Financial Guarantees and Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheet (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2015	Jun. 28, 2014	Jun. 30, 2015	Jun. 28, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 28, 2013
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Sales Revenue, Goods, Net	$ 457,694	$ 439,898	$ 918,932	$ 862,482
Long-term Debt, Current Maturities	31,779		31,779		$ 31,892
Other Liabilities, Noncurrent	61,693		61,693		67,124
Liabilities	1,995,352		1,995,352		1,969,793
Redeemable noncontrolling interest	82,130		82,130		89,181
Liabilities, Current	358,745		358,745		390,723
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	187,251	211,196	187,251	211,196	178,491	$ 86,064
Accounts receivable, net	251,018		251,018		247,727
Inventories, net	149,582		149,582		173,701
Deferred income taxes	11,858		11,858		16,776
Other current assets	81,156		81,156		89,121
Total current assets	680,865		680,865		705,816
Property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $285,648 and $230,681, respectively	854,887		854,887		870,230
Goodwill	218,861		218,861		220,554
Intangible assets, net	182,573		182,573		178,911
Net investment in and advances to (from) subsidiaries	0		0		0
Deferred income taxes	17,500		17,500		18,231
Other noncurrent assets	36,758		36,758		41,431
Total assets	1,991,444		1,991,444		2,035,173
Current liabilities:
Common stock	0		0		0
Total Polymer Group, Inc. shareholders' equity	(86,427)		(86,427)		(24,355)
Noncontrolling interest	389		389		554
Total equity (deficit)	(86,038)		(86,038)		(23,801)
Total liabilities and equity	1,991,444		1,991,444		2,035,173
Short-term borrowings	36,761		36,761		17,665
Long-term Debt, Excluding Current Maturities	1,486,695		1,486,695		1,433,283
Deferred Tax Liabilities, Net, Noncurrent	50,092		50,092		36,223
Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities, Current	271,898		271,898		321,313
Accrued Income Taxes, Current	9,514		9,514		9,636
Deferred Tax Liabilities, Net, Current	8,793		8,793		10,217
Cost of Goods Sold	352,170	353,312	707,990	701,431
Gross Profit	105,524	86,586	210,942	161,051
Selling, General and Administrative Expense	66,175	64,169	131,164	119,703
Special Charges Net	(6,613)	(24,264)	(12,635)	(32,975)
Other Cost and Expense, Operating	189	3,855	(1,234)	4,924
Operating income (loss):	32,547	(5,702)	68,377	3,449
Interest Expense	27,011	20,917	54,644	38,823
Intercompany Royalty and Technical Service Fees Net	0	0
Foreign currency and other, net	3,217	10,003	(40,706)	14,962
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries	0	0
Income (loss) before income taxes	(4,251)	(27,354)	(39,977)	(31,150)
Income Tax Expense (Benefit)	3,317	(5,413)	7,865	287
Net income (loss)	(7,568)	(21,941)	(47,842)	(31,437)
Less: Earnings attributable to noncontrolling interest and redeemable noncontrolling interest	1,176	(2,277)	860	(2,293)
Net income (loss) attributable to AVINTIV Specialty Materials Inc.	(8,744)	(19,664)	(48,702)	(29,144)
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Polymer Group, Inc.	5,483	(17,661)	(63,153)	(25,454)
Issuer
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Sales Revenue, Goods, Net	0	0
Long-term Debt, Current Maturities	9,976		9,976		7,143
Other Liabilities, Noncurrent	256		256		461
Liabilities	1,529,697		1,529,697		1,460,142
Redeemable noncontrolling interest	82,130		82,130		89,181
Liabilities, Current	43,930		43,930		49,622
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	153	296	153	296	34,720	2,068
Accounts receivable, net	0		0		0
Inventories, net	0		0		0
Deferred income taxes	0		0		0
Other current assets	15,664		15,664		10,465
Total current assets	15,817		15,817		45,185
Property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $285,648 and $230,681, respectively	6,011		6,011		5,445
Goodwill	0		0		0
Intangible assets, net	28,586		28,586		34,529
Net investment in and advances to (from) subsidiaries	1,472,392		1,472,392		1,437,946
Deferred income taxes	2,315		2,315		1,578
Other noncurrent assets	279		279		285
Total assets	1,525,400		1,525,400		1,524,968
Current liabilities:
Common stock	0		0		0
Total Polymer Group, Inc. shareholders' equity	(86,427)		(86,427)		(24,355)
Noncontrolling interest	0		0		0
Total equity (deficit)	(86,427)		(86,427)		(24,355)
Total liabilities and equity	1,525,400		1,525,400		1,524,968
Short-term borrowings	977		977		405
Long-term Debt, Excluding Current Maturities	1,485,511		1,485,511		1,410,059
Deferred Tax Liabilities, Net, Noncurrent	0		0		0
Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities, Current	30,029		30,029		39,529
Accrued Income Taxes, Current	52		52		223
Deferred Tax Liabilities, Net, Current	2,896		2,896		2,322
Cost of Goods Sold	0	93
Gross Profit	0	(93)
Selling, General and Administrative Expense	15,278	12,101
Special Charges Net	(2,142)	(14,972)
Other Cost and Expense, Operating	44	0
Operating income (loss):	(17,464)	(27,166)
Interest Expense	20,867	13,487
Intercompany Royalty and Technical Service Fees Net	(1,947)	9,893
Foreign currency and other, net	526	12,117
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries	38,282	26,163
Income (loss) before income taxes	(10,580)	(23,004)
Income Tax Expense (Benefit)	(1,836)	(3,340)
Net income (loss)	(8,744)	(19,664)
Less: Earnings attributable to noncontrolling interest and redeemable noncontrolling interest	0	0
Net income (loss) attributable to AVINTIV Specialty Materials Inc.	(8,744)	(19,664)
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Polymer Group, Inc.	5,483	(17,661)
Guarantors
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Sales Revenue, Goods, Net	140,017	147,350
Long-term Debt, Current Maturities	0		0		0
Other Liabilities, Noncurrent	35,445		35,445		36,839
Liabilities	100,354		100,354		119,274
Redeemable noncontrolling interest	0		0		0
Liabilities, Current	54,181		54,181		67,538
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	116,870	121,459	116,870	121,459	76,744	13,103
Accounts receivable, net	47,929		47,929		39,504
Inventories, net	45,901		45,901		54,044
Deferred income taxes	258		258		3,279
Other current assets	12,730		12,730		19,250
Total current assets	223,688		223,688		192,821
Property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $285,648 and $230,681, respectively	202,011		202,011		204,800
Goodwill	55,999		55,999		55,999
Intangible assets, net	114,907		114,907		118,283
Net investment in and advances to (from) subsidiaries	462,664		462,664		494,906
Deferred income taxes	0		0		0
Other noncurrent assets	7,367		7,367		7,111
Total assets	1,066,636		1,066,636		1,073,920
Current liabilities:
Common stock	0		0		0
Total Polymer Group, Inc. shareholders' equity	966,282		966,282		954,646
Noncontrolling interest	0		0		0
Total equity (deficit)	966,282		966,282		954,646
Total liabilities and equity	1,066,636		1,066,636		1,073,920
Short-term borrowings	0		0		0
Long-term Debt, Excluding Current Maturities	0		0		0
Deferred Tax Liabilities, Net, Noncurrent	10,728		10,728		14,897
Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities, Current	51,662		51,662		64,552
Accrued Income Taxes, Current	1,371		1,371		2,986
Deferred Tax Liabilities, Net, Current	1,148		1,148		0
Cost of Goods Sold	105,334	114,025
Gross Profit	34,683	33,325
Selling, General and Administrative Expense	13,484	14,909
Special Charges Net	(129)	(1,681)
Other Cost and Expense, Operating	72	(509)
Operating income (loss):	20,998	17,244
Interest Expense	(3,906)	482
Intercompany Royalty and Technical Service Fees Net	(1,430)	(1,140)
Foreign currency and other, net	1,733	(678)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries	13,600	(1,712)
Income (loss) before income taxes	41,667	15,512
Income Tax Expense (Benefit)	3,378	671
Net income (loss)	38,289	14,841
Less: Earnings attributable to noncontrolling interest and redeemable noncontrolling interest	0	0
Net income (loss) attributable to AVINTIV Specialty Materials Inc.	38,289	14,841
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Polymer Group, Inc.	52,559	17,046
Non-Guarantors
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Sales Revenue, Goods, Net	325,305	308,021
Long-term Debt, Current Maturities	21,803		21,803		24,749
Other Liabilities, Noncurrent	64,119		64,119		72,264
Liabilities	371,689		371,689		395,132
Redeemable noncontrolling interest	0		0		0
Liabilities, Current	266,099		266,099		275,884
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	70,228	89,441	70,228	89,441	67,027	70,893
Accounts receivable, net	203,089		203,089		208,223
Inventories, net	103,681		103,681		120,775
Deferred income taxes	14,831		14,831		16,523
Other current assets	52,762		52,762		59,406
Total current assets	444,591		444,591		471,954
Property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $285,648 and $230,681, respectively	646,865		646,865		659,985
Goodwill	162,862		162,862		164,555
Intangible assets, net	39,080		39,080		26,099
Net investment in and advances to (from) subsidiaries	(843,916)		(843,916)		(811,794)
Deferred income taxes	18,343		18,343		18,232
Other noncurrent assets	29,112		29,112		34,035
Total assets	496,937		496,937		563,066
Current liabilities:
Common stock	16,966		16,966		16,966
Total Polymer Group, Inc. shareholders' equity	107,893		107,893		150,414
Noncontrolling interest	389		389		554
Total equity (deficit)	125,248		125,248		167,934
Total liabilities and equity	496,937		496,937		563,066
Short-term borrowings	35,784		35,784		17,260
Long-term Debt, Excluding Current Maturities	1,184		1,184		23,224
Deferred Tax Liabilities, Net, Noncurrent	40,287		40,287		23,760
Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities, Current	190,207		190,207		217,232
Accrued Income Taxes, Current	8,091		8,091		6,427
Deferred Tax Liabilities, Net, Current	10,214		10,214		10,216
Cost of Goods Sold	254,464	254,667
Gross Profit	70,841	53,354
Selling, General and Administrative Expense	37,413	37,159
Special Charges Net	(4,342)	(7,611)
Other Cost and Expense, Operating	73	4,364
Operating income (loss):	29,013	4,220
Interest Expense	10,050	6,948
Intercompany Royalty and Technical Service Fees Net	3,377	(8,753)
Foreign currency and other, net	958	(1,436)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries	0	0
Income (loss) before income taxes	16,544	4,589
Income Tax Expense (Benefit)	1,775	(2,744)
Net income (loss)	14,769	7,333
Less: Earnings attributable to noncontrolling interest and redeemable noncontrolling interest	1,176	(2,277)
Net income (loss) attributable to AVINTIV Specialty Materials Inc.	13,593	9,610
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Polymer Group, Inc.	24,103	12,561
Eliminations
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Sales Revenue, Goods, Net	(7,628)	(15,473)
Long-term Debt, Current Maturities	0		0		0
Other Liabilities, Noncurrent	0		0		0
Liabilities	(6,388)		(6,388)		(4,755)
Redeemable noncontrolling interest	0		0		0
Liabilities, Current	(5,465)		(5,465)		(2,321)
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0	$ 0	0	$ 0
Accounts receivable, net	0		0		0
Inventories, net	0		0		(1,118)
Deferred income taxes	(3,231)		(3,231)		(3,026)
Other current assets	0		0		0
Total current assets	(3,231)		(3,231)		(4,144)
Property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $285,648 and $230,681, respectively	0		0		0
Goodwill	0		0		0
Intangible assets, net	0		0		0
Net investment in and advances to (from) subsidiaries	(1,091,140)		(1,091,140)		(1,121,058)
Deferred income taxes	(3,158)		(3,158)		(1,579)
Other noncurrent assets	0		0		0
Total assets	(1,097,529)		(1,097,529)		(1,126,781)
Current liabilities:
Common stock	(16,966)		(16,966)		(16,966)
Total Polymer Group, Inc. shareholders' equity	(1,074,175)		(1,074,175)		(1,105,060)
Noncontrolling interest	0		0		0
Total equity (deficit)	(1,091,141)		(1,091,141)		(1,122,026)
Total liabilities and equity	(1,097,529)		(1,097,529)		(1,126,781)
Short-term borrowings	0		0		0
Long-term Debt, Excluding Current Maturities	0		0		0
Deferred Tax Liabilities, Net, Noncurrent	(923)		(923)		(2,434)
Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities, Current	0		0		0
Accrued Income Taxes, Current	0		0		0
Deferred Tax Liabilities, Net, Current	(5,465)		(5,465)		(2,321)
Cost of Goods Sold	(7,628)	(15,473)
Gross Profit	0	0
Selling, General and Administrative Expense	0	0
Special Charges Net	0	0
Other Cost and Expense, Operating	0	0
Operating income (loss):	0	0
Interest Expense	0	0
Intercompany Royalty and Technical Service Fees Net	0	0
Foreign currency and other, net	0	0
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries	(51,882)	(24,451)
Income (loss) before income taxes	(51,882)	(24,451)
Income Tax Expense (Benefit)	0	0
Net income (loss)	(51,882)	(24,451)
Less: Earnings attributable to noncontrolling interest and redeemable noncontrolling interest	0	0
Net income (loss) attributable to AVINTIV Specialty Materials Inc.	(51,882)	(24,451)
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Polymer Group, Inc.	(76,662)	$ (29,607)
Maximum
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Other Liabilities, Noncurrent	99,820		99,820		109,564
Redeemable noncontrolling interest	$ 82,130		$ 82,130		$ 89,181