingencies | $												$ 0.1
Period of Review III
Contingencies
Ongoing duty deposit rate (as a percent)						0.000	0
Receivable recorded for anticipated refunds of anti-dumping duties | $							$ 1.1
Tariff collection rate for cooperative respondents (in dollars per pound)						0.000	0.127
Period of Review VI
Contingencies
Anti-dumping margins for mandatory respondents (in dollars per pound)			0.018
China-wide rate (in dollars per pound)			1.10
Period of Review VI | Calgon Carbon Tianjin
Contingencies
Anti-dumping margins for separate rate respondents (in dollars per pound)			0.018
Period of Review VII
Contingencies
Anti-dumping margins for separate rate respondents (in dollars per pound)	0.476	0.24
Number of mandatory respondents challenging the results of the administrative review | company								1
China-wide rate (in dollars per pound)		1.10
Number of mandatory respondents | company				2
Period of Review VII | Calgon Carbon Tianjin
Contingencies
Anti-dumping margins for separate rate respondents (in dollars per pound)		0.24
Period of Review VII | Minimum
Contingencies
Anti-dumping margins for mandatory respondents (in dollars per pound)	0.00	0.00
Period of Review VII | Maximum
Contingencies
Anti-dumping margins for mandatory respondents (in dollars per pound)	0.476	0.24
Period of Review VIII
Contingencies
Number of mandatory respondents | company									2
Carbon Imports - Anti-dumping duties
Contingencies
Import duty (in dollars per pound)								0.476
Prior period over which Commerce Department reviews anti-dumping tariffs											12 months
Number of periods of review | item											8
Carbon Imports - Anti-dumping duties | Minimum
Contingencies
Period for which reviews are possible										5 years