Condensed Consolidated Statements Of Income (Unaudited) - USD ($) shares in Millions, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Oct. 01, 2016	Oct. 03, 2015	Oct. 01, 2016	Oct. 03, 2015
Income Statement [Abstract]
Net Sales	$ 809.6	$ 882.3	$ 2,466.4	$ 2,736.2
Cost of Sales	577.9	641.2	1,794.4	2,022.8
Gross Profit	231.7	241.1	672.0	713.4
Operating Expenses	141.9	141.0	421.5	446.5
Income From Operations	89.8	100.1	250.5	266.9
Interest Expense	14.4	15.1	44.2	45.1
Interest Income	1.1	1.0	3.4	3.1
Income Before Taxes	76.5	86.0	209.7	224.9
Provision For Income Taxes	15.4	21.7	47.5	57.8
Net Income	61.1	64.3	162.2	167.1
Less: Net Income Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests	1.5	0.9	4.4	4.5
Net Income Attributable to Regal Beloit Corporation	$ 59.6	$ 63.4	$ 157.8	$ 162.6
Earnings Per Share Attributable to Regal Beloit Corporation:
Basic (in dollars per share)	$ 1.33	$ 1.42	$ 3.53	$ 3.63
Assuming Dilution (in dollars per share)	1.32	1.41	3.51	3.61
Cash Dividends Declared Per Share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.24	$ 0.23	$ 0.71	$ 0.68
Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding:
Basic (in shares)	44.8	44.8	44.7	44.8
Assuming Dilution (in shares)	45.0	45.1	45.0	45.1