Label	Element	Value
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Registrant Name	dei_EntityRegistrantName	BERNSTEIN SANFORD C FUND INC
Prospectus Date	rr_ProspectusDate	Jan. 31, 2014
Emerging Markets Portfolio
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Risk/Return [Heading]	rr_RiskReturnHeading	Emerging Markets Portfolio
Objective [Heading]	rr_ObjectiveHeading	INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE:
Objective, Primary [Text Block]	rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock	The Portfolio’s investment objective is to provide long-term capital growth through investments in equity securities of companies in emerging-market countries.
Expense [Heading]	rr_ExpenseHeading	FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE PORTFOLIO:
Expense Narrative [Text Block]	rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock	This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio.
Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]	rr_ShareholderFeesCaption	Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Operating Expenses Caption [Text]	rr_OperatingExpensesCaption	Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Portfolio Turnover [Heading]	rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading	Portfolio Turnover
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]	rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock	The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys or sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Portfolio shares are held in a taxable account. These transaction costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses or in the Examples, affect the Portfolio’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio’s portfolio turnover rate was 45% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate	rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate	45.00%
Expense Example [Heading]	rr_ExpenseExampleHeading	Examples
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]	rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock	The Examples are intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Examples assume that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Examples also assume that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio’s operating expenses stay the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs as reflected in the Examples would be:
Expense Example, No Redemption, By Year, Caption [Text]	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionByYearCaption	You would pay the following expenses if you did not redeem your shares at the end of the period:
Expense Example Footnotes [Text Block]	rr_ExpenseExampleFootnotesTextBlock	The amounts shown in the portion of the example showing expenses if you did not redeem your shares at the end of the period reflect the portfolio transaction fee on purchases but do not reflect the portfolio transaction fee on redemptions. If this fee were included, your costs would be higher.
Expense Example Closing [Text Block]	rr_ExpenseExampleClosingTextBlock	The portfolio transaction fees on purchases and redemptions are received by the Portfolio, not by the Manager, and are neither sales loads nor contingent deferred sales loads. The purpose of these fees is to allocate transaction costs associated with purchases and redemptions to the investors making those purchases and redemptions, not to other shareholders. For more information on the portfolio transaction fees, see the “How to Buy Shares” section below.
Strategy [Heading]	rr_StrategyHeading	PRINCIPAL STRATEGIES:
Strategy Narrative [Text Block]	rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock	The Portfolio invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets in securities of companies in emerging markets. For purposes of this policy, net assets include any borrowings for investment purposes. You will be notified at least 60 days prior to any change to the Portfolio’s 80% investment policy. Issuers of these securities may be large or relatively small companies. AllianceBernstein L.P., the Portfolio’s investment manager (the “Manager”), will determine which countries are emerging-market countries. In general, these will be the countries considered to be developing countries by the international financial community and will include those countries considered by the International Finance Corporation (a subsidiary of the World Bank) to have an “emerging or frontier stock market.” Examples of emerging and frontier market countries include Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam. The Manager diversifies the investment portfolio between growth and value equity investment styles. The Manager selects emerging markets growth and emerging markets value equity securities based on its fundamental growth and value investment disciplines to produce a blended portfolio. Within each investment discipline, the Manager draws on the capabilities of separate investment teams. Normally, approximately 50% of the value of the Portfolio will consist of emerging markets value stocks and 50% will consist of emerging markets growth stocks. The Manager will rebalance the Portfolio as necessary to maintain this targeted allocation. Depending on market conditions, however, the actual weightings of securities from each investment discipline in the Portfolio may vary within a range. In extraordinary circumstances, when research determines conditions favoring one investment style are compelling, the range may be 40%–60% before rebalancing occurs. Prior to May 2, 2005, 100% of the value of the Portfolio consisted of emerging markets value stocks. The Portfolio may invest in companies of any size. The Portfolio will invest primarily in common stocks but may also invest in preferred stocks, Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”), warrants and convertible securities of foreign issuers, including sponsored or unsponsored American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”). Under most conditions, the Portfolio intends to have its assets diversified among emerging-market countries, although the Portfolio may also invest in more developed country markets. In allocating the Portfolio’s assets among emerging-market countries, the Manager will consider such factors as the geographical distribution of the Portfolio, the sizes of the stock markets represented and the various key economic characteristics of the countries. However, the Portfolio may not necessarily be diversified on a geographical basis. The Manager will also consider the transaction costs and volatility of each individual market. The Manager may hedge currency risk when it believes there is potential to enhance risk-adjusted returns. An appropriate hedge of currency exposure resulting from the Portfolio’s securities positions may not be available or cost effective, or the Manager may determine not to hedge the positions, possibly even under market conditions where doing so could benefit the Portfolio. In addition, the Portfolio may invest a portion of its uncommitted cash balances in futures contracts to expose that portion of the Portfolio to the equity markets. The Portfolio may use derivatives, such as options, futures, forwards and swaps. The Portfolio may use options strategies involving the purchase and/or writing of various combinations of call and/or put options, including on individual securities and stock indexes, futures contracts (including futures contracts on individual securities and stock indexes) or shares of exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”). These options transactions may be used, for example, in an effort to earn extra income, to adjust exposure to individual securities or markets, or to protect all or a portion of the Portfolio from a decline in value, sometimes within certain ranges. The Portfolio may also make investments in developed foreign securities that comprise the Morgan Stanley Capital International (“MSCI”) EAFE Index.
Risk [Heading]	rr_RiskHeading	PRINCIPAL RISKS:
Risk Narrative [Text Block]	rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock	The share price of the Portfolio will fluctuate and you may lose money. There is no guarantee that the Portfolio will achieve its investment objective. Emerging Markets Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities entail significant risks in addition to those customarily associated with investing in U.S. equities. These risks include risks related to adverse market, economic, political and regulatory factors and social instability, all of which could disrupt the financial markets in which the Portfolio invests and adversely affect the value of the Portfolio’s assets. These risks are heightened with respect to issuers in emerging-market countries because the markets are less developed and less liquid and there may be a greater amount of economic, political and social uncertainty, and these risks are even more pronounced in “frontier” markets, which are investable markets with lower total market capitalization and liquidity than the more developed emerging markets. Foreign Currency Risk: This is the risk that changes in foreign (non-U.S.) currency exchange rates may negatively affect the value of the Portfolio’s investments or reduce the returns of the Portfolio. For example, the value of the Portfolio’s investments in foreign securities and foreign currency positions may decrease if the U.S. Dollar is strong (i.e., gaining value relative to other currencies) and other currencies are weak (i.e., losing value relative to the U.S. Dollar). Country Concentration Risk: The Portfolio may not always be diversified among countries or regions and the effect on the share price of the Portfolio of specific risks identified above such as political, regulatory and currency may be magnified due to concentration of the Portfolio’s investments in a particular country or region. Actions by a Few Major Investors: In certain countries, volatility may be heightened by actions of a few major investors. For example, substantial increases or decreases in cash flows of mutual funds investing in these markets could significantly affect local stock prices and, therefore, share prices of the Portfolio. Market Risk: The Portfolio is subject to market risk, which is the risk that stock prices in general may decline over short or extended periods. The global financial crisis that began in 2008 has caused a significant decline in the value and liquidity of many investments and unprecedented volatility in the markets. Some events that have contributed to ongoing and systematic market risks include the falling values of some sovereign debt and related investments, scarcity of credit, and high public debt. In response to the crisis, the U.S. Government and the Federal Reserve, as well as certain foreign governments and their central banks have taken steps to support financial markets, including by keeping interest rates low. The withdrawal of this support, failure of efforts in response to the crisis, or investor perception that such efforts are not succeeding could negatively affect financial markets generally as well as reduce the value and liquidity of certain securities. This environment could make identifying investment risks and opportunities especially difficult, and whether or not the Portfolio invests in securities of issuers located in or with significant exposure to countries experiencing economic and financial difficulties, the value and liquidity of the Portfolio’s investments may be negatively affected. In addition, policy and legislative changes in the United States and in other countries are affecting many aspects of financial regulation. The impact of these changes, and the practical implications for market participants, may not be fully known for some time. Capitalization Risk: Investments in small- and mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile than investments in large-capitalization companies. Investments in small-capitalization companies may have additional risks because these companies have limited product lines, markets or financial resources. Allocation Risk: This is the risk that, by combining the growth and value styles, returns may be lower over any given time period than if the Portfolio had invested only pursuant to the equity style that performed better during that period. Also, as the Portfolio will be periodically rebalanced to maintain the target allocation between styles, there will be transaction costs which may be, over time, significant. Derivatives Risk: The Portfolio may use derivatives as direct investments to earn income, enhance return and broaden portfolio diversification, which entail greater risk than if used solely for hedging purposes. In addition to other risks such as the credit risk of the counterparty, derivatives involve the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate with relevant assets, rates or indices. Derivatives may be illiquid and difficult to price or unwind, and small changes may produce disproportionate losses for the Portfolio. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment. Assets required to be set aside or posted to cover or secure derivatives positions may themselves go down in value, and these collateral and other requirements may limit investment flexibility. Some derivatives involve leverage, which can make the Portfolio more volatile and can compound other risks. The U.S. Government is in the process of adopting and implementing regulations governing derivatives markets, including mandatory clearing of certain derivatives, margin, reporting and registration requirements. The ultimate impact of the regulations remains unclear. Additional regulation may make derivatives more costly, may limit their availability, may disrupt markets or may otherwise adversely affect their value or performance. Management Risk: The Portfolio is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed investment portfolio. The Manager will apply its investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Portfolio, but its decisions may not produce the desired results. In some cases, derivative and other investment techniques may be unavailable or the Manager may determine not to use them, possibly even under market conditions where their use could benefit the Portfolio.
Risk Lose Money [Text]	rr_RiskLoseMoney	The share price of the Portfolio will fluctuate and you may lose money.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]	rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading	BAR CHART AND PERFORMANCE INFORMATION:
Performance Narrative [Text Block]	rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock	The bar chart and performance information provide an indication of the historical risk of an investment in the Portfolio by showing: how the Portfolio’s performance changed from year to year over ten years; and how the Portfolio’s average annual returns for one, five and ten years compare to those of a broad-based securities market index. You may obtain updated performance information for the Portfolio at www.bernstein.com (click on “Investments,” then “Stocks,” then “Mutual Fund Performance at a Glance”). The Portfolio’s past performance before and after taxes, of course, does not necessarily indicate how it will perform in the future. As with all investments, you may lose money by investing in the Portfolio. The returns in the bar chart do not reflect the portfolio transaction fee of 1.00% that is payable to the Portfolio when shares of the Portfolio are purchased and when shares are sold. If these fees were reflected in the chart, the returns would be less than those shown.
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]	rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns	how the Portfolio’s performance changed from year to year over ten years; and how the Portfolio’s average annual returns for one, five and ten years compare to those of a broad-based securities market index.
Performance Availability Website Address [Text]	rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress	www.bernstein.com
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]	rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture	The Portfolio’s past performance before and after taxes, of course, does not necessarily indicate how it will perform in the future.
Bar Chart [Heading]	rr_BarChartHeading	Bar Chart
Bar Chart Narrative [Text Block]	rr_BarChartNarrativeTextBlock	The annual returns in the bar chart are for the Emerging Markets Class shares.
Bar Chart Does Not Reflect Sales Loads [Text]	rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads	The returns in the bar chart do not reflect the portfolio transaction fee of 1.00% that is payable to the Portfolio when shares of the Portfolio are purchased and when shares are sold. If these fees were reflected in the chart, the returns would be less than those shown.
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]	rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock	Calendar Year End (%) During the period shown in the bar chart, the Portfolio’s: Best Quarter was up 35.83%, 2nd quarter, 2009; and Worst Quarter was down -32.15%, 4th quarter, 2008.
Performance Table Heading	rr_PerformanceTableHeading	Performance Table Average Annual Total Returns (For the periods ended December 31, 2013)
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate	rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate	After-tax returns are an estimate, which is based on the highest historical individual federal marginal income-tax rates, and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes;
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred	rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred	are not relevant to investors who hold Portfolio shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
Performance Table Narrative	rr_PerformanceTableNarrativeTextBlock	After-tax returns are an estimate, which is based on the highest historical individual federal marginal income-tax rates, and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes; actual after-tax returns depend on an individual investor’s tax situation and are likely to differ from those shown, and are not relevant to investors who hold Portfolio shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
Emerging Markets Portfolio | Emerging Markets Class
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of offering price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower)	rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther	none
Portfolio Transaction Fee upon Purchase of Shares (as a percentage of amount invested)	rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther	1.00%
Portfolio Transaction Fee upon Redemption of Shares (as a percentage of amount redeemed)	rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption	1.00%
Portfolio Transaction Fee upon Exchange of Shares	rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption	1.00%
Maximum Account Fee	rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets	none
Management Fees	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	1.15%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	none
Other Expenses: Transfer Agent	rr_Component1OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.02%
Other Expenses	rr_Component2OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.07%
Other Expenses: Shareholder Servicing	rr_Component3OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.25%
Total Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.34%
Total Portfolio Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	1.49%
After 1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	$ 353
After 3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	676
After 5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	1,023
After 10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	2,001
After 1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01	250
After 3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03	566
After 5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05	905
After 10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10	$ 1,862
2004	rr_AnnualReturn2004	39.18%
2005	rr_AnnualReturn2005	28.78%
2006	rr_AnnualReturn2006	28.89%
2007	rr_AnnualReturn2007	34.04%
2008	rr_AnnualReturn2008	(56.51%)
2009	rr_AnnualReturn2009	87.40%
2010	rr_AnnualReturn2010	15.62%
2011	rr_AnnualReturn2011	(23.64%)
2012	rr_AnnualReturn2012	18.19%
2013	rr_AnnualReturn2013	(2.20%)
Highest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel	Best Quarter
Highest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate	Jun. 30, 2009
Highest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn	35.83%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel	Worst Quarter
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate	Dec. 31, 2008
Lowest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn	(32.15%)
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(4.17%)
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	13.38%
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	9.59%
Emerging Markets Portfolio | Return After Taxes on Distributions | Emerging Markets Class
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(4.23%)
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	13.41%
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	8.57%
Emerging Markets Portfolio | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Portfolio Shares | Emerging Markets Class
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(1.97%)
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	11.25%
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	8.79%
Emerging Markets Portfolio | MSCI Emerging Markets Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(2.60%)
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	14.79%
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	11.17%