Document And Entity Information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Nov. 05, 2014
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2014
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2014
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Entity Registrant Name	BENCHMARK ELECTRONICS INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000863436
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		53,122,841
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No