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
 3 Months Ended 9 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2011
Jun. 30, 2010
Jun. 30, 2011
Jun. 30, 2010
Earnings per share attributable to Matthews shareholders:        
Net income attributable to Matthews shareholders $ 21,875 $ 20,411 $ 51,676 $ 49,338
Less: dividends and undistributed earnings allocated to participating securities 447 322 1,000 711
Net income available to Matthews shareholders $ 21,428 $ 20,089 $ 50,676 $ 48,627
Weighted-average shares outstanding:        
Basic shares (in shares) 28,849,000 29,640,000 28,945,000 29,816,000
Effect of dilutive securities:        
Stock options (in shares) 17,000 [1] 25,000 [1] 18,000 [1] 25,000 [1]
Phantom stock units (in shares) 15,000 24,000 18,000 27,000
Diluted shares (in shares) 28,881,000 29,689,000 28,981,000 29,868,000
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) 287,535 [1] 616,783 [1] 292,968 [1] 805,671 [1]
[1] Options to purchase 287,535 and 292,968 shares of common stock were not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share for the three months and nine months ended June 30, 2011, respectively, because the inclusion of these options would be anti-dilutive. Options to purchase 616,783 and 805,671 shares of common stock were not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share for the three months and nine months ended June 30, 2010, respectively, because the inclusion of these options would be anti-dilutive.