Restructuring and Asset Impairment (Details 1) (USD $) In Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jul. 03, 2011	Jun. 27, 2010	Jul. 03, 2011	Jun. 27, 2010
Tubes and Cores, Paper Segment [Member] | Actions 2011[Member] | Severance and Termination Benefits [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment	$ 188
Cost Incurred to date			422
Estimated Total Cost			422
Tubes and Cores, Paper Segment [Member] | Actions 2010 [Member] | Severance and Termination Benefits [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment	(1)	(2)	(43)	1,225
Cost Incurred to date			2,359
Estimated Total Cost			2,359
Tubes and Cores, Paper Segment [Member] | Actions 2009 [Member] | Severance and Termination Benefits [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment	18	(241)	56	15
Cost Incurred to date			15,264
Estimated Total Cost			15,264
Consumer Packaging Segment [Member] | Actions 2011[Member] | Severance and Termination Benefits [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment	2,594
Cost Incurred to date			2,729
Estimated Total Cost			2,729
Consumer Packaging Segment [Member] | Actions 2010 [Member] | Severance and Termination Benefits [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment		384		705
Cost Incurred to date			705
Estimated Total Cost			705
Consumer Packaging Segment [Member] | Actions 2009 [Member] | Severance and Termination Benefits [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment	200	60	200	310
Cost Incurred to date			2,555
Estimated Total Cost			2,555
Actions 2011[Member] | Severance and Termination Benefits [Member] | Packaging Services Segment [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment	212
Cost Incurred to date			212
Estimated Total Cost			212
Actions 2010 [Member] | Severance and Termination Benefits [Member] | Packaging Services Segment [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment	(1)	321	(1)	1,473
Cost Incurred to date			1,554
Estimated Total Cost			1,554
Actions 2010 [Member] | Severance and Termination Benefits [Member] | All Other Sonoco [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment		30	182	63
Cost Incurred to date			300
Estimated Total Cost			300
Actions 2010 [Member] | Severance and Termination Benefits [Member] | Corporate [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Cost Incurred to date			36
Estimated Total Cost			36
Actions 2009 [Member] | Severance and Termination Benefits [Member] | Packaging Services Segment [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment				(53)
Cost Incurred to date			1,482
Estimated Total Cost			1,482
Actions 2009 [Member] | Severance and Termination Benefits [Member] | All Other Sonoco [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment	(4)		8	198
Cost Incurred to date			1,441
Estimated Total Cost			1,441
Actions 2009 [Member] | Severance and Termination Benefits [Member] | Corporate [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment	0	263	(4)	269
Cost Incurred to date			923
Estimated Total Cost			923
Tubes and Cores, Paper Segment [Member] | Actions 2011[Member] | Asset Impairment Disposal of Assets [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment	(286)
Cost Incurred to date			(286)
Estimated Total Cost			(286)
Tubes and Cores, Paper Segment [Member] | Actions 2010 [Member] | Asset Impairment Disposal of Assets [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment	(1,227)	38	(1,222)	38
Cost Incurred to date			(333)
Estimated Total Cost			(333)
Tubes and Cores, Paper Segment [Member] | Actions 2009 [Member] | Asset Impairment Disposal of Assets [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment	0	213		175
Cost Incurred to date			4,119
Estimated Total Cost			4,119
Consumer Packaging Segment [Member] | Actions 2011[Member] | Asset Impairment Disposal of Assets [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment	6,868
Cost Incurred to date			6,868
Estimated Total Cost			6,868
Consumer Packaging Segment [Member] | Actions 2009 [Member] | Asset Impairment Disposal of Assets [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment			(10)
Cost Incurred to date			566
Estimated Total Cost			566
Actions 2010 [Member] | Asset Impairment Disposal of Assets [Member] | Packaging Services Segment [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment		(108)	(429)	(108)
Cost Incurred to date			(565)
Estimated Total Cost			(565)
Actions 2010 [Member] | Asset Impairment Disposal of Assets [Member] | All Other Sonoco [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment		369		369
Cost Incurred to date			369
Estimated Total Cost			369
Actions 2009 [Member] | Asset Impairment Disposal of Assets [Member] | Packaging Services Segment [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Cost Incurred to date			7
Estimated Total Cost			7
Actions 2009 [Member] | Asset Impairment Disposal of Assets [Member] | All Other Sonoco [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment	0	2		2
Cost Incurred to date			305
Estimated Total Cost			305
Tubes and Cores, Paper Segment [Member] | Actions 2010 [Member] | Other Costs [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment	44		205
Cost Incurred to date			264
Estimated Total Cost			414
Tubes and Cores, Paper Segment [Member] | Actions 2009 [Member] | Other Costs [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment	(81)	749	765	1,259
Cost Incurred to date			5,550
Estimated Total Cost			5,950
Consumer Packaging Segment [Member] | Actions 2011[Member] | Other Costs [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment	586
Cost Incurred to date			596
Estimated Total Cost			1,796
Consumer Packaging Segment [Member] | Actions 2010 [Member] | Other Costs [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Cost Incurred to date			19
Estimated Total Cost			19
Consumer Packaging Segment [Member] | Actions 2009 [Member] | Other Costs [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment	110	266	353	599
Cost Incurred to date			1,178
Estimated Total Cost			1,228
Actions 2011[Member] | Other Costs [Member] | Packaging Services Segment [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment	96
Cost Incurred to date			96
Estimated Total Cost			96
Actions 2010 [Member] | Other Costs [Member] | Packaging Services Segment [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment		24	139	24
Cost Incurred to date			472
Estimated Total Cost			472
Actions 2010 [Member] | Other Costs [Member] | All Other Sonoco [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment	22	69	165	69
Cost Incurred to date			466
Estimated Total Cost			466
Actions 2009 [Member] | Other Costs [Member] | Packaging Services Segment [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment	95	0	105	180
Cost Incurred to date			430
Estimated Total Cost			430
Actions 2009 [Member] | Other Costs [Member] | All Other Sonoco [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment		3		148
Cost Incurred to date			483
Estimated Total Cost			483
Actions 2011[Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment	10,258
Cost Incurred to date			10,637
Estimated Total Cost			11,837
Actions 2010 [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment	(1,163)	1,125	(1,004)	3,858
Cost Incurred to date			5,646
Estimated Total Cost			5,796
Actions 2009 [Member]
Actions and related expenses by type incurred and estimated
Restructuring/Asset impairment	338	1,315	1,473	3,102
Cost Incurred to date			34,303
Estimated Total Cost			$ 34,753