Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Debt - Narrative (Details)

v3.7.0.1
Debt - Narrative (Details)
£ in Thousands
 6 Months Ended 12 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2017
USD ($)
Sep. 30, 2016
USD ($)
Mar. 31, 2017
GBP (£)
Mar. 31, 2017
EUR (€)
Nov. 30, 2016
EUR (€)
Sep. 30, 2016
EUR (€)
Mar. 31, 2016
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]              
Other current assets $ 63,118,000 $ 61,086,000          
Matthews Europe GmbH & Co. KG | Senior Notes              
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]              
Weighted-average interest rate on outstanding borrowings (as a percent) 1.40%   1.40% 1.40%      
Debt issued amount $ 16,022,000       € 15,000,000    
Portion of debt subject to fixed interest rate | €         € 5,000,000    
Fixed interest rate (as a percent)         1.40%    
Matthews International S.p.A              
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]              
Weighted-average interest rate on outstanding borrowings (as a percent) 2.31%   2.31% 2.31%     3.47%
Designated as Hedging Instrument              
Interest rate cash flow hedges [Abstract]              
Unrealized gain (loss) on fair value of interest rate swaps, before tax $ 4,438,000 5,834,000          
Unrealized gain (loss) on fair value of interest rate swaps, after tax 2,707,000 3,559,000          
Unrealized gain (loss) expected to be recognized over the next 12 months $ 635,000            
LIBOR | Matthews Europe GmbH & Co. KG | Senior Notes              
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]              
Interest rate on borrowings, based on leverage ratio (as a percent) 1.40%            
Revolving Credit Facility              
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]              
Maturity date Apr. 26, 2021            
Revolving Credit Facility | Minimum              
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]              
Annual commitment fee range on unused portion (as a percent) 0.15%            
Revolving Credit Facility | Maximum              
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]              
Annual commitment fee range on unused portion (as a percent) 0.25%            
Revolving Credit Facility | LIBOR              
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]              
Interest rate during period (as a percent) 1.75%            
Revolving Credit Facility | LIBOR | Minimum              
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]              
Interest rate on borrowings, based on leverage ratio (as a percent) 0.75%            
Revolving Credit Facility | LIBOR | Maximum              
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]              
Interest rate on borrowings, based on leverage ratio (as a percent) 2.00%            
Revolving Credit Facility | April 2016 Debt Amendment              
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]              
Maximum amount of borrowings available $ 900,000,000            
Term Loan              
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]              
Long term debt outstanding principal payment in year 1 (as a percent) 5.00%   5.00% 5.00%      
Long term debt outstanding principal payment in year 2 (as a percent) 7.50%   7.50% 7.50%      
Long term debt outstanding principal payment in year 3 (as a percent) 10.00%   10.00% 10.00%      
Long term debt outstanding principal payment in year 4 (as a percent) 10.00%   10.00% 10.00%      
Long term debt outstanding principal payment in year 5 (as a percent) 10.00%   10.00% 10.00%      
Term Loan | LIBOR              
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]              
Interest rate during period (as a percent) 1.75%            
Term Loan | LIBOR | Minimum              
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]              
Interest rate on borrowings, based on leverage ratio (as a percent) 0.75%            
Term Loan | LIBOR | Maximum              
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]              
Interest rate on borrowings, based on leverage ratio (as a percent) 2.00%            
Term Loan | April 2016 Debt Amendment              
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]              
Maximum amount of borrowings available $ 250,000,000            
Outstanding borrowings 240,245,000 246,449,000          
Domestic Revolving Credit Facility | April 2016 Debt Amendment              
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]              
Maximum available for issuance of trade and standby letters of credit 35,000,000            
Outstanding borrowings $ 645,000,000 608,000,000          
Weighted-average interest rate on outstanding borrowings (as a percent) 2.70%   2.70% 2.70%     2.52%
Credit Facility With European Bank              
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]              
Maximum amount of borrowings available $ 37,386,000     € 35,000,000.0      
Outstanding borrowings $ 28,063,000     € 26,300,000   € 0  
Weighted-average interest rate on outstanding borrowings (as a percent) 1.75%   1.75% 1.75%     1.75%
Credit Facility With European Bank | Saueressig              
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]              
Outstanding borrowings $ 39,000 286,000   € 36,300   255,200  
Weighted-average interest rate on outstanding borrowings (as a percent) 4.50%   4.50% 4.50%     4.16%
Credit Facility With European Bank | Wetzel GmbH              
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]              
Outstanding borrowings $ 624,000 931,000   € 584,100   830,220  
Weighted-average interest rate on outstanding borrowings (as a percent) 6.01%   6.01% 6.01%     6.11%
Lines of Credit with Italian Banks              
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]              
Outstanding borrowings $ 6,469,000 5,801,000   € 6,100,000   5,200,000  
Lines of Credit with Italian Banks | Matthews International S.p.A              
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]              
Maximum amount of borrowings available 12,102,000     11,300,000.0      
Outstanding borrowings 2,528,000 $ 3,538,000   € 2,400,000   € 3,200,000  
Letter of Credit              
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]              
Other current assets $ 10,701,000   £ 8,570