Document and Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2013	Jul. 25, 2013
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2013
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2013
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Trading Symbol	SFE
Entity Registrant Name	SAFEGUARD SCIENTIFICS INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000086115
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		26,976,963