Customer Claim Losses - Additional Information (Detail) - Surfactants [Member]	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016 Claim	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of customer claims \| Claim	2
Insurance claims settlement amount		$ 7,367,000
Insurance recoveries		$ 0

Number of customers claims.

No definition available.

Name:	scl_NumberOfCustomersClaims
Namespace Prefix:	scl_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The amount recovered from insurance. These recoveries reduce costs and losses that are reported as a separate line item under operating expenses.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 225
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-03.3)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=63488584&loc=d3e20235-122688

+ Details

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

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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

- Definition

Amount of decrease in the standard and extended product warranty accrual from payments made in cash or in kind to satisfy claims under the terms of the standard and extended product warranty.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 460
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 8
-Subparagraph ((c)(2))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=68068213&loc=d3e12565-110249

+ Details

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

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis=scl_SurfactantsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: