Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Earnings Per Share Attributable to Matthews' Shareholders (Details)

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Earnings Per Share Attributable to Matthews' Shareholders (Details) (USD $)
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified
 3 Months Ended 6 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2012
Mar. 31, 2011
Mar. 31, 2012
Mar. 31, 2011
Earnings per share attributable to Matthews shareholders:        
Net income attributable to Matthews shareholders $ 15,258 $ 16,587 $ 26,543 $ 29,801
Less: dividends and undistributed earnings allocated to participating securities 224 338 436 562
Net income available to Matthews shareholders $ 15,034 $ 16,249 $ 26,107 $ 29,239
Weighted-average shares outstanding (in thousands):        
Basic shares (in shares) 27,926,000 28,961,000 27,933,000 28,993,000
Effect of dilutive securities:        
Stock options (in shares) 8,000 19,000 9,000 18,000
Restricted shares (in shares) 19,000 0 56,000 0
Phantom stock units (in shares) 15,000 25,000 15,000 26,000
Diluted shares (in shares) 27,968,000 29,005,000 28,013,000 29,037,000
Stock Options [Member]
        
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]        
Anti-dilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share (in shares) 786,292 287,968 786,667 605,602