Basis of Financial Statement Presentation	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2014
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Basis of Financial Statement Presentation	Basis of Financial Statement Presentation The accompanying unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements of Alamo Group Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulations S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the periods presented are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2014. The balance sheet at December 31, 2013, has been derived from the audited financial statements at that date but does not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013. In July 2013, the provisions of Accounting Standards Codification Topic 740, “Income Taxes,” were amended to provide specific guidance on the financial statement presentation of an unrecognized tax benefit when a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward exists at the reporting date. The amendment requires entities to present an unrecognized tax benefit as a reduction to the deferred tax asset generated by the net operating loss carryforward, similar tax loss, or tax credit carryforward, if such items are available to be used to offset the unrecognized tax benefit. These provisions were effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2013. The Company adopted this guidance for the year ended December 31,2013 and the guidance did not have a material impact on our financial statements. The SEC adopted the conflict mineral rules under Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act on August 22, 2012. The rules require public companies to disclose information about their use of specific minerals originating from and financing armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or adjoining countries. The conflict mineral rules cover minerals frequently used to manufacture a wide array of electronic and industrial products including semiconductor devices. The rules do not ban the use of minerals from conflict sources, but require SEC filings and public disclosure covering the calendar year 2013 though the public disclosure provision is being challenged in court. We have determined that we are subject to the rules and are evaluating our supply chain and continue to develop processes to assess the impacts and will file the required document by the May 2014 deadline.

Basis of Financial Statement Presentation

The accompanying unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements of Alamo Group Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulations S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the periods presented are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2014. The balance sheet at December 31, 2013, has been derived from the audited financial statements at that date but does not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013.

In July 2013, the provisions of Accounting Standards Codification Topic 740, “Income Taxes,” were amended to provide specific guidance on the financial statement presentation of an unrecognized tax benefit when a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward exists at the reporting date. The amendment requires entities to present an unrecognized tax benefit as a reduction to the deferred tax asset generated by the net operating loss carryforward, similar tax loss, or tax credit carryforward, if such items are available to be used to offset the unrecognized tax benefit. These provisions were effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2013. The Company adopted this guidance for the year ended December 31,2013 and the guidance did not have a material impact on our financial statements.

The SEC adopted the conflict mineral rules under Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act on August 22, 2012. The rules require public companies to disclose information about their use of specific minerals originating from and financing armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or adjoining countries. The conflict mineral rules cover minerals frequently used to manufacture a wide array of electronic and industrial products including semiconductor devices. The rules do not ban the use of minerals from conflict sources, but require SEC filings and public disclosure covering the calendar year 2013 though the public disclosure provision is being challenged in court. We have determined that we are subject to the rules and are evaluating our supply chain and continue to develop processes to assess the impacts and will file the required document by the May 2014 deadline.