Pension Health Care And Postretirement Benefits Other Than Pensions (Details 5) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2013
Significant effect on amounts reported for service and interest rate component and postretirement health care benefit obligation
Effect on total of service and interest cost components, One-Percentage-Point, Increase	$ 148
Effect on total of service and interest cost components, One-Percentage-Point, Decrease	(158)
Effect on the postretirement benefit obligation One-Percentage-Point, Increase	2,953
Effect on the postretirement benefit obligation One-Percentage-Point, Decrease	(3,120)
Retiree health care benefit cash payments
Retiree Health Care Benefits, 2014	19,119
Medicare Prescription Reimbursement, 2014	(1,342)
Expected Cash Payments - Net 2014	17,777
Retiree Health Care Benefits, 2015	20,395
Medicare Prescription Reimbursement, 2015	(1,511)
Expected Cash Payments - Net 2015	18,884
Retiree Health Care Benefits, 2016	21,396
Medicare Prescription Reimbursement, 2016	(1,680)
Expected Cash Payments - Net 2016	19,716
Retiree Health Care Benefits, 2017	22,260
Expected Cash Payments - Net 2017	22,260
Retiree Health Care Benefits, 2018	22,606
Expected Cash Payments - Net 2018	22,606
Retiree Health Care Benefits, 2018 through 2022	109,636
Expected Cash Payments - Net 2018 through 2022	109,636
Retiree Health Care Benefits	215,412
Medicare Prescription Reimbursement	(4,533)
Expected Benefit Cash Payments	$ 210,879

Defined benefit plan expected Medicare prescription reimbursement.

No definition available.

Name:	shw_DefinedBenefitPlanExpectedMedicarePrescriptionReimbursement
Namespace Prefix:	shw_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Defined benefit plan expected Medicare prescription reimbursement in year one.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	shw_DefinedBenefitPlanExpectedMedicarePrescriptionReimbursementInYearOne
Namespace Prefix:	shw_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Defined benefit plan expected Medicare prescription reimbursement in year three.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	shw_DefinedBenefitPlanExpectedMedicarePrescriptionReimbursementInYearThree
Namespace Prefix:	shw_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Defined benefit plan expected Medicare prescription reimbursement in year two.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	shw_DefinedBenefitPlanExpectedMedicarePrescriptionReimbursementInYearTwo
Namespace Prefix:	shw_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Defined benefit plan expected retiree health care benefit payments in five fiscal years thereafter.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	shw_DefinedBenefitPlanExpectedRetireeHealthCareBenefitPaymentsInFiveFiscalYearsThereafter
Namespace Prefix:	shw_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Defined benefit plan expected retiree health care benefit payments in year five.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	shw_DefinedBenefitPlanExpectedRetireeHealthCareBenefitPaymentsInYearFive
Namespace Prefix:	shw_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Defined benefit plan expected retiree health care benefit payments in year four.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	shw_DefinedBenefitPlanExpectedRetireeHealthCareBenefitPaymentsInYearFour
Namespace Prefix:	shw_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Defined benefit plan expected retiree health care benefit payments in year one.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	shw_DefinedBenefitPlanExpectedRetireeHealthCareBenefitPaymentsInYearOne
Namespace Prefix:	shw_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Defined benefit plan expected retiree health care benefit payments in year three.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	shw_DefinedBenefitPlanExpectedRetireeHealthCareBenefitPaymentsInYearThree
Namespace Prefix:	shw_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Defined benefit plan expected retiree health care benefit payments in year two.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	shw_DefinedBenefitPlanExpectedRetireeHealthCareBenefitPaymentsInYearTwo
Namespace Prefix:	shw_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Expected benefit cash payments.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	shw_ExpectedBenefitCashPayments
Namespace Prefix:	shw_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Expected retiree health care benefit payments.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	shw_ExpectedRetireeHealthCareBenefitPayments
Namespace Prefix:	shw_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanEffectOfOnePercentagePointChangeInAssumedHealthCareCostTrendRatesAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of effect of a one-percentage-point decrease in the assumed health care cost trend rates on the accumulated postretirement benefit obligation for health care benefits.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 715

-SubTopic 20

-Section 50

-Paragraph 1

-Subparagraph (m)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=28361610&loc=d3e1928-114920

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanEffectOfOnePercentagePointDecreaseOnAccumulatedPostretirementBenefitObligation1
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of effect of a one-percentage-point decrease in the assumed health care cost trend rates on the aggregate of the service and interest cost components of net periodic postretirement health care benefit costs.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanEffectOfOnePercentagePointDecreaseOnServiceAndInterestCostComponents1
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The effect of a one-percentage-point increase in the assumed health care cost trend rates on the accumulated postretirement benefit obligation for health care benefits.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanEffectOfOnePercentagePointIncreaseOnAccumulatedPostretirementBenefitObligation
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The effect of a one-percentage-point increase in the assumed health care cost trend rates on the aggregate of the service and interest cost components of net periodic postretirement health care benefit costs.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanEffectOfOnePercentagePointIncreaseOnServiceAndInterestCostComponents
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanEstimatedFutureBenefitPaymentsAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of benefits expected to be paid in the five fiscal years after the fifth fiscal year following the latest fiscal year from a defined benefit plan.

+ References