Document and Entity Information Document	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 29, 2012	Nov. 01, 2012
Entity Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	DARLING INTERNATIONAL INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000916540
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-29
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Sep. 29, 2012
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		117,766,571