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Net Sales (Note 1)

^[1]

$ 1,858,745

$ 1,993,857

$ 1,925,007

^[2]

1,519,031

1,654,508

1,578,840

Research, development and technical services (Note 1)

^[2]

339,714

339,349

^[3]

346,167

Operating Expenses:

Selling (Note 1)

56,956

56,319

54,090

Administrative (Note 1)

82,577

79,243

75,615

55,037

54,263

53,696

Deferred compensation expense (income)

15,140

(2,329)

4,857

Total Operating expenses

209,710

187,496

188,258

Business restructuring (Note 23)

^[4]

(2,744)

(2,588)

(3,069)

Nonoperating Income (Expense), Total

^[2]

127,260

149,265

^[3]

154,840

Other Income (Expense):

Interest, net (Note 7)

(5,932)

(10,771)

(11,444)

Other, net (Note 9)

4,571

(725)

3,486

(1,361)

(11,496)

(7,958)

Provision for Income Taxes (Note 10)

^[2],[5]

125,899

137,769

^[3]

146,882

^[2]

22,798

26,664

46,139

Net Loss Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests (Note 1)

^[2]

103,101

111,105

^[3],[6]

100,743

^[6]

Net Income Per Common Share Attributable to Stepan Company (Note 19):

^[2]

$ 103,129

$ 111,117

^[3]

$ 100,774

Basic

^[2]

$ 4.47

$ 4.83

$ 4.39

Diluted

^[2]

$ 4.42

$ 4.76

^[3]

$ 4.31

Shares Used to Compute Net Income Per Common Share Attributable to Stepan Company (Note 19):

Basic

23,054

23,022

22,946

Diluted

23,316

23,325

23,377

[1]	Net sales are attributed to countries based on the location of the Company facility making the sales.
[2]	The 2018 and 2017 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.
[3]	The 2018 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO
[4]	See Note 23 regarding business restructuring costs.
[5]	The 2018 and 2017 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO
[6]	The retained earnings and net income amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.

Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($)
$ in Thousands

Dec. 31, 2019

Dec. 31, 2018

Current Assets:

Cash and cash equivalents

$ 315,383

$ 300,194

Receivables, less allowances of $9,325 in 2019 and $9,654 in 2018

276,841

280,025

Inventories (Note 6)

^[1]

203,647

231,528

Other current assets

22,918

22,146

Total current assets

^[1]

818,789

833,893

Property, Plant and Equipment:

Land

27,258

26,341

Buildings and improvements

223,793

212,072

Machinery and equipment

1,415,802

1,365,509

Construction in progress

95,282

62,868

Property, Plant and Equipment, Gross

1,762,135

1,666,790

Less: accumulated depreciation

(1,122,818)

(1,057,898)

Property, plant and equipment, net

639,317

608,892

Goodwill, net (Note 5)

26,086

22,954

Other intangible assets, net (Note 5)

15,352

14,244

Long-term investments (Note 3)

28,227

25,082

Operating lease assets (Note 8)

38,386

Other non-current assets

^[1]

13,210

9,549

Current maturities of long-term debt (Note 7)

^[1]

1,579,367

1,514,614

Current Liabilities:

23,571

37,058

Accounts payable

194,276

205,954

Accrued liabilities (Note 15)

121,267

95,570

Total current liabilities

339,114

338,582

Deferred income taxes (Note 10)

^[1]

23,391

24,961

Long-term debt, less current maturities (Note 7)

198,532

239,022

Non-current operating lease liability (Note 8)

29,654

Other non-current liabilities (Note 16)

96,180

103,864

Commitments and Contingencies (Note 17)

Equity (Note 11):

Common stock, $1 par value; authorized 60,000,000 shares; issued 26,493,335 shares in 2019 and 26,308,668 shares in 2018

26,493

26,309

Additional paid-in capital

193,135

182,881

Accumulated other comprehensive loss (Note 19)

^[2]

(136,170)

(141,483)

Retained earnings

^[1],[2]

922,464

837,107

Less: Common treasury stock, at cost, 3,979,735 shares in 2019 and 3,803,043 shares in 2018

(114,139)

(97,389)

Total Stepan Company stockholders’ equity

^[1]

891,783

807,425

Noncontrolling interests

713

760

Total equity

^[1]

892,496

808,185

^[3],[4]

Other Liabilities Disclosure [Abstract]

^[1]

$ 1,579,367

$ 1,514,614

[1]	The 2018 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.
[2]	The 2019 amounts for the noted line items include an adjustment related to the Company’s first quarter 2019 adoption of Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2018-02, Income Statement – Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive income.
[3]	The retained earnings amount for the noted line item has been retrospectively changed from the amount originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.
[4]	The retained earnings and net income amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.

Other Non-Current Liabilities (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Composition of Other Non-Current Liabilities

The composition of other non-current liabilities was as follows:

	December 31
(In thousands)	2019		2018
Deferred revenue	$	891	$	1,215
Environmental and legal matters		12,023		20,404
Deferred compensation liability		49,835		43,819
Pension liability		19,407		26,722
Other non-current liabilities		14,024		11,704
Total other non-current liabilities	$	96,180	$	103,864

Debt - Debt (Parenthetical) (Detail) - USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unamortized debt issuance cost	$ 754,000	$ 978,000
Unsecured private placement 3.95% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unamortized debt issuance cost	316,000	360,000
Unsecured private placement 3.86% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unamortized debt issuance cost	291,000	347,000
Unsecured private placement 4.86% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unamortized debt issuance cost	147,000	186,000
Unsecured private placement 5.88% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unamortized debt issuance cost	$ 0	$ 85,000

Consolidated Statements of Equity - USD ($)
$ in Thousands

Total

Common Stock [Member]

Additional Paid-in Capital [Member]

Treasury Stock [Member]

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Member]

Retained Earnings [Member]

Noncontrolling Interests [Member]

Beginning Balance at Dec. 31, 2016

^[1]

$ 652,024

$ 25,895

$ 158,042

$ (70,938)

$ (127,465)

$ 665,178

$ 1,312

Issuance of common stock under stock option plan

3,370

104

3,266

Purchase of common stock

(6,000)

Stock-based and deferred compensation

7,549

9,100

(1,623)

Other comprehensive income

^[1]

100,743

^[2]

100,774

(31)

27,981

27,902

Cash dividends paid:

Common stock

(18,907)

Payment of cash dividends to noncontrolling interest

(542)

Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2017

^[1]

766,218

26,071

170,408

(78,561)

(99,563)

747,045

818

Issuance of common stock under stock option plan

4,163

4,066

Purchase of common stock

(15,500)

Stock-based and deferred compensation

5,220

141

8,407

(3,328)

Other comprehensive income

^[1]

111,105

^[2],[3]

111,117

(12)

(41,966)

(41,920)

(46)

Cash dividends paid:

Common stock

(20,857)

Other

^[4]

(198)

Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2018

^[1],[6]

808,185

^[5]

26,309

182,881

(97,389)

(141,483)

837,107

760

Issuance of common stock under stock option plan

3,037

2,977

Purchase of common stock

(13,184)

Stock-based and deferred compensation

3,835

124

7,277

(3,566)

Other comprehensive income

103,101

^[2]

103,129

(28)

10,619

10,638

(19)

Cash dividends paid:

Common stock

(23,097)

Other

^[7]

(5,325)

5,325

Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2019

$ 892,496

^[5]

$ 26,493

$ 193,135

$ (114,139)

$ (136,170)

$ 922,464

$ 713

[1]	The retained earnings and net income amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.
[2]	The 2018 and 2017 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.
[3]	The 2018 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO
[4]	Reflects beginning retained earnings adjustment as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2018 adoption of ASU No. 2016-16, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory.
[5]	The 2018 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.
[6]	The retained earnings amount for the noted line item has been retrospectively changed from the amount originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.
[7]	Reflects beginning retained earnings adjustment as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 adoption of ASU No. 2018-02, Income Statement – Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income.

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Schedule of Changes in Carrying Value of Goodwill (Detail) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Dec. 31, 2018

Accumulated impairment loss, Beginning Balance

$ 26,421

$ 28,585

(3,467)

Foreign currency translation

22,954

25,118

Goodwill acquired

^[1]

3,497

(365)

(2,164)

Accumulated impairment loss, Ending Balance

29,553

26,421

(3,467)

Surfactants Segment [Member]

26,086

22,954

Accumulated impairment loss, Beginning Balance

20,521

22,627

(3,467)

Foreign currency translation

17,054

19,160

Goodwill acquired

^[1]

3,497

(354)

(2,106)

Accumulated impairment loss, Ending Balance

23,664

20,521

(3,467)

20,197

17,054

Polymer Segment [Member]

5,417

5,475

Foreign currency translation

5,417

5,475

(11)

(58)

5,406

5,417

Specialty Products Segment [Member]

5,406

5,417

483

483

483

Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]

$ 483

[1]	See Note 21 for information regarding the goodwill acquired in a business combination.

Leases - Schedule of Lease Liability Payments (Detail) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($)
Leases [Abstract]
2020	$ 10,086
2021	7,589
2022	6,395
2023	5,132
2024	3,014
Subsequent to 2024	16,235
Total Undiscounted Cash Flows	48,451
Less: Imputed interest	(10,052)
Present value	38,399
Current operating lease liabilities	8,745
Non-current operating lease liabilities	29,654
Total lease liabilities	$ 38,399

Stock-based Compensation (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Fair Value Assumptions for Stock Options

The following are the weighted-average assumptions used to calculate the grant-date fair values of stock option awards granted in the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017:

	For the Years Ended December 31
	2019	2018	2017
Expected dividend yield	1.32%	1.34%	1.39%
Expected volatility	26.98%	27.41%	30.01%
Expected term	7.3 years	7.3 years	7.2 years
Risk-free interest rate	2.53%	2.88%	2.22%

Summary of Stock Option Activity

A summary of stock option activity for the year ended December 31, 2019 is presented below:

	Shares			Weighted- Average Exercise Price		Weighted- Average Remaining Contractual Term		Aggregate Intrinsic Value ($000)
Options
Outstanding at January 1, 2019		361,543		$	58.83
Granted		74,262			92.09
Exercised		(59,799	)		50.78
Forfeited		(15,184	)		79.12
Outstanding at December 31, 2019		360,822			66.15		6.62	$	13,093
Vested or expected to vest at December 31, 2019		350,805			65.69		6.58		12,891
Exercisable at December 31, 2019		270,871			60.09		6.00		11,470

Summary of Stock Award Activity

A summary of stock award activity for the year ended December 31, 2019, is presented below:

	Shares			Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value
Stock Awards
Unvested at January 1, 2019		85,370		$	73.65
Granted		45,327			89.12
Vested		(28,595	)		77.90
Forfeited		(14,768	)		70.76
Unvested at December 31, 2019		87,334			80.78

Summary of SARs Activity

The following is a summary of SARs activity for the year ended December 31, 2019:

	Shares			Weighted- Average Exercise Price		Weighted- Average Remaining Contractual Term		Aggregate Intrinsic Value ($000)
SARs
Outstanding at January 1, 2019		639,146		$	60.64
Granted		166,518			92.02
Exercised		(104,367	)		51.13
Forfeited		(45,880	)		79.12
Outstanding at December 31, 2019		655,417			68.83		6.89	$	22,048

Inventories

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]

Unrealized foreign exchange loss

6. Inventories

The composition of inventories was as follows:

	December 31
(In thousands)	2019		2018 As Adjusted
Finished products	$	139,785	$	163,617
Raw materials		63,862		67,911
Total inventories	$	203,647	$	231,528

Effective January 1, 2019, the Company elected to change its method of accounting for U.S. inventories from the LIFO basis to the FIFO basis. Non-U.S. inventories have historically been maintained on the FIFO basis. Prior period financial statements have been adjusted to reflect what results would have been had the Company always used the FIFO method of inventory valuation for U.S. inventories. See Note 2 for additional details.

Fair Value Measurements - Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured on a Recurring Basis at Fair Value (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Mutual fund assets	$ 28,227	$ 25,082
Derivative assets:
Foreign currency contracts	981	185
Total assets at fair value	29,208	25,267
Derivative liabilities:
Foreign currency contracts	429	10
Total liabilities at fair value	429	10
Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Mutual fund assets	28,227	25,082
Derivative assets:
Total assets at fair value	28,227	25,082
Level 2 [Member]
Derivative assets:
Foreign currency contracts	981	185
Total assets at fair value	981	185
Derivative liabilities:
Foreign currency contracts	429	10
Total liabilities at fair value	$ 429	$ 10

Income Taxes - Schedule Showing Tax Effects of Significant Temporary Differences Representing Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities (Detail) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands

Dec. 31, 2019

Dec. 31, 2018

Deferred Tax Liabilities:

Depreciation

$ (59,574)

$ (57,665)

(1,479)

(980)

Amortization of intangibles

(835)

(1,016)

Deferred Tax Liabilities, Gross

^[1]

(5,855)

(8,429)

Other

(307)

(301)

(68,050)

(68,391)

Deferred Tax Assets:

Pensions

5,855

7,971

Deferred revenue

161

208

Other accruals and reserves

12,171

13,123

Legal and environmental accruals

7,758

7,143

Deferred compensation

15,816

14,214

Bad debt and rebate reserves

2,604

2,916

Non-U.S. subsidiaries net operating loss carryforwards

3,966

3,869

Tax credit carryforwards

5,200

2,141

Deferred Tax Assets, Gross

53,531

51,585

Valuation Allowance

(2,994)

(3,701)

Net Deferred Tax Liabilities

(17,513)

(20,507)

Reconciliation to Consolidated Balance Sheet:

Non-current deferred tax assets (in other non-current assets)

^[1]

5,878

4,454

Non-current deferred tax liabilities

^[1]

$ (23,391)

$ (24,961)

[1]	The 2018 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.

Revenue from Contracts with Customers - Additional Information (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($)
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Contract assets	$ 0
Contract liabilities	$ 350,000
Minimum [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Payment terms on sales of product	30 days
Maximum [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Payment terms on sales of product	60 days

Stock-based Compensation - Fair Value Assumptions for Stock Options (Detail) - Stock Option [Member]	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Expected dividend yield	1.32%	1.34%	1.39%
Expected volatility	26.98%	27.41%	30.01%
Expected term	7 years 3 months 18 days	7 years 3 months 18 days	7 years 2 months 12 days
Risk-free interest rate	2.53%	2.88%	2.22%

Other, Net - Other Net in Consolidated Statements of Income (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Other Nonoperating Income Expense [Abstract]
Foreign exchange gains (losses)	$ 123	$ 1,902	$ (646)
Investment income	968	1,554	989
Realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments	3,955	(2,966)	4,178
Net periodic benefit cost	(351)	(1,215)	(1,035)
Gain on sale of asset	570
Other retirement obligation	(694)
Other, net	$ 4,571	$ (725)	$ 3,486

Revenue from Contracts with Customers - Summary of Geographic Disaggregation of Net Sales (Detail) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Sep. 30, 2019

Jun. 30, 2019

Mar. 31, 2019

Dec. 31, 2018

Sep. 30, 2018

Jun. 30, 2018

Mar. 31, 2018

Dec. 31, 2019

Dec. 31, 2018

Dec. 31, 2017

$ 444,990

$ 451,582

$ 473,003

$ 489,170

$ 466,659

$ 507,997

$ 519,866

$ 499,335

$ 1,858,745

^[1]

$ 1,993,857

^[1]

$ 1,925,007

^[1]

North America [Member]

1,142,391

1,223,153

1,159,579

Europe [Member]

411,340

461,678

477,277

Latin America [Member]

215,709

216,287

195,253

Asia [Member]

89,305

92,739

92,898

Surfactants [Member]

Surfactants [Member] | North America [Member]

1,272,723

1,385,932

1,297,555

Surfactants [Member] | Europe [Member]

766,341

831,592

763,044

Surfactants [Member] | Latin America [Member]

240,711

276,742

275,121

Surfactants [Member] | Asia [Member]

212,405

212,824

190,802

53,266

64,774

68,588

Polymers [Member]

Polymers [Member] | North America [Member]

512,347

527,420

546,634

Polymers [Member] | Europe [Member]

314,549

323,360

329,629

Polymers [Member] | Latin America [Member]

158,455

172,632

188,244

Polymers [Member] | Asia [Member]

3,304

3,463

4,451

Specialty Products [Member]

36,039

27,965

24,310

Specialty Products [Member] | North America [Member]

73,675

80,505

80,818

Specialty Products [Member] | Europe [Member]

61,501

68,201

66,906

Computation of Basic Earnings per Share

$ 12,174

$ 12,304

$ 13,912

[1]	Net sales are attributed to countries based on the location of the Company facility making the sales.

Contingencies - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Environmental losses accrual	$ 25,900,000	$ 23,400,000
Cash expenditures related to legal and environmental matters	$ 3,800,000	$ 1,600,000
Contribution for future response costs	5.00%
Wilmington Site [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Payment of environmental response costs	$ 2,800,000
Minimum [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Environmental and legal losses	25,900,000
Maximum [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Environmental and legal losses	$ 43,700,000

Earnings Per Share - Computation of Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share (Detail) - USD ($)
$ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Sep. 30, 2019

Jun. 30, 2019

Mar. 31, 2019

Dec. 31, 2018

^[1]

Sep. 30, 2018

^[1]

Jun. 30, 2018

^[1]

Mar. 31, 2018

^[1]

Dec. 31, 2019

Dec. 31, 2018

Dec. 31, 2017

Net income attributable to Stepan Company

$ 22,038

$ 25,889

$ 30,218

$ 24,984

$ 23,957

$ 21,754

$ 33,454

$ 31,952

$ 103,129

^[2]

$ 111,117

^[1],[2]

$ 100,774

^[2]

Weighted-average number of shares outstanding

23,054

23,022

22,946

Basic earnings per share

^[2]

$ 4.47

$ 4.83

$ 4.39

Net income attributable to Stepan Company

^[2]

$ 103,129

$ 111,117

$ 100,774

Weighted-average number of shares outstanding

23,054

23,022

22,946

Weighted-average shares applicable to diluted earnings

23,316

23,325

23,377

Net Income Per Diluted Common Share Attributable to Stepan Company

$ 0.95

$ 1.11

$ 1.30

$ 1.07

$ 1.03

$ 0.93

$ 1.44

$ 1.37

$ 4.42

^[2]

$ 4.76

^[1],[2]

$ 4.31

^[2]

Stock Option [Member]

Add weighted-average net shares from assumed exercise of options (under treasury share method)

^[3]

101

161

Unvested Stock Awards [Member]

Add weighted-average net shares related to unvested stock awards (under treasury share method)

Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs) [Member]

Add weighted-average net shares from assumed exercise of options (under treasury share method)

125

110

142

Performance Stock Award [Member]

Add weighted-average net shares from assumed exercise of options (under treasury share method)

120

[1]	The 2018 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO
[2]	The 2018 and 2017 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.
[3]	Options/SARs to purchase 107,125, 50,770 and 18,630 shares of common stock were not included in the computations of diluted earnings per share for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The options’/SARs’ exercise prices were greater than the average market price for the common stock and the effect of the options/SARs on earnings per share would have been antidilutive.

Segment Reporting (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Operating Segment

The following is segment data for the three years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017:

(In thousands)	Surfactants		Polymers		Specialty Products		Segment Totals
2019
Net sales	$	1,272,723	$	512,347	$	73,675	$	1,858,745
Operating income		122,780		69,567		16,415		208,762
Assets		907,032		338,179		86,718		1,331,929
Capital expenditures		69,725		29,188		4,441		103,354
Depreciation and amortization expenses		48,422		22,151		5,483		76,056

2018
Net sales	$	1,385,932	$	527,420	$	80,505	$	1,993,857
Operating income ⁽¹⁾		133,518		66,373		11,661		211,552
Assets		850,553		351,690		82,957		1,285,200
Capital expenditures		51,543		26,663		6,192		84,398
Depreciation and amortization expenses		50,514		23,253		5,150		78,917

2017
Net sales	$	1,297,555	$	546,634	$	80,818	$	1,925,007
Operating income ⁽¹⁾		125,712		85,745		9,965		221,422
Assets		881,415		355,065		75,452		1,311,932
Capital expenditures		50,400		21,146		4,234		75,780
Depreciation and amortization expenses		49,102		22,998		5,019		77,119

(1)

The 2018 and 2017 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.

Reconciliation of Segment Information to Consolidated Financial Statements

Below are reconciliations of segment data to the consolidated financial statements:

(In thousands)	2019			2018			2017
Operating income - segment totals ⁽¹⁾	$	208,762		$	211,552		$	221,422
Business restructuring ⁽²⁾		(2,744	)		(2,588	)		(3,069	)
Unallocated corporate expenses ⁽³⁾		(78,758	)		(59,699	)		(63,513	)
Total operating income		127,260			149,265			154,840
Interest expense, net		(5,932	)		(10,771	)		(11,444	)
Other, net		4,571			(725	)		3,486
Consolidated income before income taxes⁽¹⁾	$	125,899		$	137,769		$	146,882

Assets - segment totals	$	1,331,929		$	1,285,200		$	1,311,932
Unallocated corporate assets ⁽¹⁾⁽⁴⁾		247,438			229,414			190,960
Consolidated assets	$	1,579,367		$	1,514,614		$	1,502,892

Capital expenditures - segment totals	$	103,354		$	84,398		$	75,780
Unallocated corporate expenditures		2,218			2,249			2,833
Consolidated capital expenditures	$	105,572		$	86,647		$	78,613

Depreciation and amortization expenses – segment totals	$	76,056		$	78,917		$	77,119
Unallocated corporate depreciation expenses		2,645			2,198			1,903
Consolidated depreciation and amortization expenses	$	78,701		$	81,115		$	79,022

(1)

(2)

See Note 23 regarding business restructuring costs.

(3)

Unallocated corporate expenses primarily comprise corporate administrative expenses (e.g., corporate finance, legal, human resources, information systems, deferred compensation and environmental remediation) that are not included in segment operating income and not used to evaluate segment performance.

(4)

The changes in unallocated corporate assets between 2019, 2018 and 2017 were primarily attributable to changes in the balance of U.S. cash and cash equivalents, which are not allocated to segments.

Summary of company-wide geographic data

Below is certain Company-wide geographic data for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017:

(In thousands)	2019		2018		2017
Net sales ⁽¹⁾
United States	$	1,115,993	$	1,193,938	$	1,159,578
France		145,933		171,010		176,052
Poland		156,391		170,474		188,244
United Kingdom		96,842		105,732		99,069
Brazil		102,590		100,328		109,960
All other countries		240,996		252,375		192,104
Total	$	1,858,745	$	1,993,857	$	1,925,007

Long-lived assets ⁽²⁾
United States	$	462,199	$	427,274	$	420,342
Germany		30,084		29,151		29,116
Singapore		28,741		30,838		33,530
Brazil		46,740		48,427		55,974
China		27,201		29,030		30,849
United Kingdom		21,551		20,225		21,657
All other countries		64,239		61,145		50,631
Total	$	680,755	$	646,090	$	642,099

(1)

Net sales are attributed to countries based on the location of the Company facility making the sales.

(2)

Includes net property, plant and equipment, goodwill and other intangible assets.

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Components of Other Intangible Assets and Changes in Gross Carrying Values (Detail) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands

Dec. 31, 2019

Dec. 31, 2018

Other Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Gross Carrying Value

$ 37,530

$ 31,897

Other Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Accumulated Amortization

22,178

17,653

Patents [Member]

Other Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Gross Carrying Value

6,947

Other Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Accumulated Amortization

5,091

4,492

Non-compete Agreements [Member]

Other Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Gross Carrying Value

374

387

Other Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Accumulated Amortization

242

173

Trademarks [Member]

Other Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Gross Carrying Value

4,087

3,800

Other Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Accumulated Amortization

2,561

1,929

Customer Lists/relationships [Member]

Other Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Gross Carrying Value

^[1]

14,539

10,750

Other Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Accumulated Amortization

^[1]

5,983

4,356

Know-how [Member]

Other Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Gross Carrying Value

^[1],[2]

9,543

7,900

Other Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Accumulated Amortization

^[1],[2]

6,644

5,514

Supply Contract [Member]

Other Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Gross Carrying Value

2,040

2,113

Other Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Accumulated Amortization

$ 1,657

$ 1,189

[1]	In 2019, customer lists/relationships and know- how include the acquisition of an oilfield demulsifier product line. See Note 21 for more details.
[2]	Know-how includes intellectual property rights covering proprietary information, written formulae, trade secrets or secret processes, inventions and developmental products (whether patentable or not), discoveries, improvements, compositions, manufacturing processes, manuals, specifications and technical data

Accrued Liabilities

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Payables And Accruals [Abstract]

Accrued Liabilities

15. Accrued Liabilities

The composition of accrued liabilities was as follows:

	December 31
(In thousands)	2019		2018
Accrued payroll and benefits	$	57,894	$	53,782
Accrued customer rebates		25,148		24,833
Other accrued liabilities		38,225		16,955
Total accrued liabilities	$	121,267	$	95,570

Debt (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

Debt

Debt comprised the following at December 31, 2019 and 2018:

(In thousands)	Maturity Dates	December 31, 2019		December 31, 2018
Unsecured private placement notes
3.95% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of $316 and $360 for 2019 and 2018, respectively)	2021-2027	$	99,684	$	99,640
3.86% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of $291 and $347 for 2019 and 2018, respectively)	2020-2025		85,423		99,653
4.86% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of $147 and $186 for 2019 and 2018, respectively)	2020-2023		36,996		46,243
5.88% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of $0 and $85 for 2019 and 2018, respectively)	2019		—		22,772
Debt of foreign subsidiaries
Unsecured bank debt, foreign currency	2019		—		7,772
Total debt		$	222,103	$	276,080
Less current maturities			23,571		37,058
Long-term debt		$	198,532	$	239,022

Schedule of Net Interest Expense

Net interest expense for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, comprised the following:

(In thousands)	2019			2018			2017
Interest expense	$	12,744		$	13,360		$	14,428
Interest income		(5,717	)		(1,829	)		(2,075	)
		7,027			11,531			12,353
Capitalized interest		(1,095	)		(760	)		(909	)
Interest expense, net	$	5,932		$	10,771		$	11,444

Compensation And Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]

Tabular disclosure of long-debt instruments or arrangements, including identification, terms, features, collateral requirements and other information necessary to a fair presentation. These are debt arrangements that originally required repayment more than twelve months after issuance or greater than the normal operating cycle of the entity, if longer.

+ References

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
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-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.22)
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Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
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-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 835
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-Paragraph 1A
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Reference 3: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
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-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 505
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Reference 4: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
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-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 235
-SubTopic 10
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-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.4-08.(e),(f))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=26873400&loc=d3e23780-122690

Reference 5: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
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-Name Accounting Standards Codification
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Reference 6: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
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Reference 7: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
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-Name Accounting Standards Codification
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Reference 8: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 942
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-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=75038535&loc=d3e64711-112823

Reference 9: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 835
-SubTopic 30
-Section 55
-Paragraph 8
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=114775985&loc=d3e28878-108400

Reference 10: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 505
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 3
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=109259400&loc=d3e21475-112644

+ Details

Derivative Instruments - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Derivative notional amount	$ 48,540,368	$ 28,870,081
Minimum [Member]
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Derivative foreign currency exchange contracts durations	1 month
Maximum [Member]
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Derivative foreign currency exchange contracts durations	3 months

Postretirement Benefit Plans

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Postretirement Benefit Plans

14. Postretirement Benefit Plans

Defined Benefit Plans

The Company sponsors various funded qualified and unfunded non-qualified defined benefit pension plans, the most significant of which cover employees in the U.S. and U.K. locations. The various U.S. defined benefit pension plans were amended during the years 2005-2008 to freeze the plans by stopping the accrual of service benefits. The U.K. defined benefit pension plan was frozen in 2006. Benefits earned through the freeze dates are available to participants when they retire, in accordance with the terms of the plans. The Company established defined contribution plans to replace the frozen defined benefit pension plans.

Obligations and Funded Status at December 31

(In thousands)	United States						United Kingdom
	2019			2018			2019			2018
Change in benefit obligation
Benefit obligation at beginning of year	$	158,594		$	171,358		$	20,006		$	24,048
Interest cost		6,616			6,194			554			565
Actuarial (gain) loss		19,251			(11,494	)		1,045			(2,129	)
Benefits paid		(7,962	)		(7,464	)		(592	)		(1,255	)
Foreign exchange impact		—			—			837			(1,223	)
Benefit obligation at end of year	$	176,499		$	158,594		$	21,850		$	20,006

(In thousands)	United States						United Kingdom
	2019			2018			2019			2018
Change in plan assets
Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year	$	134,198		$	147,908		$	20,576		$	24,168
Actual return (loss) on plan assets		33,875			(11,558	)		2,963			(1,583	)
Employer contributions		312			5,312			476			494
Benefits paid		(7,962	)		(7,464	)		(592	)		(1,254	)
Foreign exchange impact		—			—			934			(1,249	)
Fair value of plan assets at end of year	$	160,423		$	134,198		$	24,357		$	20,576

Over (Under) funded status at end of year	$	(16,076	)	$	(24,396	)	$	2,507		$	570

The amounts recognized in the consolidated balance sheets at December 31 consisted of:

(In thousands)	United States						United Kingdom
	2019			2018			2019		2018
Non-current asset	$	1,479		$	—		$	2,507	$	570
Current liability		(301	)		(302	)		—		—
Non-current liability		(17,254	)		(24,094	)		—		—
Net amount recognized	$	(16,076	)	$	(24,396	)	$	2,507	$	570

The amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income at December 31 consisted of:

(In thousands)	United States				United Kingdom
	2019		2018		2019		2018
Net actuarial loss	$	37,671	$	45,334	$	4,460	$	5,849

Below is information for pension plans with projected benefit obligations in excess of plan assets at December 31:

(In thousands)	United States				United Kingdom
	2019		2018		2019		2018
Projected benefit obligation	$	141,839	$	158,594	$	—	$	—
Accumulated benefit obligation		141,839		158,594		—		—
Fair value of plan assets		124,284		134,198		—		—

Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost and Other Amounts Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income

Net periodic benefit costs for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, were as follows:

(In thousands)	United States									United Kingdom
	2019			2018			2017			2019			2018			2017
Interest cost	$	6,616		$	6,194		$	6,651		$	554		$	565		$	592
Expected return on plan assets		(9,450	)		(9,284	)		(9,288	)		(787	)		(885	)		(797	)
Amortization of net actuarial loss		2,490			3,814			3,085			244			219			382
Net periodic benefit cost	$	(344	)	$	724		$	448		$	11		$	(101	)	$	177

Other changes in plan assets and benefit obligations recognized in other comprehensive income for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, were as follows:

(In thousands)	United States									United Kingdom
	2019			2018			2017			2019			2018			2017
Net actuarial (gain) loss	$	(5,174	)	$	9,348		$	2,864		$	(1,144	)	$	325		$	(1,318	)
Amortization of net actuarial loss		(2,490	)		(3,814	)		(3,085	)		(244	)		(219	)		(382	)
Total recognized in other comprehensive income	$	(7,664	)	$	5,534		$	(221	)	$	(1,388	)	$	106		$	(1,700	)
Total recognized in net periodic benefit cost and other comprehensive income	$	(8,008	)	$	6,258		$	227		$	(1,377	)	$	5		$	(1,523	)

The estimated amounts that will be reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income into net periodic benefit cost in 2020 are as follows:

(In thousands)

United

States

United

Kingdom

Net actuarial loss

4,210

Estimated Future Benefit Payments

(In thousands)	United States		United Kingdom
2020	$	8,228	$	507
2021		8,701		530
2022		9,198		575
2023		9,603		616
2024		9,908		653
2025-2029		51,412		3,938

Assumptions

The weighted-average assumptions used to determine benefit obligations at December 31 were as follows:

	United States						United Kingdom
	2019			2018			2019			2018
Discount rate		3.30	%		4.30	%		2.10	%		2.80	%

The weighted-average assumptions used to determine net periodic benefit costs for years ended December 31 were as follows:

	United States									United Kingdom
	2019			2018			2017			2019			2018			2017
Discount rate		4.30	%		3.67	%		4.17	%		2.80	%		2.40	%		2.60	%
Expected long-term return on plan assets		6.75	%		6.75	%		7.00	%		3.82	%		3.71	%		3.77	%

In addition to the above assumptions, the Company uses a market-related value of assets approach to calculate the expected return on plan assets component of U.S. net periodic benefit cost. The market-related value equals the fair value of plan assets with five-year smoothing of asset gains or losses. Asset gains are subtracted or losses added in the following way: 80 percent of the prior

year’s gain or loss; 60 percent of the second preceding year’s gain or loss; 40 percent of the third preceding year’s gain or loss; and 20 percent of the fourth preceding year’s gain or loss. Gains or losses for the year are calculated as the difference between the expected fair value of assets and the actual fair value of assets.

Investment Strategies and Policies

U.S. Plans

Plan assets are predominantly invested using a combination of active and passive investment strategies. An investment management firm hires and monitors underlying investment management firms for each asset category. Equity managers within each category cover a range of investment styles and approaches, including both active and passive, and are combined in a way that controls for capitalization, style biases, and country exposure versus benchmark indexes. While active equity managers focus primarily on stock selection to improve returns, fixed income managers seek to reduce the volatility of the plan’s funded status by matching the duration with the plan’s liability while seeking to improve returns through security selection, sector allocation and yield curve management. Real estate exposure is now categorized within mid cap equity.

Risk is diversified among multiple asset categories, managers, styles, and securities. The investment management firm recommends asset allocations based on the time horizon available for investment, funded status, the nature of the plan cash flows and liabilities and other factors. The asset allocation targets are approved by the Company’s Plan Committee.

Allowable investment categories include:

Equities: Common stocks of large, medium, and small companies (company stock), including both U.S. and non-U.S. based companies. The long-term target allocation for equities, excluding Company stock, is approximately 45 percent.

Fixed Income (Debt): Bonds or notes issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, and to a lesser extent, by non-U.S. governments, or by their agencies or branches, mortgage-backed securities, including collateralized mortgage obligations, corporate bonds, municipal bonds and dollar-denominated debt securities issued in the U.S. by non-U.S. banks and corporations. A small percentage of the fixed income assets may be in debt securities that are below investment grade. The target allocation for fixed income is 38 percent. The fixed income portfolio has a duration similar to the plan’s liability stream and is designated to perform consistent with the movement of the plan’s liabilities.

Real Estate: Public real estate funds using office, apartment, industrial, retail and other property types. In prior years Real Estate investments were reflected as a separate line item within the Mutual Funds category. Effective 2017, the majority of Real Estate assets have been removed from this category and are currently being captured within the Equities assets category. This change was consistent with the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) to better reflect the equity security features of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs).

Employer Securities: The retirement plans also hold shares of the Company’s common stock, which are purchased or sold by the trustee from time to time, as directed by the Plan Committee. At the direction of the Plan Committee, the plans sold 32,299 shares of the Company’s common stock to the Company’s ESOP trust on February 21, 2019. In 2018, the plans sold 43,930 shares to the Company’s ESOP trust on February 21, 2018, 23,471 shares to the Company on March 9, 2018 and 16,833 shares to the Company on August 8, 2018. The target allocation for employer securities is 15 percent of plan assets.

In addition to these primary investment types, excess cash may be invested in futures in order to efficiently achieve more fully invested portfolio positions. Otherwise, a small number of investment managers may make limited use of derivatives, including futures contracts, options on futures and interest rate swaps in place of direct investment in securities to efficiently achieve equivalent market positions. Derivatives are not used to leverage portfolios.

The target allocation for cash is two percent of plan assets.

U.K. Plan

The objective of the U.K. defined benefit pension fund investment strategy is to maximize the long-term rate of return on plan assets within a medium level of risk in order to minimize the cost of providing pension benefits. To that end, the plan assets are invested in an actively managed pooled fund of funds that diversifies its holdings among equity securities, debt securities, property and cash. Essentially, the plan is to hold equity instruments to back the benefits of participants yet to retire and bonds and cash to back current pensioners. Although there are no formal target allocations for the plan assets, the trustee overall strategy is to achieve a mix of investments for long-term growth and near-term benefit payments with a wide diversification of asset types. Equity securities are selected from U.K., European, U.S. and emerging market companies. Bonds include U.K. and other countries’ government notes and corporate debt of U.K and non-U.K. companies. There are no specific prohibited investments, but the current managed fund will not allocate assets to derivatives or other financial hedging instruments. Plan trustees meet regularly with the fund manager to assess the fund’s performance and to reassess investment strategy. At December 31, 2019, the pension asset allocation was 31 percent equities, 58 percent fixed income, five percent insurance contracts, and six percent cash.

Included in plan assets are insurance contracts purchased by the plan trustees to provide pension payments for specific retirees. In past years, at the time a plan participant retired, the plan trustee would periodically purchase insurance contracts to cover the future payments due the retiree. This practice is no longer followed. The contracts are revocable, and the related plan obligations are not considered settled. Therefore, the plan assets and obligations include the insured amounts.

Plan Assets

U.S. Plans

The Company’s asset allocations for its U.S. pension plans at December 31, 2019 and 2018, by asset category, were as follows:

	December 31, 2019
(In thousands)	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Cash and Cash Equivalents	$	7,261	$	—	$	—	$	7,261
Equity Securities
U.S. Equities		50,319		—		—		50,319
Non-U.S. Equities		19,697		—		—		19,697
Employer Securities		27,234		—		—		27,234
Total Equities		97,250		—		—		97,250
Fixed Income Securities
U.S. Corporate Bonds		—		36,242		—		36,242
U.S. Government and Agency Bonds		11,080		—		—		11,080
Other Bonds		—		8,590		—		8,590
Total Fixed Income		11,080		44,832		—		55,912
Total	$	115,591	$	44,832	$	—	$	160,423

	December 31, 2018
(In thousands)	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Cash and Cash Equivalents	$	4,935	$	—	$	—	$	4,935
Equity Securities
U.S. Equities		34,751		—		—		34,751
Non-U.S. Equities		27,415		—		—		27,415
Employer Securities		22,063		—		—		22,063
Total Equities		84,229		—		—		84,229
Fixed Income Securities
U.S. Corporate Bonds		—		29,659		—		29,659
U.S. Government and Agency Bonds		6,314		3,139		—		9,453
Other Bonds		—		5,922		—		5,922
Total Fixed Income		6,314		38,720		—		45,034
Total	$	95,478	$	38,720	$	—	$	134,198

Plan Asset Valuation Methodology

Following is a description of the valuation methodologies used for plan assets measured at fair value.

Individual equity securities, including employer securities, are valued by Standard & Poor’s Securities Evaluations as determined by quoted market prices on the New York Stock Exchange or other active markets. Both market pricing and future cash flow analysis may be used in the pricing process as follows:

Level 1 – Equities represent the largest asset category and are valued according to the exchange-quoted market prices of the underlying investments. Level 1 fixed income securities are U.S. government securities and are valued according to quoted prices from active markets.

Level 2 – Fixed income investments without equivalent trading exchanges are valued primarily through a technique known as “future cash flow approach” which is based on what bondholders can reasonably expect to receive based upon an issuer’s current financial condition. Pricing analysts prepare cash-flow forecasts and utilize one or two pricing models to arrive at an evaluated price. Evaluated bid modeling includes factors such as the interest rate on the coupon, maturity, rating, cash flow projections and other factors.

Level 3 – no investments held during 2019 or 2018 were categorized as Level 3.

U.K. Plan

The Company’s asset allocations for its U.K. pension plans at December 31, 2019 and 2018, by asset category, were as follows:

	December 31, 2019
(In thousands)	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Cash	$	252	$	1,120	$	—	$	1,372
Equity Securities
Pooled Pension Funds		—		7,533		—		7,533
Fixed Income
Pooled Pension Funds		—		14,247		—		14,247
Insurance Contracts		—		—		1,205		1,205
Total	$	252	$	22,900	$	1,205	$	24,357

	December 31, 2018
(In thousands)	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Cash	$	205	$	—	$	—	$	205
Equity Securities
Pooled Pension Funds		—		12,750		—		12,750
Fixed Income
Pooled Pension Funds		—		6,378		—		6,378
Insurance Contracts		—		—		1,243		1,243
Total	$	205	$	19,128	$	1,243	$	20,576

Units of each of the pooled funds are valued by the trustee based on quoted market prices of the underlying investments (the underlying assets are either exchange traded or have readily available markets).

Fair value changes within asset categories for which fair value measurements use significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) were as follows during 2018 and 2019:

(In thousands)	Insurance Contracts
Fair value, December 31, 2017	$	1,698
Sale proceeds (benefit payments)		(129	)
Change in unrealized gain		(247	)
Foreign exchange impact		(79	)
Fair value, December 31, 2018	$	1,243
Sale proceeds (benefit payments)		(121	)
Change in unrealized gain		37
Foreign exchange impact		46
Fair value, December 31, 2019	$	1,205

Long-term Rate of Return for Plan Assets

U.S. Plans

The overall expected long-term rate of return on assets of 6.75 percent that was used to develop the 2019 pension expense is based on plan asset allocation, capital markets forecasts and expected benefits of active investment management. For fixed income, the expected return is 4.53 percent. This assumption includes the yield on the five-year zero-coupon U.S. Treasury bond as the base rate along with historical data from the U.S. Treasury yield curve. For equities, the expected return is 6.45 percent for U.S. and international equities. This return is based on a blended average of three different statistical models that each incorporates multiple factors including, for example, inflation, Gross Domestic Product and the Fed Funds Target Rate.

The overall investment return forecast reflects the target allocations and the capital markets forecasts for each asset category, plus a premium for active asset management expected over the long-term.

U.K. Plan

The overall expected long-term return on plan assets is a weighted-average of the expected long-term returns for equity securities, debt securities and other assets. The redemption yield at the measurement date on U.K. government fixed interest bonds and the yield on corporate bonds are used as proxies for the return on the debt portfolio. The returns for equities and property are estimated as a premium of 4.3 percent added to the risk-free rate. Cash is assumed to have a long-term return of 0.8 percent.

Other Defined Benefit Plans

The Company maintains funded and unfunded defined benefit plans in other foreign locations. The liabilities and expenses associated with these plans, individually and collectively, are not material to the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Discount rates for these plans are determined based on local interest rates and plan participant data.

Cash Flows

As a result of pension funding relief included in the Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2014, the Company does not expect to make any 2020 contributions to the funded U.S. qualified defined benefit plans. The Company expects to contribute $301,000 in 2020 to the unfunded non-qualified U.S. pension plans. The Company expects to contribute $495,000 to the U.K. defined benefit plan in 2020.

Defined Contribution Plans

The Company sponsors retirement savings defined contribution retirement plans that cover eligible U.S. and U.K. employees. The Company’s U.S. retirement plans include two qualified plans, one of which is a 401(k) plan and one of which is an employee stock ownership plan, and one non-qualified supplemental executive plan. Prior to 2018, the Company made profit sharing contributions into the qualified retirement plans for its U.S. employees and in 2018 and 2019 made profit sharing contributions into the qualified retirement plans for U.S. employees and for certain non-U.S. employees. Profit sharing contributions were determined using a formula applied to Company earnings. In 2017 and 2018, profit sharing contributions for U.S. employees, who received the

majority of profit sharing contributions, were made partly in cash paid to the 401(k) plan and partly in Company common stock. In 2019, profit sharing contributions for U.S. employees were made to the employee stock ownership plan. Profit sharing contributions are allocated to participant accounts on the basis of participant base earnings. Effective January 1, 2018, the Company amended its U.S. 401(k) plan and its profit sharing formula, which resulted in a higher potential contribution percentage to the U.S. 401(k) plan and a lower potential profit sharing contribution percentage relative to prior years.

Defined contribution expenses for the Company’s qualified defined contribution plans and statutory profit sharing contributions were as follows:

(In thousands)	2019		2018		2017
Retirement contributions	$	7,328	$	7,617	$	4,998
Profit sharing contributions		4,702		4,182		7,002
Total	$	12,030	$	11,799	$	12,000

The Company has a rabbi trust to fund the obligations of its non-qualified supplemental executive defined contribution plans (supplemental plans). The trust comprises various mutual fund investments selected by the participants of the supplemental plans. In accordance with the accounting guidance for rabbi trust arrangements, the assets of the trust and the obligations of the supplemental plans are reported on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet. The Company elected the fair value option for the mutual fund investment assets so that offsetting changes in the mutual fund values and defined contribution plan obligations would be recorded in earnings in the same period. Therefore, the mutual funds are reported at fair value with any subsequent changes in fair value recorded in the income statement. The supplemental plan liabilities increase (i.e., supplemental plan expense is recognized) when the value of the trust assets appreciates and decrease (i.e., supplemental plan income is recognized) when the value of the trust assets declines. At December 31, 2019 and 2018, the trust asset balances were $1,744,000 and $1,444,000, respectively, and the supplemental plan liability balances were $1,819,000 and $1,519,000, respectively. The differences between the trust asset balances and the supplemental liability balances were due to estimated liabilities that were not funded until after the end of the year when the actual liabilities were determined.

Certain foreign locations are required by law to make profit sharing contributions to employees based on statutory formulas. For the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, the Company recognized $935,000, $374,000 and $398,000, respectively, of statutory profit sharing expense and are included in the above table.

In total, approximately 77 percent of union and non-union employees are eligible for either Company’s sponsored or statutory profit sharing contributions.

Postretirement Benefit Plans (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Obligations and Funded Status

Obligations and Funded Status at December 31

(In thousands)	United States						United Kingdom
	2019			2018			2019			2018
Change in benefit obligation
Benefit obligation at beginning of year	$	158,594		$	171,358		$	20,006		$	24,048
Interest cost		6,616			6,194			554			565
Actuarial (gain) loss		19,251			(11,494	)		1,045			(2,129	)
Benefits paid		(7,962	)		(7,464	)		(592	)		(1,255	)
Foreign exchange impact		—			—			837			(1,223	)
Benefit obligation at end of year	$	176,499		$	158,594		$	21,850		$	20,006

(In thousands)	United States						United Kingdom
	2019			2018			2019			2018
Change in plan assets
Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year	$	134,198		$	147,908		$	20,576		$	24,168
Actual return (loss) on plan assets		33,875			(11,558	)		2,963			(1,583	)
Employer contributions		312			5,312			476			494
Benefits paid		(7,962	)		(7,464	)		(592	)		(1,254	)
Foreign exchange impact		—			—			934			(1,249	)
Fair value of plan assets at end of year	$	160,423		$	134,198		$	24,357		$	20,576

Over (Under) funded status at end of year	$	(16,076	)	$	(24,396	)	$	2,507		$	570

Schedule of Amounts Recognized in Balance Sheets

The amounts recognized in the consolidated balance sheets at December 31 consisted of:

(In thousands)	United States						United Kingdom
	2019			2018			2019		2018
Non-current asset	$	1,479		$	—		$	2,507	$	570
Current liability		(301	)		(302	)		—		—
Non-current liability		(17,254	)		(24,094	)		—		—
Net amount recognized	$	(16,076	)	$	(24,396	)	$	2,507	$	570

Amounts Recognized in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

The amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income at December 31 consisted of:

(In thousands)	United States				United Kingdom
	2019		2018		2019		2018
Net actuarial loss	$	37,671	$	45,334	$	4,460	$	5,849

Information for Pension Plans with Projected Benefit Obligations in Excess of Plan Assets

Below is information for pension plans with projected benefit obligations in excess of plan assets at December 31:

(In thousands)	United States				United Kingdom
	2019		2018		2019		2018
Projected benefit obligation	$	141,839	$	158,594	$	—	$	—
Accumulated benefit obligation		141,839		158,594		—		—
Fair value of plan assets		124,284		134,198		—		—

Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost

Net periodic benefit costs for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, were as follows:

(In thousands)	United States									United Kingdom
	2019			2018			2017			2019			2018			2017
Interest cost	$	6,616		$	6,194		$	6,651		$	554		$	565		$	592
Expected return on plan assets		(9,450	)		(9,284	)		(9,288	)		(787	)		(885	)		(797	)
Amortization of net actuarial loss		2,490			3,814			3,085			244			219			382
Net periodic benefit cost	$	(344	)	$	724		$	448		$	11		$	(101	)	$	177

Other Changes in Plan Assets and Benefit Obligations Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income

Other changes in plan assets and benefit obligations recognized in other comprehensive income for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, were as follows:

(In thousands)	United States									United Kingdom
	2019			2018			2017			2019			2018			2017
Net actuarial (gain) loss	$	(5,174	)	$	9,348		$	2,864		$	(1,144	)	$	325		$	(1,318	)
Amortization of net actuarial loss		(2,490	)		(3,814	)		(3,085	)		(244	)		(219	)		(382	)
Total recognized in other comprehensive income	$	(7,664	)	$	5,534		$	(221	)	$	(1,388	)	$	106		$	(1,700	)
Total recognized in net periodic benefit cost and other comprehensive income	$	(8,008	)	$	6,258		$	227		$	(1,377	)	$	5		$	(1,523	)

Estimated Amounts Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income into Net Periodic Benefit Cost

The estimated amounts that will be reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income into net periodic benefit cost in 2020 are as follows:

(In thousands)

United

States

United

Kingdom

Net actuarial loss

4,210

Estimated Future Benefit Payments

(In thousands)	United States		United Kingdom
2020	$	8,228	$	507
2021		8,701		530
2022		9,198		575
2023		9,603		616
2024		9,908		653
2025-2029		51,412		3,938

Defined Contribution Expenses for Company's Qualified Defined Contribution Plans and Statutory Profit Sharing Contributions

Defined contribution expenses for the Company’s qualified defined contribution plans and statutory profit sharing contributions were as follows:

(In thousands)	2019		2018		2017
Retirement contributions	$	7,328	$	7,617	$	4,998
Profit sharing contributions		4,702		4,182		7,002
Total	$	12,030	$	11,799	$	12,000

United States [Member]

Company's Asset Allocations for its U.S. and U.K Pension Plans

The Company’s asset allocations for its U.S. pension plans at December 31, 2019 and 2018, by asset category, were as follows:

	December 31, 2019
(In thousands)	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Cash and Cash Equivalents	$	7,261	$	—	$	—	$	7,261
Equity Securities
U.S. Equities		50,319		—		—		50,319
Non-U.S. Equities		19,697		—		—		19,697
Employer Securities		27,234		—		—		27,234
Total Equities		97,250		—		—		97,250
Fixed Income Securities
U.S. Corporate Bonds		—		36,242		—		36,242
U.S. Government and Agency Bonds		11,080		—		—		11,080
Other Bonds		—		8,590		—		8,590
Total Fixed Income		11,080		44,832		—		55,912
Total	$	115,591	$	44,832	$	—	$	160,423

	December 31, 2018
(In thousands)	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Cash and Cash Equivalents	$	4,935	$	—	$	—	$	4,935
Equity Securities
U.S. Equities		34,751		—		—		34,751
Non-U.S. Equities		27,415		—		—		27,415
Employer Securities		22,063		—		—		22,063
Total Equities		84,229		—		—		84,229
Fixed Income Securities
U.S. Corporate Bonds		—		29,659		—		29,659
U.S. Government and Agency Bonds		6,314		3,139		—		9,453
Other Bonds		—		5,922		—		5,922
Total Fixed Income		6,314		38,720		—		45,034
Total	$	95,478	$	38,720	$	—	$	134,198

United Kingdom [Member]

Company's Asset Allocations for its U.S. and U.K Pension Plans

The Company’s asset allocations for its U.K. pension plans at December 31, 2019 and 2018, by asset category, were as follows:

	December 31, 2019
(In thousands)	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Cash	$	252	$	1,120	$	—	$	1,372
Equity Securities
Pooled Pension Funds		—		7,533		—		7,533
Fixed Income
Pooled Pension Funds		—		14,247		—		14,247
Insurance Contracts		—		—		1,205		1,205
Total	$	252	$	22,900	$	1,205	$	24,357

	December 31, 2018
(In thousands)	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Cash	$	205	$	—	$	—	$	205
Equity Securities
Pooled Pension Funds		—		12,750		—		12,750
Fixed Income
Pooled Pension Funds		—		6,378		—		6,378
Insurance Contracts		—		—		1,243		1,243
Total	$	205	$	19,128	$	1,243	$	20,576

Fair Value Changes within Asset Categories for which Fair Value Measurements Use Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Defined Benefit United States Plans and United Kingdom Plans

Fair value changes within asset categories for which fair value measurements use significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) were as follows during 2018 and 2019:

(In thousands)	Insurance Contracts
Fair value, December 31, 2017	$	1,698
Sale proceeds (benefit payments)		(129	)
Change in unrealized gain		(247	)
Foreign exchange impact		(79	)
Fair value, December 31, 2018	$	1,243
Sale proceeds (benefit payments)		(121	)
Change in unrealized gain		37
Foreign exchange impact		46
Fair value, December 31, 2019	$	1,205

Defined Benefit Plan Periodic Costs [Member]

Weighted-Average Assumptions Used to Determine Benefit Obligations/Net Periodic Benefit Costs

The weighted-average assumptions used to determine net periodic benefit costs for years ended December 31 were as follows:

	United States									United Kingdom
	2019			2018			2017			2019			2018			2017
Discount rate		4.30	%		3.67	%		4.17	%		2.80	%		2.40	%		2.60	%
Expected long-term return on plan assets		6.75	%		6.75	%		7.00	%		3.82	%		3.71	%		3.77	%

Benefit Obligation [Member]

Weighted-Average Assumptions Used to Determine Benefit Obligations/Net Periodic Benefit Costs

The weighted-average assumptions used to determine benefit obligations at December 31 were as follows:

	United States						United Kingdom
	2019			2018			2019			2018
Discount rate		3.30	%		4.30	%		2.10	%		2.80	%

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Equity [Abstract]

Summary of Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

Below is the change in the Company’s accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (AOCI) balance by component (net of income taxes) for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017:

(In thousands)	Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments			Defined Benefit Pension Plan Adjustments			Cash Flow Hedge Adjustments			Total
Balance at December 31, 2016	$	(96,775	)	$	(30,790	)	$	100		$	(127,465	)
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications		26,214			(582	)		—			25,632
Amounts reclassified from AOCI		—			2,279			(9	)		2,270
Net current period other comprehensive income		26,214			1,697			(9	)		27,902
Balance at December 31, 2017	$	(70,561	)	$	(29,093	)	$	91		$	(99,563	)
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications		(37,920	)		(7,080	)		—			(45,000	)
Amounts reclassified from AOCI		—			3,090			(10	)		3,080
Net current period other comprehensive income		(37,920	)		(3,990	)		(10	)		(41,920	)
Balance at December 31, 2018	$	(108,481	)	$	(33,083	)	$	81		$	(141,483	)
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications		4,444			4,112			—			8,556
Amounts reclassified from AOCI		—			2,091			(9	)		2,082
Remeasurement adjustment related to the Tax Act⁽¹⁾		—			(5,325	)		—			(5,325	)
Net current period other comprehensive income		4,444			878			(9	)		5,313
Balance at December 31, 2019	$	(104,037	)	$	(32,205	)	$	72		$	(136,170	)

Summary of Amounts Reclassified Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

Amounts reclassified out of AOCI for the three years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, is displayed below:

	Amounts Reclassified from AOCI ⁽¹⁾
(In thousands)										Affected Line Item in Consolidated
	2019			2018			2017			Statements of Income
Amortization of defined pension items:
Prior service cost	$	(12	)	$	(12	)	$	(14	)
Actuarial loss		(2,739	)		(4,059	)		(3,509	)
	$	(2,751	)		(4,071	)		(3,523	)	Total before tax ⁽²⁾
		660			981			1,244		Tax benefit
	$	(2,091	)	$	(3,090	)	$	(2,279	)	Net of tax

Gains and losses on cash flow hedges:
Foreign exchange contracts	$	9		$	10		$	9		Cost of sales
		9			10			9		Total before tax
		—			—			—		Tax benefit
	$	9		$	10		$	9		Net of tax
Total reclassifications for the period	$	(2,082	)	$	(3,080	)	$	(2,270	)	Net of tax

(1)	Amounts in parentheses denote expense to statement of income.

(2)	This component of accumulated other comprehensive income is included in the computation of net periodic benefit cost (see Note 14 for details regarding net periodic benefit costs for the Company’s U.S. and U.K. defined benefit plans).

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Obligations and Funded Status (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
United States [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Benefit obligation at beginning of year	$ 158,594	$ 171,358
Interest cost	6,616	6,194	$ 6,651
Actuarial (gain) loss	19,251	(11,494)
Benefits paid	(7,962)	(7,464)
Benefit obligation at end of year	176,499	158,594	171,358
Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year	134,198	147,908
Actual return (loss) on plan assets	33,875	(11,558)
Employer contributions	312	5,312
Benefits paid	(7,962)	(7,464)
Fair value of plan assets at end of year	160,423	134,198	147,908
Over (Under) funded status at end of year	(16,076)	(24,396)
United Kingdom [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Benefit obligation at beginning of year	20,006	24,048
Interest cost	554	565	592
Actuarial (gain) loss	1,045	(2,129)
Benefits paid	(592)	(1,255)
Foreign exchange impact	837	(1,223)
Benefit obligation at end of year	21,850	20,006	24,048
Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year	20,576	24,168
Actual return (loss) on plan assets	2,963	(1,583)
Employer contributions	476	494
Benefits paid	(592)	(1,254)
Foreign exchange impact	934	(1,249)
Fair value of plan assets at end of year	24,357	20,576	$ 24,168
Over (Under) funded status at end of year	$ 2,507	$ 570

Acquisitions (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

2018 Acquisition [Member]

Summary of Assets Acquired

The following table summarizes the assets acquired as a result of the acquisition:


(In thousands)
Assets:
Property, plant and equipment	$	14,464
Inventory		5,687
Other Receivable		2,701
Total assets acquired	$	22,852

Other, Net (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Other Income And Expenses [Abstract]

Other Net in Consolidated Statements of Income

Other, net in the Consolidated Statements of Income included the following for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017:

(In thousands)	2019			2018			2017
Foreign exchange gains (losses)	$	123		$	1,902		$	(646	)
Investment income		968			1,554			989
Realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments		3,955			(2,966	)		4,178
Net periodic benefit cost		(351	)		(1,215	)		(1,035	)
Gain on sale of asset		570			—			—
Other retirement obligation		(694	)		—			—
Other, net	$	4,571		$	(725	)	$	3,486

Change in Method of Accounting for Inventory Valuation - Summary of Financial Statement Line Items Affected by Retrospective Change in Accounting Principle and If no changes in Method of Accounting for U.S. Inventories (Detail) - USD ($)
$ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Sep. 30, 2019

Jun. 30, 2019

Mar. 31, 2019

Dec. 31, 2018

Sep. 30, 2018

^[2]

Jun. 30, 2018

^[2]

Mar. 31, 2018

^[2]

Dec. 31, 2019

Dec. 31, 2018

Dec. 31, 2017

^[1]

$ 1,519,031

$ 1,654,508

$ 1,578,840

$ 84,744

$ 77,402

$ 92,959

$ 84,609

$ 74,594

^[2]

$ 83,576

$ 89,981

$ 91,198

339,714

^[1]

339,349

^[1],[2]

346,167

^[1]

28,491

27,966

41,065

29,738

35,451

^[2]

27,145

45,386

41,283

127,260

^[1]

149,265

^[1],[2]

154,840

^[1]

27,886

27,449

39,534

31,030

30,585

^[2]

24,694

43,198

39,292

125,899

^[1],[3]

137,769

^[1],[2],[3]

146,882

^[1],[3]

^[1]

22,798

26,664

46,139

22,033

25,880

30,210

24,978

23,954

^[2]

21,754

33,452

31,945

103,101

^[1]

111,105

^[1],[2],[4]

100,743

^[1],[4]

Net Income Per Diluted Common Share Attributable to Stepan Company

$ 22,038

$ 25,889

$ 30,218

$ 24,984

$ 23,957

^[2]

$ 21,754

$ 33,454

$ 31,952

$ 103,129

^[1]

$ 111,117

^[1],[2]

$ 100,774

^[1]

$ 0.95

$ 1.11

$ 1.30

$ 1.07

$ 1.03

^[2]

$ 0.93

$ 1.44

$ 1.37

$ 4.42

^[1]

$ 4.76

^[1],[2]

$ 4.31

^[1]

^[5]

$ 203,647

$ 231,528

$ 203,647

$ 231,528

^[5]

13,210

9,549

13,210

9,549

1,579,367

^[5]

1,514,614

^[5]

1,579,367

^[5]

1,514,614

^[5]

$ 1,502,892

^[5]

23,391

24,961

23,391

24,961

^[5],[6]

922,464

837,107

922,464

837,107

^[5]

1,579,367

1,514,614

1,579,367

1,514,614

22,033

$ 25,880

$ 30,210

$ 24,978

23,954

^[2]

$ 21,754

$ 33,452

$ 31,945

103,101

^[1]

111,105

^[1],[2],[4]

100,743

^[1],[4]

^[1]

(5,016)

10,355

(1,001)

As Originally Reported Under LIFO [Member]

^[1]

28,460

(24,678)

(1,990)

1,652,354

1,586,485

341,503

338,522

151,419

147,195

139,923

139,237

27,173

47,690

112,750

91,547

Net Income Per Diluted Common Share Attributable to Stepan Company

$ 112,762

$ 91,578

$ 4.83

$ 3.92

200,165

$ 200,165

10,964

1,484,666

18,672

813,448

1,484,666

112,750

$ 91,547

10,864

550

Effect of Change [Member]

(26,832)

5,655

(4,000)

2,154

(7,645)

4,000

(2,154)

7,645

4,000

(2,154)

7,645

4,000

(2,154)

7,645

983

(509)

(1,551)

3,017

(1,645)

9,196

Net Income Per Diluted Common Share Attributable to Stepan Company

$ 3,017

$ (1,645)

$ 9,196

$ 0.13

$ (0.07)

$ 0.39

(27,363)

31,363

$ (27,363)

$ 31,363

1,415

(1,415)

1,415

(1,415)

(25,948)

29,948

(25,948)

29,948

(5,306)

6,289

(5,306)

6,289

(20,642)

23,659

(20,642)

23,659

(25,948)

$ 29,948

(25,948)

29,948

3,017

(1,645)

$ 9,196

983

(509)

(1,551)

As Computed under LIFO [Member]

(4,000)

$ 2,154

$ (7,645)

1,515,031

343,714

131,260

129,899

23,781

106,118

Net Income Per Diluted Common Share Attributable to Stepan Company

$ 106,146

$ 4.55

176,284

$ 176,284

14,625

1,553,419

18,085

901,822

$ 1,553,419

1,553,419

106,118

(4,033)

Other Income And Expenses [Abstract]

$ 24,460

[1]	The 2018 and 2017 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.
[2]	The 2018 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO
[3]	The 2018 and 2017 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO
[4]	The retained earnings and net income amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.
[5]	The 2018 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.
[6]	The 2019 amounts for the noted line items include an adjustment related to the Company’s first quarter 2019 adoption of Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2018-02, Income Statement – Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive income.

Debt - Debt (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
Debt - Debt (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 222,103	$ 276,080
Less current maturities	23,571	37,058
Long-term debt	198,532	239,022
Unsecured private placement 3.95% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 99,684	$ 99,640
Debt instrument interest rate percentage	3.95%	3.95%
Unsecured private placement 3.95% note [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Dates	2021	2021
Unsecured private placement 3.95% note [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Dates	2027	2027
Unsecured private placement 3.86% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 85,423	$ 99,653
Debt instrument interest rate percentage	3.86%	3.86%
Unsecured private placement 3.86% note [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Dates	2020	2020
Unsecured private placement 3.86% note [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Dates	2025	2025
Unsecured private placement 4.86% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 36,996	$ 46,243
Debt instrument interest rate percentage	4.86%	4.86%
Unsecured private placement 4.86% note [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Dates	2020	2020
Unsecured private placement 4.86% note [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Dates	2023	2023
Unsecured private placement 5.88% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt		$ 22,772
Debt instrument interest rate percentage	5.88%	5.88%
Maturity Dates	2019	2019
Debt of foreign subsidiaries Unsecured bank debt, foreign currency [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt		$ 7,772
Maturity Dates	2019	2019

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Weighted-Average Assumptions Used To Determine Benefit Obligations (Detail)	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
United States [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Discount rate	3.30%	4.30%
United Kingdom [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Discount rate	2.10%	2.80%

Other, Net

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Other, Net

9. Other, Net

Other, net in the Consolidated Statements of Income included the following for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017:

(In thousands)	2019			2018			2017
Foreign exchange gains (losses)	$	123		$	1,902		$	(646	)
Investment income		968			1,554			989
Realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments		3,955			(2,966	)		4,178
Net periodic benefit cost		(351	)		(1,215	)		(1,035	)
Gain on sale of asset		570			—			—
Other retirement obligation		(694	)		—			—
Other, net	$	4,571		$	(725	)	$	3,486

Income Taxes - Schedule of Provision for Taxes on Income and Other Related Income Before Taxes (Detail) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Sep. 30, 2019

Jun. 30, 2019

Mar. 31, 2019

Dec. 31, 2018

^[2]

Sep. 30, 2018

^[2]

Jun. 30, 2018

^[2]

Mar. 31, 2018

^[2]

Dec. 31, 2019

Dec. 31, 2018

Dec. 31, 2017

Federal

Current

$ 9,998

$ (296)

$ 32,299

Deferred

^[1]

(2,879)

8,876

(3,690)

State

Current

2,248

2,095

1,764

Deferred

^[1]

(1,783)

1,821

587

Foreign

Current

15,568

14,510

13,077

Deferred

(354)

(342)

2,102

Total

^[1]

22,798

26,664

46,139

Income before Taxes

Domestic

^[1]

63,399

86,368

80,307

Foreign

62,500

51,401

66,575

Schedule of Provision for Taxes on Income and Other Related Income Before Taxes

$ 27,886

$ 27,449

$ 39,534

$ 31,030

$ 30,585

$ 24,694

$ 43,198

$ 39,292

$ 125,899

^[1],[3]

$ 137,769

^[1],[2],[3]

$ 146,882

^[1],[3]

[1]	The 2018 and 2017 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.
[2]	The 2018 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO
[3]	The 2018 and 2017 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO

Segment Reporting - Additional Information (Detail)	12 Months Ended
Segment Reporting - Additional Information (Detail)	Dec. 31, 2019 Segment
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Number of reportable segments	3

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Company's Asset Allocations for its U.K. Pension Plans by Asset Category (Detail) - United Kingdom [Member] - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	$ 24,357	$ 20,576	$ 24,168
Level 1 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	252	205
Level 2 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	22,900	19,128
Level 3 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	1,205	1,243
Cash [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	1,372	205
Cash [Member] \| Level 1 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	252	205
Cash [Member] \| Level 2 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	1,120
Pooled Pension Funds [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	7,533	12,750
Pooled Pension Funds [Member] \| Level 2 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	7,533	12,750
Pooled Fixed Pension Funds [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	14,247	6,378
Pooled Fixed Pension Funds [Member] \| Level 2 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	14,247	6,378
Insurance Contracts [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	1,205	1,243
Insurance Contracts [Member] \| Level 3 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	$ 1,205	$ 1,243

Acquisitions - Summary of Assets Acquired (Detail) - 2018 Acquisition [Member] - BASF Mexicana, S.A. DE C.V. [Member] $ in Thousands	Mar. 26, 2018 USD ($)
Assets:
Property, plant and equipment	$ 14,464
Inventory	5,687
Other Receivable	2,701
Total assets acquired	$ 22,852

Income Taxes (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

The provisions for taxes on income and the related income before taxes for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, were as follows:

(In thousands)	2019			2018 As Adjusted			2017 As Adjusted
Taxes on Income
Federal
Current	$	9,998		$	(296	)	$	32,299
Deferred ⁽¹⁾		(2,879	)		8,876			(3,690	)
State
Current		2,248			2,095			1,764
Deferred ⁽¹⁾		(1,783	)		1,821			587
Foreign
Current		15,568			14,510			13,077
Deferred		(354	)		(342	)		2,102
Total ⁽¹⁾	$	22,798		$	26,664		$	46,139
Income before Taxes
Domestic ⁽¹⁾	$	63,399		$	86,368		$	80,307
Foreign		62,500			51,401			66,575
Total ⁽¹⁾	$	125,899		$	137,769		$	146,882

(1)

Summary of Variations Between the Effective and Statutory U.S. Federal Income Tax Rates

The variations between the effective and statutory U.S. federal income tax rates are summarized as follows:

(In thousands)	2019 Amount			%			2018 Amount As Adjusted			%			2017 Amount As Adjusted			%
Federal income tax provision at statutory tax rate ⁽¹⁾	$	26,439			21.0		$	28,931			21.0		$	51,409			35.0
State income tax provision, less applicable federal tax benefit ⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾		367			0.3			3,094			2.2			1,528			1.0
Foreign income taxed at different rates		623			0.5			864			0.6			(8,075	)		(5.5	)
U.S. taxation of foreign earnings ⁽³⁾		2,349			1.9			2,348			1.7			(1,054	)		(0.7	)
Unrecognized tax benefits		2,954			2.3			(460	)		(0.3	)		(47	)		—
Domestic production activities deduction		—			—			—			—			(1,339	)		(0.9	)
Nontaxable foreign interest income		—			—			(1,179	)		(0.9	)		(2,073	)		(1.4	)
U.S. tax reform, net impact ⁽⁴⁾		—			—			(375	)		(0.3	)		10,323			7.0
Change in accounting methods ⁽⁵⁾		—			—			(3,383	)		(2.5	)		(893	)		(0.6	)
Prior years return to provision true-up ⁽⁶⁾		(1,740	)		(1.4	)		(508	)		(0.4	)		(266	)		(0.2	)
Stock based compensation, excess tax benefits		(1,633	)		(1.3	)		(1,648	)		(1.2	)		(2,254	)		(1.5	)
U.S. tax credits ⁽⁷⁾		(6,412	)		(5.1	)		(1,324	)		(1.0	)		(1,204	)		(0.8	)
Non-deductible expenses and other items, net		(149	)		(0.1	)		304			0.5			84			0.0
Total income tax provision ⁽¹⁾	$	22,798			18.1		$	26,664			19.4		$	46,139			31.4

(1)	The 2018 and 2017 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.

(2)	Includes incremental state research credits for the tax years 2015 - 2019 that were identified as part of a research and development tax credit study.

(3)	Includes cost of global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI) in 2019 and 2018 plus other taxes paid or withheld on cash repatriated from foreign countries in 2019 and 2018.

(4)	Does not include state tax impacts, which are included in state income tax provision, less applicable federal tax benefit.

(5)	For 2018, amount represents the federal tax rate change due to certain accounting methods that were adopted on the 2017 federal income tax return. For 2017, amount represents an accounting method change for depreciation.

(6)	Certain 2018 and 2017 amounts have been reclassified to conform to the 2019 presentation.

(7)	Includes incremental federal research credits for 2015 - 2019 that were identified as part of a research and development tax credit study. Also includes a federal tax rate change due to the classification of certain 2016 and 2017 depreciable fixed assets as deductible research costs.

Schedule Showing Tax Effects of Significant Temporary Differences Representing Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities

At December 31, 2019 and 2018, the tax effects of significant temporary differences representing deferred tax assets and liabilities were as follows:

(In thousands)	2019			2018 As Adjusted
Deferred Tax Liabilities:
Depreciation	$	(59,574	)	$	(57,665	)
Unrealized foreign exchange loss		(1,479	)		(980	)
Amortization of intangibles		(835	)		(1,016	)
Inventories ⁽¹⁾		(5,855	)		(8,429	)
Other		(307	)		(301	)
	$	(68,050	)	$	(68,391	)
Deferred Tax Assets:
Pensions	$	5,855		$	7,971
Deferred revenue		161			208
Other accruals and reserves		12,171			13,123
Legal and environmental accruals		7,758			7,143
Deferred compensation		15,816			14,214
Bad debt and rebate reserves		2,604			2,916
Non-U.S. subsidiaries net operating loss carryforwards		3,966			3,869
Tax credit carryforwards		5,200			2,141
	$	53,531		$	51,585
Valuation Allowance	$	(2,994	)	$	(3,701	)
Net Deferred Tax Liabilities	$	(17,513	)	$	(20,507	)
Reconciliation to Consolidated Balance Sheet:
Non-current deferred tax assets (in other non-current assets) ⁽¹⁾		5,878			4,454
Non-current deferred tax liabilities		(23,391	)		(24,961	)
Net Deferred Tax (Liabilities) Assets	$	(17,513	)	$	(20,507	)

(1)

The 2018 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.

Schedule of Reconciliations of Unrecognized Tax Benefits

Below are reconciliations of the January 1 and December 31 balances of unrecognized tax benefits for 2019, 2018 and 2017:

(In thousands)	2019			2018			2017
Unrecognized tax benefits, opening balance	$	168		$	1,927		$	1,931
Gross increases – tax positions in prior period		2,760			29			—
Gross increases – current period tax positions		355			26			20
Foreign currency translation		7			1			69
Settlement		—			(1,526	)		—
Lapse of statute of limitations		(17	)		(289	)		(93	)
Unrecognized tax benefits, ending balance	$	3,273		$	168		$	1,927

Income Taxes - Schedule of Reconciliations of Unrecognized Tax Benefits (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Unrecognized tax benefits, opening balance	$ 168	$ 1,927	$ 1,931
Gross increases – tax positions in prior period	2,760	29
Gross increases – current period tax positions	355	26	20
Foreign currency translation	7	1	69
Settlement		(1,526)
Lapse of statute of limitations	(17)	(289)	(93)
Unrecognized tax benefits, ending balance	$ 3,273	$ 168	$ 1,927

Statement of Cash Flows - Noncash Investing and Financing Activities - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Supplemental Cash Flow Elements [Line Items]
Noncash investing activities, payables incurred for property, plant and equipment expenditures, unpaid	$ 16,890,000	$ 15,119,000	$ 12,600,000
Common Stock [Member] \| Stock Award Plan [Member]
Supplemental Cash Flow Elements [Line Items]
Noncash financing activities shares issued	96,095	99,497	35,372
Noncash financing activities issued value	$ 8,893,000	$ 7,931,000	$ 2,941,000

Deferred Compensation - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]
Deferred compensation	$ 15,140,000	$ (2,329,000)	$ 4,857,000
Deferred compensation liability	$ 59,031,000	$ 50,451,000
Increase (decrease) in market price of common stock due to deferred compensation	$ 28.44	$ (4.97)

Derivative Instruments

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

Derivative Instruments

4. Derivative Instruments

The Company is exposed to certain risks relating to its ongoing business operations. The primary risk managed by the use of derivative instruments is foreign currency exchange risk. The Company holds forward foreign currency exchange contracts that are not designated as any type of accounting hedge as defined by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. The Company uses these contracts to manage its exposure to exchange rate fluctuations on certain Company subsidiary cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable and other obligation balances that are denominated in currencies other than the entities’ functional currencies. The forward foreign exchange contracts are recognized on the balance sheet as either an asset or a liability measured at fair value. Gains and losses arising from recording the foreign exchange contracts at fair value are reported in earnings as offsets to the losses and gains reported in earnings arising from the re-measurement of the receivable and payable balances into the applicable functional currencies. At December 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company had open forward foreign currency exchange contracts, all with durations of one to three months, to buy or sell foreign currencies with a U.S. dollar equivalent of $48,540,368 and $28,870,081, respectively.

The fair values of the derivative instruments held by the Company on December 31, 2019, and December 31, 2018, are disclosed in Note 3. Derivative instrument gains and losses for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, were immaterial. For amounts reclassified out of AOCI into earnings for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, see Note 20.

Stockholders' Equity - Additional Information (Detail) - shares	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Class Of Stock [Line Items]
Treasury stock, shares	3,979,735	3,803,043
Shares purchased during period	144,457	205,983	76,790
Treasury stock distributed under deferred compensation plan	7,884
Stock purchased to settle employees statutory withholding taxes relates to performance stock awards and deferred compensation distribution	40,119
Open Market Repurchases [Member]
Class Of Stock [Line Items]
Shares purchased during period	144,457

Leased Properties - Consolidated Company Minimum Future Rental Payments Under Operating Leases with Initial or Remaining Noncancelable Lease Terms in Excess of One Year (Detail) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Leases [Abstract]
2019	$ 9,740
2020	8,294
2021	6,027
2022	5,242
2023	4,101
Subsequent to 2023	16,593
Total minimum future rental payments	$ 49,997

Stock-based Compensation

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]

Stock-based Compensation

12. Stock-based Compensation

On December 31, 2019, the Company had outstanding stock options, stock awards and SARs awarded under its 2011 Incentive Compensation Plan (2011 Plan). Stock options, stock awards and SARs are currently granted to Company executives and other key employees. The 2011 Plan authorized the award of 2,600,000 shares of the Company’s common stock for stock options, SARs and stock awards. At December 31, 2019, there were 1,032,406 shares available for grant under the 2011 Plan.

Compensation expense recorded in the consolidated statements of income for all plans was $8,872,000, $6,837,000, and $7,151,000 for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 20176, respectively. The increase in stock-based compensation in 2019 versus 2018 was primarily due to the increase in compensation expenses related to SARs. The $28.44 increase in the market value of Company common stock from $74.00 at December 31, 2018 to $102.44 at December 31, 2019 caused the fair value of SARs to

increase, resulting in an increase of the Company’s SARs liability. Partially offsetting the increase caused by SARs was the decline in compensation expenses related to performance awards. Management assessment that the profitability performance targets for certain grants would not be achieved led to the lowering of compensation expenses for performance awards.

The total income tax benefit recognized in the income statement for share-based compensation arrangements was $1,501,000, $1,849,000, and $2,980,124 for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Stock Options

Under all plans, stock option awards are granted with an exercise price equal to the market price of the Company’s stock at the date of grant. The market price is defined and calculated as the average of the opening and closing prices for Company common stock on the grant date as reported in the New York Stock Exchange – Composite Transactions. Stock option awards granted prior to 2017 cliff vest after two years. Stock options granted in 2017, 2018 and 2019 have a three-year graded vesting feature, with one-third of the awards vesting each year. The Company has elected the straight-line method of expense attribution for the stock options with graded vesting feature. These options have 8- to 10-year contractual terms. The fair value of each option award was estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option valuation model incorporating the weighted-average assumptions noted in the following table. Expected volatility is based on the historical volatility of the Company’s stock. The Company also uses historical data to estimate the expected term of options granted. The risk-free rate is the U.S. Treasury note rate that corresponds to the expected option term at the date of grant. The following are the weighted-average assumptions used to calculate the grant-date fair values of stock option awards granted in the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017:

	For the Years Ended December 31
	2019	2018	2017
Expected dividend yield	1.32%	1.34%	1.39%
Expected volatility	26.98%	27.41%	30.01%
Expected term	7.3 years	7.3 years	7.2 years
Risk-free interest rate	2.53%	2.88%	2.22%

A summary of stock option activity for the year ended December 31, 2019 is presented below:

	Shares			Weighted- Average Exercise Price		Weighted- Average Remaining Contractual Term		Aggregate Intrinsic Value ($000)
Options
Outstanding at January 1, 2019		361,543		$	58.83
Granted		74,262			92.09
Exercised		(59,799	)		50.78
Forfeited		(15,184	)		79.12
Outstanding at December 31, 2019		360,822			66.15		6.62	$	13,093
Vested or expected to vest at December 31, 2019		350,805			65.69		6.58		12,891
Exercisable at December 31, 2019		270,871			60.09		6.00		11,470

The weighted-average grant-date fair values of options awarded during the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, were $26.49, $22.13, and $24.49, respectively. The total intrinsic values of options exercised during the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017 were $2,518,000, $3,879,000, and $5,232,000, respectively.

As of December 31, 2019, the total unrecognized compensation cost for unvested stock options was $1,850,000. That cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.7 years.

Cash received from stock option exercises under the Company’s stock option plans for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017 was $3,037,000, $4,163,000, and $3,370,000, respectively. The actual tax benefit realized for the tax deductions from stock option exercises totaled $348,000, $548,000, and $1,455,000 for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Stock Awards

In 2017, 2018, and 2019, the Company granted stock awards under the 2011 Plan. Most Company stock awards are granted in the form of performance awards. The performance stock awards vest only upon the Company’s achievement of certain Board of Directors approved levels of financial performance by the end of specified measurement periods. The number of Company shares of common stock ultimately distributed, if any, is contingent upon the Company’s actual financial performance attained by the end of the measurement period relative to the Board of Directors approved targets. The fair value of performance stock awards equals the grant-date market price of the Company’s common stock, discounted for the estimated amount of dividends that would not be received during the measurement period. Compensation expense is recorded each reporting period based on the probable number of awards that will ultimately vest given the projected level of financial performance. If at the end of the measurement period the performance objectives are not met, no compensation cost is recognized and any compensation expense recorded in prior periods is reversed. Periodically, the Company also grants stock awards that have no performance conditions associated with their vesting. These stock awards vest based on the service time established for the given grant.

A summary of stock award activity for the year ended December 31, 2019, is presented below:

	Shares			Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value
Stock Awards
Unvested at January 1, 2019		85,370		$	73.65
Granted		45,327			89.12
Vested		(28,595	)		77.90
Forfeited		(14,768	)		70.76
Unvested at December 31, 2019		87,334			80.78

The weighted-average grant-date fair values of stock awards granted during the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, were $89.12, $72.06, and $75.94, respectively. As of December 31, 2019, under the current Company assumption as to the number of stock award shares that will vest at the measurement periods ended December 31, 2020 and 2021, there was $3,618,000 of unrecognized compensation cost for unvested stock awards. That cost is expected to be recognized over a period of 1.7 years.

SARs

At December 31, 2019, the Company had both cash-settled and Company stock-settled SARs outstanding. SARs granted prior to 2015 are cash-settled, and SARs granted after 2014 are stock-settled. SARs granted prior to 2017 cliff vest after two years. SARs granted in 2017, 2018 and 2019 have a three-year graded vesting feature, with one-third of the awards vesting each year. The Company has elected the straight-line method of expense attribution for the SARs with graded vesting feature. All SARs expire ten years from the grant date. Upon the exercise of a SARs award, a participant receives in cash (for cash-settled SARs) or Company common stock (for stock-settled SARs) an amount that equals the excess of the fair market value of a share of Company common stock at the date of exercise over the fair market value of a share of Company common stock at the date of grant (the exercise price). Cash-settled SARs are accounted for as liabilities that must be re-measured at fair value at the end of every reporting period until settlement. Compensation expense for each reporting period is based on the period-to-period change (or portion of the change, depending on the proportion of the vesting period that has been completed at the reporting date) in the fair value of the SARs. Compensation expense for stock-settled SARs is based on the grant-date value of the awards allocated over the proportion of the vesting period that has been completed at the reporting date. Because stock-settled SARs are considered equity instruments, they are not re-measured at fair value at the end of each reporting period.

The following is a summary of SARs activity for the year ended December 31, 2019:

	Shares			Weighted- Average Exercise Price		Weighted- Average Remaining Contractual Term		Aggregate Intrinsic Value ($000)
SARs
Outstanding at January 1, 2019		639,146		$	60.64
Granted		166,518			92.02
Exercised		(104,367	)		51.13
Forfeited		(45,880	)		79.12
Outstanding at December 31, 2019		655,417			68.83		6.89	$	22,048

The weighted-average grant-date fair values of SARs granted during the years 2019, 2018 and 2017 were $26.43, $22.19, and $24.90, respectively. The fair value for each SARs award was estimated using the Black-Scholes valuation model incorporating the same assumptions as noted for stock options.

As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the liability for cash-settled SARs recorded on the consolidated balance sheet (non-current liabilities) was $4,509,000 and $3,647,000, respectively. At December 31, 2019, there was $4,058,000 of total unrecognized compensation cost related to all unvested SARs. That cost is to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.7 years.

In general, it is the Company’s policy to issue new shares of its common stock upon the exercise of stock options and stock-settled SARs or the vesting of stock awards.

Stock-based Compensation - Summary of Stock Option Activity (Detail) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]
Shares, Beginning Balance	361,543
Granted, Shares	74,262
Exercised, Shares	(59,799)	(97,471)	(104,277)
Forfeited, Shares	(15,184)
Shares, Ending Balance	360,822	361,543
Vested or expected to vest, Shares	350,805
Exercisable, Shares	270,871
Weighted Average Exercise Price, Beginning Balance	$ 58.83
Granted, Weighted Average Exercise Price	92.09
Exercised, Weighted Average Exercise Price	50.78
Forfeited, Weighted Average Exercise Price	79.12
Weighted Average Exercise Price, Ending Balance	66.15	$ 58.83
Vested or expected to vest, Weighted Average Exercise Price	65.69
Exercisable, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$ 60.09
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term, Ending Balance	6 years 7 months 13 days
Vested or expected to vest, Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term	6 years 6 months 29 days
Exercisable, Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term	6 years
Aggregate Intrinsic Value, Ending Balance	$ 13,093
Vested or expected to vest, Aggregate Intrinsic Value	12,891
Exercisable, Aggregate Intrinsic Value	$ 11,470

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

5. Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

The changes in the carrying value of goodwill for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, were as follows:

(In thousands)	Surfactants Segment						Polymer Segment						Specialty Products Segment				Total
	2019			2018			2019			2018			2019		2018		2019			2018
Balance as of January 1
Goodwill	$	20,521		$	22,627		$	5,417		$	5,475		$	483	$	483	$	26,421		$	28,585
Accumulated impairment loss		(3,467	)		(3,467	)		—			—			—		—		(3,467	)		(3,467	)
Goodwill, net		17,054			19,160			5,417			5,475			483		483		22,954			25,118
Goodwill acquired⁽¹⁾		3,497			—			—			—			—		—		3,497			—
Goodwill measurement period adjustment		—			—			—			—			—		—		—			—
Foreign currency translation		(354	)		(2,106	)		(11	)		(58	)		—		—		(365	)		(2,164	)
Balance as of December 31
Goodwill		23,664			20,521			5,406			5,417			483		483		29,553			26,421
Accumulated impairment loss		(3,467	)		(3,467	)		—			—			—		—		(3,467	)		(3,467	)
Goodwill, net	$	20,197		$	17,054		$	5,406		$	5,417		$	483	$	483	$	26,086		$	22,954

(1)

See Note 21 for information regarding the goodwill acquired in a business combination.

Company tests its goodwill balances for impairment in the second quarter of each calendar year. The 2019 and 2018 tests indicated no impairment.

The following table presents the components of other intangible assets, all of which have finite lives, as of December 31, 2019 and 2018. The year-over-year changes in gross carrying values mainly resulted from an oilfield demulsifier product line acquisition and the effects of foreign currency translation.

(In thousands)	Gross Carrying Value				Accumulated Amortization
	December 31				December 31
	2019		2018		2019		2018
Other Intangible Assets:
Patents	$	6,947	$	6,947	$	5,091	$	4,492
Non-compete agreements		374	$	387		242	$	173
Trademarks		4,087		3,800		2,561		1,929
Customer lists/relationships ⁽²⁾		14,539		10,750		5,983		4,356
Supply contract		2,040		2,113		1,657		1,189
Know-how ⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾		9,543		7,900		6,644		5,514
Total	$	37,530	$	31,897	$	22,178	$	17,653

(1)

Know-how includes intellectual property rights covering proprietary information, written formulae, trade secrets or secret processes, inventions and developmental products (whether patentable or not), discoveries, improvements, compositions, manufacturing processes, manuals, specifications and technical data

(2)	In 2019, customer lists/relationships and know- how include the acquisition of an oilfield demulsifier product line. See Note 21 for more details.

Aggregate amortization expense for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, was $3,399,000, $3,470,000, and $3,711,000, respectively. Estimated amortization expense for identifiable intangibles assets for each of the five succeeding fiscal years is as follows:

(In thousands)
For year ended 12/31/20	$	3,522
For year ended 12/31/21		2,207
For year ended 12/31/22		1,563
For year ended 12/31/23		1,563
For year ended 12/31/24		1,362

Leases - Additional Information (Detail)	12 Months Ended
Leases - Additional Information (Detail)	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($) Country
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Right of use asset	$ 38,386,000
Operating lease, liability	$ 38,399,000
Number of countries leases reside \| Country	5
Percentage of value of leases reside	97.00%
Minimum [Member]
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Lessee, operating lease, term of contract	1 year
Maximum [Member]
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Lessee, operating lease, term of contract	10 years
Railcars [Member]
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Percentage of lease asset categories	50.00%
Real Estate [Member]
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Percentage of lease asset categories	37.00%
Real Estate [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Lessee, operating lease, term of contract	1 year
Real Estate [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Lessee, operating lease, term of contract	50 years
Equipment and Railcars [Member]
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Operating lease, liability	$ 537,000
Lessee, operating lease, term of contract	5 years
ASC 842 [Member]
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Right of use asset	$ 42,400,000
Operating lease, liability	$ 42,400,000

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Defined Contribution Expenses for Company's Qualified Defined Contribution Plans and Statutory Profit Sharing Contributions (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Defined Contribution Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total defined contribution expense	$ 12,030	$ 11,799	$ 12,000
Retirement Contributions [Member]
Defined Contribution Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total defined contribution expense	7,328	7,617	4,998
Profit Sharing Contributions [Member]
Defined Contribution Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total defined contribution expense	$ 4,702	$ 4,182	$ 7,002

Earnings Per Share (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Computation of Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share

Below is the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017:

(In thousands, except per share amounts)	2019		2018		2017
Computation of Basic Earnings per Share
Net income attributable to Stepan Company ⁽¹⁾	$	103,129	$	111,117	$	100,774
Weighted-average number of shares outstanding		23,054		23,022		22,946
Basic earnings per share ⁽¹⁾	$	4.47	$	4.83	$	4.39
Computation of Diluted Earnings per Share
Net income attributable to Stepan Company ⁽¹⁾	$	103,129	$	111,117	$	100,774
Weighted-average number of shares outstanding		23,054		23,022		22,946
Add weighted-average net shares from assumed exercise of options (under treasury share method) ⁽²⁾		97		101		161
Add weighted-average net shares related to unvested stock awards (under treasury share method)		2		3		8
Add weighted-average net shares from assumed exercise of SARs (under treasury share method)		125		110		142
Add weighted-average contingently issuable net shares related to performance stock awards (under treasury share method)		38		89		120
Weighted-average shares applicable to diluted earnings		23,316		23,325		23,377
Diluted earnings per share ⁽¹⁾	$	4.42	$	4.76	$	4.31

(1)

(2)

Options/SARs to purchase 107,125, 50,770 and 18,630 shares of common stock were not included in the computations of diluted earnings per share for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The options’/SARs’ exercise prices were greater than the average market price for the common stock and the effect of the options/SARs on earnings per share would have been antidilutive.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts and Other Accounts Receivable Allowance

The following is an analysis of the allowance for doubtful accounts and other accounts receivable allowances for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017:

(In thousands)	2019			2018			2017
Balance at January 1	$	9,654		$	10,116		$	9,755
Provision charged to income		29			764			45
Accounts written off, net of recoveries		(358	)		(1,226	)		316
Balance at December 31	$	9,325		$	9,654		$	10,116

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Estimated Future Benefit Payments (Detail) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($)
United States [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
2020	$ 8,228
2021	8,701
2022	9,198
2023	9,603
2024	9,908
2025-2029	51,412
United Kingdom [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
2020	507
2021	530
2022	575
2023	616
2024	653
2025-2029	$ 3,938

Customer Claims

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Customer Claims

25. Customer Claims

In the fourth quarter of 2016, the Company established a reserve for two customer claims which alleged that product manufactured by the Company may have caused performance problems with the customers’ products. The combined amount of the reserve was $7,367,000, which was recorded as a reduction of net sales in the year ended December 31, 2016. Both claims related to the Company’s Surfactant segment. In the fourth quarter of 2017, the Company paid $2,709,000 for one of the claims and reversed the remainder of the reserve for the claim. The claim reversal was recorded within net sales. The second claim for $703,000 was paid in the second quarter of 2019 and was covered by insurance.

Postretirement Benefit Plans - The Weighted Average Assumptions Used to Determine Net Periodic Benefit Costs (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
United States [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Discount rate	4.30%	3.67%	4.17%
Expected long-term return on plan assets	6.75%	6.75%	7.00%
United Kingdom [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Discount rate	2.80%	2.40%	2.60%
Expected long-term return on plan assets	3.82%	3.71%	3.77%

Income Taxes - Summary of Variations Between the Effective and Statutory U.S. Federal Income Tax Rates (Detail) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Dec. 31, 2018

Dec. 31, 2017

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Federal income tax provision at statutory tax rate

^[1]

$ 26,439

$ 28,931

$ 51,409

State income tax provision, less applicable federal tax benefit

^[1],[2]

367

3,094

1,528

Foreign income taxed at different rates

623

864

(8,075)

U.S. taxation of foreign earnings

^[3]

2,349

2,348

(1,054)

Unrecognized tax benefits

2,954

(460)

(47)

Domestic production activities deduction

(1,339)

Nontaxable foreign interest income

(1,179)

(2,073)

U.S. tax reform, net impact

^[4]

(375)

10,323

Change in accounting methods

^[5]

(3,383)

(893)

Prior years return to provision true-up

^[6]

(1,740)

(508)

(266)

Stock based compensation, excess tax benefits

(1,633)

(1,648)

(2,254)

U.S. tax credits

^[7]

(6,412)

(1,324)

(1,204)

Non-deductible expenses and other items, net

(149)

304

Total

^[1]

$ 22,798

$ 26,664

$ 46,139

Percentage of Federal income tax provision at statutory tax rate

^[1]

21.00%

35.00%

Percentage of state income tax provision, less applicable federal tax benefit

^[1],[2]

0.30%

2.20%

1.00%

Percentage of Foreign income taxed at different rates

0.50%

0.60%

(5.50%)

Percentage of U.S. taxation of foreign earnings

^[3]

1.90%

1.70%

(0.70%)

Percentage of Unrecognized tax benefits

2.30%

(0.30%)

Percentage of Domestic production activities deduction

(0.90%)

Percentage of Nontaxable foreign interest income

(0.90%)

(1.40%)

Percentage of U.S. tax reform, net impact

^[4]

(0.30%)

7.00%

Percentage of Change in accounting methods

^[5]

(2.50%)

(0.60%)

Percentage of Prior years return to provision true-up

^[6]

(1.40%)

(0.40%)

(0.20%)

Percentage of stock based compensation, excess tax benefits

(1.30%)

(1.20%)

(1.50%)

Percentage of U.S. tax credits

^[7]

(5.10%)

(1.00%)

(0.80%)

Non-deductible expenses and other items, net

(0.10%)

0.50%

0.00%

Percentage of Total income tax provision

^[1]

18.10%

19.40%

31.40%

[1]	The 2018 and 2017 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.
[2]	Includes incremental state research credits for the tax years 2015 - 2019 that were identified as part of a research and development tax credit study.
[3]	Includes cost of global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI) in 2019 and 2018 plus other taxes paid or withheld on cash repatriated from foreign countries in 2019 and 2018.
[4]	Does not include state tax impacts, which are included in state income tax provision, less applicable federal tax benefit.
[5]	For 2018, amount represents the federal tax rate change due to certain accounting methods that were adopted on the 2017 federal income tax return. For 2017, amount represents an accounting method change for depreciation.
[6]	Certain 2018 and 2017 amounts have been reclassified to conform to the 2019 presentation.
[7]	Includes incremental federal research credits for 2015 - 2019 that were identified as part of a research and development tax credit study. Also includes a federal tax rate change due to the classification of certain 2016 and 2017 depreciable fixed assets as deductible research costs.

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Estimated Amounts Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income into Net Periodic Benefit Cost (Detail) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($)
United States [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Net actuarial loss	$ 4,210
United Kingdom [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Net actuarial loss	$ 81

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Net periodic benefit cost	$ 351	$ 1,215	$ 1,035
United States [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Interest cost	6,616	6,194	6,651
Expected return on plan assets	(9,450)	(9,284)	(9,288)
Amortization of net actuarial loss	2,490	3,814	3,085
Net periodic benefit cost	(344)	724	448
United Kingdom [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Interest cost	554	565	592
Expected return on plan assets	(787)	(885)	(797)
Amortization of net actuarial loss	244	219	382
Net periodic benefit cost	$ 11	$ (101)	$ 177

Fair Value Measurements (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

Fair Values and Related Carrying Values of Debt

At December 31, 2019 and 2018, the fair values and related carrying values of debt, including current maturities, were as follows (the fair value and carrying value amounts are presented without regard to unamortized debt issuance costs of $754,000, and $978,000 as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively):

(In thousands)	December 31
	2019		2018
Fair value	$	226,712	$	274,119

Carrying value		222,857		277,058

Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured on a Recurring Basis at Fair Value

The following tables present financial assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis at fair value as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the level within the fair value hierarchy in which the fair value measurement falls:

(In thousands)	December 2019		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Mutual fund assets	$	28,227	$	28,227	$	—	$	—
Derivative assets:
Foreign currency contracts		981		—		981		—
Total assets at fair value	$	29,208	$	28,227	$	981	$	—

Derivative liabilities:
Foreign currency contracts	$	429	$	—	$	429	$	—
Total liabilities at fair value	$	429	$	—	$	429	$	—

(In thousands)	December 2018		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Mutual fund assets	$	25,082	$	25,082	$	—	$	—
Derivative assets:
Foreign currency contracts		185		—		185		—
Total assets at fair value	$	25,267	$	25,082	$	185	$	—

Derivative liabilities:
Foreign currency contracts	$	10	$	—	$	10	$	—
Total liabilities at fair value	$	10	$	—	$	10	$	—

Revenue From Contract With Customer [Abstract]

Tabular disclosure of financial instruments measured at fair value, including those classified in shareholders' equity measured on a recurring or nonrecurring basis. Disclosures include, but are not limited to, fair value measurements recorded and the reasons for the measurements, level within the fair value hierarchy in which the fair value measurements are categorized and transfers between levels 1 and 2. Nonrecurring fair value measurements are those that are required or permitted in the statement of financial position in particular circumstances.

+ References + Details

Document and Entity Information - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
Document and Entity Information - USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019	Jan. 31, 2020	Jun. 28, 2019
Cover [Abstract]
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2019
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2019
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Trading Symbol	SCL
Entity Registrant Name	STEPAN COMPANY
Entity Well Known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Central Index Key	0000094049
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Shell Company	false
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Tax Identification Number	36-1823834
Entity File Number	1-4462
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	DE
Entity Address, Address Line One	22 West Frontage Road
Entity Address, City or Town	Northfield
Entity Address, State or Province	IL
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	60093
City Area Code	847
Local Phone Number	446-7500
Security Exchange Name	NYSE
Title of 12(b) Security	Common Stock, $1 par value
Document Annual Report	true
Document Transition Report	false
Entity Interactive Data Current	Yes
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		22,516,988
Entity Public Float			$ 1,862,119,945

Revenue from Contracts with Customers

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Revenue from Contracts with Customers

22. Revenue from Contracts with Customers

In the majority of instances the Company deems a contract with a customer to exist when a purchase order is received from a customer for a specified quantity of product or products and the Company acknowledges receipt of such purchase order. In some instances the Company has entered into manufacturing supply agreements with customers but these agreements typically do not bind a customer to any purchase volume requirements and thus an obligation is not created until the customer submits a purchase order to the Company. The Company’s contracts typically have a single performance obligation that is satisfied at the time product is shipped and control passes to the customer. For a small portion of the business, performance obligations are deemed satisfied when product is delivered to a customer location. Revenue is recognized when performance obligations under terms of a contract with a customer have been satisfied, which is predominantly at a point in time. With the 2018 adoption of ASU 2014-09, revenue is currently recognized when a customer obtains control of a product as compared to the “risk and rewards” criteria used in prior years. However, in 2018, the adoption of ASU 2014-09 did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial position or results of operations.

Payment terms on sales of product typically range from 30 to 60 days. As a result, the Company has concluded it does not provide any significant benefits of financing to its customers.

The Company has elected to account for shipping and handling as activities to fulfill a promise to transfer the good. As such, shipping and handling fees billed to customers in a sales transaction are recorded in Net Sales and shipping and handling costs incurred are recorded in Cost of Sales. The Company has elected to exclude from Net Sales any value added, sales and other taxes that it collects concurrently with revenue producing activities. These accounting policy elections are consistent with the manner in which the Company has historically recorded shipping and handling fees and taxes.

In some instances, a customer may qualify for a rebate based on the volume of purchases made over a specified period of time, typically a quarterly or annual period. The Company accrues these rebates for each customer under the most likely amount method by estimating the expected volume of total purchases for each customer using actual volumes, customer projections and historical order patterns. These estimated rebates are treated as a reduction to Net Sales with the offset being recognized within Current Liabilities. This methodology is consistent with the manner in which the Company has historically estimated and recorded volume based rebates. In other instances, discounts for early payments are offered to certain customers. These discounts are principally accrued for based the historical use of discounts for all customers using the expected-value method. These estimated early payment discounts are accounted for as a reduction to Net Sales similarly to volume rebates. These forms of variable consideration are considered part of the transaction price.

The Company typically warrants its products from defects. The Company has concluded that these represent assurance-type warranties as opposed to service-type warranties. Product defects are rare in occurrence. As a result, the Company does not maintain any warranty accruals until such time as it is probable a product defect exists.

As of December 31, 2019, the Company had $350,000 of contract liabilities and no contract assets. A contract liability would typically arises when an advance or deposit is received from a customer before the Company recognizes revenue. In practice, this is rare as it would require a customer to make a payment prior to a performance obligation being satisfied. When such situations do arise, the Company would maintain a deferred revenue liability until the time a performance obligation has been satisfied. The Company did not recognize any revenue in the current period from any pre-existing contract liability balance.

The tables below provide a geographic disaggregation of net sales for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017. The Company’s business segmentation by geographic region most effectively captures the nature and economic characteristics of the Company’s revenue streams impacted by economic factors.

	2019
(In thousands)	Surfactants		Polymers		Specialty Products		Total
Geographic Market
North America	$	766,341	$	314,549	$	61,501	$	1,142,391
Europe		240,711		158,455		12,174		411,340
Latin America		212,405		3,304		—		215,709
Asia		53,266		36,039		—		89,305
Total	$	1,272,723	$	512,347	$	73,675	$	1,858,745

	2018
(In thousands)	Surfactants		Polymers		Specialty Products		Total
Geographic Market
North America	$	831,592	$	323,360	$	68,201		1,223,153
Europe		276,742		172,632		12,304		461,678
Latin America		212,824		3,463		—		216,287
Asia		64,774		27,965		—		92,739
Total	$	1,385,932	$	527,420	$	80,505	$	1,993,857

	2017
(In thousands)	Surfactants		Polymers		Specialty Products		Total
Geographic Market
North America	$	763,044	$	329,629	$	66,906		1,159,579
Europe		275,121		188,244		13,912		477,277
Latin America		190,802		4,451		—		195,253
Asia		68,588		24,310		—		92,898
Total	$	1,297,555	$	546,634	$	80,818	$	1,925,007

Stockholders' Equity

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Equity [Abstract]

Stockholders' Equity

11. Stockholders’ Equity

At December 31, 2019 and 2018, treasury stock consisted of 3,979,735 shares and 3,803,043 shares of common stock, respectively. During 2019, 144,457 shares of Company common stock were purchased in the open market. In addition, 40,119 shares were received to settle employees’ minimum statutory withholding taxes related to performance stock awards, exercised SARs and deferred compensation distributions. Also, 7,884 shares of treasury stock were distributed to participants under the Company’s deferred compensation plan.

Customer Claims - Additional Information (Detail) - Surfactants [Member]	3 Months Ended			12 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2019 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($) Claim	Dec. 31, 2016 Claim	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of customer claims \| Claim			2
Insurance claims reserve amount \| $				$ 7,367,000
Claim paid \| $	$ 703,000	$ 2,709,000
Number of claims and reversed \| Claim		1

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) - Summary of Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Detail) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Dec. 31, 2018

Dec. 31, 2017

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Loss [Line Items]

Other comprehensive income before reclassifications

^[1]

$ 807,425

8,556

$ (45,000)

$ 25,632

Amounts reclassified from AOCI

2,082

3,080

2,270

Remeasurement adjustment related to the Tax Act

^[2]

(5,325)

5,313

(41,920)

27,902

Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments [Member]

^[1]

891,783

807,425

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Loss [Line Items]

Other comprehensive income before reclassifications

(108,481)

(70,561)

(96,775)

4,444

(37,920)

26,214

4,444

(37,920)

26,214

Defined Benefit Pension Plan Adjustments [Member]

(104,037)

(108,481)

(70,561)

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Loss [Line Items]

Other comprehensive income before reclassifications

(33,083)

(29,093)

(30,790)

4,112

(7,080)

(582)

Amounts reclassified from AOCI

2,091

3,090

2,279

Remeasurement adjustment related to the Tax Act

^[2]

(5,325)

878

(3,990)

1,697

Cash Flow Hedge Adjustments [Member]

(32,205)

(33,083)

(29,093)

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Loss [Line Items]

Amounts reclassified from AOCI

100

(9)

(10)

(9)

(9)

(10)

(9)

AOCI Attributable to Parent [Member]

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Loss [Line Items]

(141,483)

(99,563)

(127,465)

$ (136,170)

$ (141,483)

$ (99,563)

[1]	The 2018 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.
[2]	Amounts in parentheses denote expense to statement of income.

Leases - Schedule of Lease Cost and Other Information (Detail) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($)
Lease Cost
Operating lease cost	$ 10,908
Short-term lease cost	4,420
Variable lease cost	1,045
Total lease cost	16,373
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities:
Operating cash flow from operating leases	10,954
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities	$ 5,694

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Other Changes in Plan Assets and Benefit Obligations Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
United States [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Net actuarial (gain) loss	$ (5,174)	$ 9,348	$ 2,864
Amortization of net actuarial loss	(2,490)	(3,814)	(3,085)
Total recognized in other comprehensive income	(7,664)	5,534	(221)
Total recognized in net periodic benefit cost and other comprehensive income	(8,008)	6,258	227
United Kingdom [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Net actuarial (gain) loss	(1,144)	325	(1,318)
Amortization of net actuarial loss	(244)	(219)	(382)
Total recognized in other comprehensive income	(1,388)	106	(1,700)
Total recognized in net periodic benefit cost and other comprehensive income	$ (1,377)	$ 5	$ (1,523)

Segment Reporting - Reconciliation of Segment Information to Consolidated Financial Statements (Detail) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Sep. 30, 2019

Jun. 30, 2019

Mar. 31, 2019

Dec. 31, 2018

Sep. 30, 2018

Jun. 30, 2018

Mar. 31, 2018

Dec. 31, 2019

Dec. 31, 2018

Dec. 31, 2017

$ 28,491

$ 27,966

$ 41,065

$ 29,738

$ 35,451

^[1]

$ 27,145

^[1]

$ 45,386

^[1]

$ 41,283

^[1]

$ 127,260

^[2]

$ 149,265

^[1],[2]

$ 154,840

^[2]

Consolidated income before income taxes

^[3]

(2,744)

(2,588)

(3,069)

Interest expense, net

(911)

(1,402)

(1,766)

(1,853)

(2,151)

(2,797)

(2,672)

(3,151)

(5,932)

(10,771)

(11,444)

Other, net

4,571

(725)

3,486

27,886

$ 27,449

$ 39,534

$ 31,030

30,585

^[1]

$ 24,694

^[1]

$ 43,198

^[1]

$ 39,292

^[1]

125,899

^[2],[4]

137,769

^[1],[2],[4]

146,882

^[2],[4]

1,579,367

^[5]

1,514,614

^[5]

1,579,367

^[5]

1,514,614

^[5]

1,502,892

Depreciation and amortization

105,572

86,647

78,613

78,701

81,115

79,022

Operating Segments [Member]

^[4]

208,762

211,552

221,422

1,331,929

1,285,200

1,331,929

1,285,200

1,311,932

Depreciation and amortization

103,354

84,398

75,780

76,056

78,917

77,119

Segment Reconciling Items [Member]

Unallocated corporate expenses

^[6]

(78,758)

(59,699)

(63,513)

Unallocated corporate assets

^[4],[7]

$ 247,438

$ 229,414

247,438

229,414

190,960

Unallocated corporate expenditures

2,218

2,249

2,833

Unallocated corporate depreciation expenses

$ 2,645

$ 2,198

$ 1,903

[1]	The 2018 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO
[2]	The 2018 and 2017 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.
[3]	See Note 23 regarding business restructuring costs.
[4]	The 2018 and 2017 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO
[5]	The 2018 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.
[6]	Unallocated corporate expenses primarily comprise corporate administrative expenses (e.g., corporate finance, legal, human resources, information systems, deferred compensation and environmental remediation) that are not included in segment operating income and not used to evaluate segment performance.
[7]	The changes in unallocated corporate assets between 2019, 2018 and 2017 were primarily attributable to changes in the balance of U.S. cash and cash equivalents, which are not allocated to segments.

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income - USD ($)
$ in Thousands

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Dec. 31, 2018

Dec. 31, 2017

Statement Of Income And Comprehensive Income [Abstract]

Foreign currency translation adjustments (Note 20)

^[1]

$ 103,101

$ 111,105

^[2],[3]

$ 100,743

^[3]

Other Comprehensive Income (Loss):

4,425

(37,966)

26,293

Defined benefit pension plans:

Net actuarial gain (loss) arising in period (net of taxes of $1,263, $2,300 and $771 for 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively)

4,112

(7,080)

(582)

Amortization of prior service cost included in pension expense (net of taxes of $3, $3 and $4 for 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively)

Amortization of actuarial loss included in pension expense (net of taxes of $657, $979 and $1,240 for 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively)

2,082

3,080

2,269

Net defined benefit pension plan activity (Note 20)

6,203

(3,990)

1,697

Cash flow hedges:

Reclassifications to income in period

(9)

(10)

(9)

Net cash flow hedge activity (Note 20)

(9)

(10)

(9)

Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

10,619

(41,966)

27,981

Comprehensive Income

^[1]

113,720

69,139

128,724

Comprehensive (Income) Loss Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests

(48)

Comprehensive Income Attributable to Stepan Company

^[1]

$ 113,767

$ 69,197

$ 128,676

[1]	The 2018 and 2017 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.
[2]	The 2018 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO
[3]	The retained earnings and net income amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.

Earnings Per Share - Computation of Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share (Parenthetical) (Detail) - shares	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Options and Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs) [Member]
Earnings Per Share Basic [Line Items]
Options/SARs to purchase shares of common stock not included in the computations of diluted earnings per share	107,125	50,770	18,630

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($)
$ in Thousands

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Dec. 31, 2018

Dec. 31, 2017

Cash Flows From Operating Activities

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

^[1]

$ 103,101

$ 111,105

^[2],[3]

$ 100,743

^[3]

Depreciation and amortization

78,701

81,115

79,022

Deferred compensation

15,140

(2,329)

4,857

Realized and unrealized gain on long-term investments

(3,955)

2,966

(4,178)

Stock-based compensation

8,872

6,837

7,151

Deferred income taxes

^[1]

(5,016)

10,355

(1,001)

Other non-cash items

2,240

4,622

4,857

Changes in assets and liabilities, excluding effects of acquisitions:

Receivables, net

4,894

5,196

(16,358)

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

^[1]

28,460

(24,678)

(1,990)

Other current assets

(680)

832

(489)

(15,084)

(19,023)

30,476

Pension liabilities

(790)

(5,065)

(1,960)

Environmental and legal liabilities

2,519

(478)

(1,142)

Deferred revenues

(324)

(1,125)

Net Cash Provided By Operating Activities

218,428

171,131

198,863

Cash Flows From Investing Activities

Expenditures for property, plant and equipment

(105,572)

(86,647)

(78,613)

Business acquisitions, net of cash acquired (Note 21)

(9,000)

(22,852)

(4,339)

Other, net

1,905

1,684

269

Net Cash Used In Investing Activities

(112,667)

(107,815)

(82,683)

Cash Flows From Financing Activities

Revolving debt and bank overdrafts, net

(7,495)

6,045

(6,008)

Other debt repayments

(46,429)

(20,714)

Dividends paid

(23,097)

(20,857)

(18,907)

Company stock repurchased

(13,184)

(15,500)

(6,000)

Stock option exercises

3,037

4,163

3,370

Other, net

(3,326)

(4,785)

(2,238)

Net Cash Used In Financing Activities

(90,494)

(51,648)

(50,497)

Effect of Exchange Rate Changes on Cash

(78)

(10,368)

7,468

Net Increase in Cash and Cash Equivalents

15,189

1,300

73,151

Cash and Cash Equivalents at Beginning of Year

300,194

298,894

225,743

Cash and Cash Equivalents at End of Year

315,383

300,194

298,894

Supplemental Cash Flow Information

Cash payments of income taxes, net of refunds

29,331

32,973

25,661

Cash payments of interest

$ 12,250

$ 12,829

$ 13,889

[1]	The 2018 and 2017 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.
[2]	The 2018 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO
[3]	The retained earnings and net income amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Nature of Operations

Stepan Company (the Company) operations consist predominantly of the production and sale of specialty and intermediate chemicals, which are sold to other manufacturers for use in a variety of end products. Principal markets for all products are manufacturers of cleaning and washing compounds (including detergents, shampoos, fabric softeners, toothpastes and household cleaners), paints, cosmetics, food, beverages, nutritional supplements, agricultural products, plastics, furniture, automotive equipment, insulation and refrigeration.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) requires Company management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and all wholly and majority-owned subsidiaries in which the Company exercises controlling influence. The equity method is used to account for investments in which the Company exercises significant but noncontrolling influence. Intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated in consolidation.

The Company has an 80 percent ownership interest in the Nanjing Stepan Jinling Chemical Limited Liability Company (a joint venture) and exercises controlling influence over the entity. Therefore, Nanjing Stepan Jinling Chemical Limited Liability Company’s accounts are included in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. The partner’s interest in the joint venture’s net income is reported in the net income attributable to noncontrolling interests line of the consolidated statements of income. The partner’s interest in the net assets of the joint venture is reported in the noncontrolling interests line (a component of equity separate from Company equity) of the consolidated balance sheets.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investments with purchased maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents.

At December 31, 2019, the Company’s cash and cash equivalents totaled $315.4 million including $110.7 million in money market funds, each of which was rated AAAm by Standard and Poor’s, Aaa-mf by Moody’s and AAAmmf by Fitch. Cash in U.S. demand deposit accounts and certificates of deposit totaled $105.7 million and cash of the Company’s non-U.S. subsidiaries held outside the U.S. totaled $99.0 million as of December 31, 2019.

Receivables and Credit Risk

Receivables are stated net of allowances for doubtful accounts and other allowances and primarily include trade receivables from customers, as well as nontrade receivables from suppliers, governmental tax agencies and others.

The Company is exposed to credit risk on accounts receivable balances. This risk is mitigated by the Company’s large, diverse customer base, which is dispersed over various geographic regions and industrial sectors. No single customer comprised more than 10 percent of the Company’s consolidated net sales in 2019, 2018 or 2017.

The Company maintains allowances for potential credit losses. Specific customer allowances are recorded when a review of customer creditworthiness and current economic conditions indicate that collection is doubtful. The Company also maintains other customer allowances that occur in the normal course of business. Such allowances are based on historical averages and trade receivable levels.

The following is an analysis of the allowance for doubtful accounts and other accounts receivable allowances for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017:

(In thousands)	2019			2018			2017
Balance at January 1	$	9,654		$	10,116		$	9,755
Provision charged to income		29			764			45
Accounts written off, net of recoveries		(358	)		(1,226	)		316
Balance at December 31	$	9,325		$	9,654		$	10,116

Property, Plant and Equipment

Inventories are valued at cost, which is not in excess of market value, and include material, labor and plant overhead costs. Prior to 2019, the LIFO method was used to determine the cost of the Company’s U.S. inventories. Effective January 1, 2019, the Company elected to change its method of accounting for U.S. inventories from the LIFO basis to FIFO basis. Non-U.S. inventories have historically been maintained on the FIFO basis. Prior period financial statements have been adjusted to reflect what results would have been had the Company always used the FIFO method of inventory valuation for U.S. inventories. See Note 2 for additional details.

Depreciation of property, plant and equipment is provided on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Lives used for calculating depreciation are generally 30 years for buildings and 15 years for building improvements. For assets classified as machinery and equipment, lives generally used for calculating depreciation expense range from 10 to 15 years for manufacturing equipment, five to 10 years for furniture and fixtures, three to five years for vehicles and three to 10 years for computer equipment and software. Manufacturing of chemicals is capital intensive and a large majority of the assets included within machinery and equipment represent manufacturing equipment. Major renewals and betterments are capitalized in the property accounts, while maintenance and repairs ($58,464,000, $57,010,000, and $51,926,000 in 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively), which do not renew or extend the life of the respective assets, are charged to operations as incurred. Land is not depreciated. The cost of property retired or sold and the related accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any resulting gain or loss is reflected in income.

Included in the computer equipment and software component of machinery and equipment are costs related to the acquisition and development of internal-use software. Capitalized costs for internal-use software include external direct costs of materials and services consumed in obtaining and developing the software. For development projects where major internal resources are committed, payroll and payroll-related costs incurred during the application development phase of the project are also capitalized. The capitalized costs are amortized over the useful lives of the software, which are generally three to 10 years. Costs incurred in the preliminary project phase are expensed.

Interest charges on borrowings applicable to major construction projects are capitalized.

Fair Value Measurements

GAAP defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Furthermore, GAAP establishes a framework, in the form of a three-level hierarchy, for measuring fair value that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The following describes the hierarchy levels:

Level 1 - quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities.

Level 2 - inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are directly or indirectly observable for the asset or liability, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data.

Level 3 - unobservable inputs which reflect the entity’s own assumptions about the assumptions market participants use in pricing the assets and liabilities.

The Company applies the fair value measurement provisions of GAAP to any of its financial assets and liabilities that are carried at fair value on the consolidated balance sheets (see Note 3), its outstanding debt for disclosure purposes (also Note 3) and its pension plan assets (see Note 14).

The Company also applies the fair value measurement requirements to nonrecurring fair value measurements of nonfinancial assets and liabilities recorded in conjunction with business combinations and as part of impairment reviews for goodwill and other long-lived assets.

Revenue Recognition

The Company’s contracts typically have a single performance obligation that is satisfied at the time product is shipped and control passes to the customer. For a small portion of the business, performance obligations are deemed satisfied when product is delivered to a customer location. For arrangements where the Company consigns product to a customer location, revenue is recognized when the customer uses the inventory. The Company accounts for shipping and handling as activities to fulfill a promise to transfer a good. As such, shipping and handling fees billed to customers in a sales transaction are recorded in Net Sales and shipping and handling costs incurred are recorded in Cost of Sales. Volume and cash discounts due customers are estimated and recorded in the same period as the sales to which the discounts relate and are reported as reductions of revenue in the consolidated statements of income. See Note 22 to the consolidated financial statements for more details.

Environmental Expenditures

Cost of sales comprises raw material costs (including inbound freight expense to deliver the raw materials), manufacturing plant labor expenses and various manufacturing overhead expenses, such as utility, maintenance, operating supply, amortization and manufacturing asset depreciation expenses. Cost of sales also includes outbound shipping and handling expenses, inter-plant transfer costs, warehouse expenses and rail car rental expenses.

Operating Expenses

Selling expense comprises salary and the related fringe benefit expenses for marketing and sales personnel and operating costs, such as outside agent commissions, automobile rental and travel-related expenses, which support the sales and marketing functions. Bad debt charges and any depreciation expenses related to marketing assets (e.g., computers) are also classified as selling expense.

Administrative expense comprises salary and the related fringe benefit expenses and operating costs for the Company’s various administrative functions, which include information services, finance, legal, and human resources. The majority of environmental remediation expenses are also classified as administrative expense.

The Company’s research and development costs are expensed as incurred. These expenses are aimed at discovery and commercialization of new knowledge with the intent that such effort will be useful in developing a new product or in bringing about a significant improvement to an existing product or process. Total research and development expenses were $34,139,000, $33,519,000, and $33,169,000 in 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The remainder of research, development and technical service expenses reflected on the consolidated statements of income relates to technical services, which include routine product testing, quality control and sales support service.

Compensation expense or income related to the Company’s deferred compensation plans is presented in the deferred compensation expense (income) line in the Consolidated Statements of Income.

Environmental expenditures that relate to current operations are expensed in cost of sales. Expenditures that mitigate or prevent environmental contamination and that benefit future operations are capitalized as assets and depreciated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets, which are typically 10 years.

Estimated future expenditures that relate to an existing condition caused by past operations, and which do not contribute to current or future revenue generation, are recorded as liabilities, with the corresponding charge typically recorded in administrative expenses, when environmental assessments and/or remedial efforts are probable and the cost or range of possible costs can be reasonably estimated. When no amount within the range is a better estimate than any other amount, the minimum amount in the range is accrued. Some of the factors on which the Company bases its estimates include information provided by feasibility studies, potentially responsible party negotiations and the development of remedial action plans. Legal costs related to environmental matters are expensed as incurred (see Note 17 for environmental contingencies).

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

The Company’s intangible assets include patents, agreements not to compete, trademarks, customer lists and relationships, technological and manufacturing know-how, supply contracts and goodwill, all of which were acquired as part of business or product line acquisitions. Intangible assets other than goodwill are determined to have either finite or indefinite useful lives. The Company

currently has no indefinite-life intangible assets other than goodwill. The values for intangible assets with finite lives are amortized over the useful lives of the assets. Currently, the useful lives for the Company’s finite-lived intangible assets are as follows: patents – 10-15 years; non-compete agreements – five years; trademarks – 11 years; customer relationships – 10-25 years; supply contracts – four years and know-how – 8-14 years. In addition, finite-life intangible assets are tested for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an intangible asset may not be recoverable. Goodwill is not amortized but is tested for impairment at least annually or more frequently if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit to which goodwill relates below the reporting unit’s carrying value. See Note 5 for detailed information about goodwill and other intangible assets.

Income Taxes

Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method, which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the financial statements. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined on the basis of the differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.

Deferred tax assets are recognized to the extent that we believe these assets are more likely than not to be realized. In making such a determination, we consider all available positive and negative evidence, including future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, projected future taxable income, tax-planning strategies, and results of recent operations. If we determine that we would be able to realize our deferred tax assets in the future in excess of their net recorded amount, we would make an adjustment to the deferred tax asset valuation allowance, which would reduce the provision for income taxes.

Uncertain tax positions are recorded in accordance with ASC 740 on the basis of a two-step process whereby (1) we determine whether it is more likely than not that the tax positions will be sustained on the basis of the technical merits of the position and (2) for those tax positions that meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold, we recognize the largest amount of tax benefit that is more than 50 percent likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement with the related tax authority.

The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits within the income tax expense line in the accompanying Consolidated Statement of Operations. Accrued interest and penalties are included within the related tax liability line in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. See Note 10 for more information about the Company’s income taxes.

Translation of Foreign Currencies

For the Company’s consolidated foreign subsidiaries whose functional currency is the local foreign currency, assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars at exchange rates in effect at year end and revenues and expenses are translated at average exchange rates for the year. Any resulting translation adjustments are included in the consolidated balance sheets in the accumulated other comprehensive loss line of stockholders’ equity. Gains or losses on foreign currency transactions are reflected in the other, net caption of the consolidated statements of income. The Company has three foreign subsidiaries whose functional currencies are the U.S. dollar. For these subsidiaries, nonmonetary assets and liabilities are translated at historical rates, monetary assets and liabilities are translated at exchange rates in effect at year end, revenues and expenses are translated at average exchange rates for the year and translation gains and losses are included in the other, net caption of the consolidated statements of income.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company grants stock options, stock awards (including performance-based stock awards) and SARs to certain employees under its incentive compensation plans. The Company calculates the fair values of stock options, stock awards and SARs on the date such instruments are granted. The fair values of the stock options and stock awards are then recognized as compensation expense over the vesting periods of the instruments. The Company’s SARs granted before 2015 settle in cash. The cash-settled SARs are accounted for as liabilities that must be re-measured at fair value at the end of each reporting period. Compensation expense for each reporting period is calculated as the period-to-period change (or portion of the change, depending on the proportion of the vesting period that has been completed at the reporting date) in the fair value of the cash-settled SARs. SARs granted subsequent to 2014 are settled in shares of Company common stock. Compensation expense for the stock-settled SARs is calculated in the same way as compensation expense for stock options. See Note 12 for detailed information about the Company’s stock-based compensation.

Earnings Per Share

Basic earnings per share amounts are computed as net income attributable to the Company divided by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding. Diluted earnings per share amounts are based on the weighted-average number of common

shares outstanding plus the weighted-average of net common shares (under the treasury stock method) that would be outstanding assuming the exercise of outstanding stock options and stock-settled SARs, the vesting of unvested stock awards that have no performance or market condition and the issuance of contingent performance stock awards. See Note 19 for detailed information about the Company’s earnings per share calculations.

Comprehensive Income and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

Comprehensive income includes net income and all other non-owner changes in equity that are not reported in net income. Comprehensive income is disclosed in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income. Accumulated other comprehensive income (AOCI) is reported as a component of stockholders’ equity in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. See Note 20 for detailed information regarding changes in the Company’s AOCI and reclassifications out of AOCI to income.

Segment Reporting

The Company reports financial and descriptive information about its reportable operating segments. Operating segments are components of the Company that have separate financial information that is regularly evaluated by the chief operating decision maker to assess segment performance and allocate resources. The Company discloses segment revenue, operating income, assets, capital expenditures and depreciation and amortization expenses. Enterprise-wide financial information about the geographic locations in which the Company earns revenues and holds assets is also disclosed. See Note 18 for detailed information about the Company’s segment reporting.

Derivative Instruments

Derivative instruments are recognized in the consolidated balance sheets as either assets or liabilities measured at fair value. For derivative instruments that are not designated as hedging instruments, changes in the fair values of the derivative instruments are recognized currently in earnings. For derivative instruments designated as hedging instruments, depending on the nature of the hedge, changes in the fair values of the derivative instruments are either offset in earnings against changes in the fair values of the hedged items or recognized in AOCI until the hedged transaction is recognized in earnings. At the time a hedging relationship is designated, the Company establishes the method it will use for assessing the effectiveness of the hedge and the measurement approach for determining the ineffective aspect of the hedge. Company policy prohibits the use of derivative instruments for trading or speculative purposes. See Note 4 for further information regarding the Company’s use of derivatives.

At December 31, 2019, the Company held open forward contracts for the purchase of 0.9 million dekatherms of natural gas in 2020 at a cost of $2,442,000. The Company uses forward contracts to minimize its exposure to volatile natural gas prices. Because the Company anticipates taking delivery of the natural gas for use in its operations, the forward contracts qualify for the normal purchase exception provided under U.S. GAAP for derivative instruments. The Company has elected the exception for such contracts. As a result, the forward contracts are not accounted for as derivative instruments. The cost of natural gas is charged to expense at the time the natural gas is delivered and used.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued ASU No. 2016-2, Leases (Topic 842). This guidance requires a dual approach for lessee accounting whereby a lessee will account for lease arrangements with terms greater than 12 months as either finance leases or operating leases. Both finance leases and operating leases are recognized on the lessee’s balance sheet as right-of-use assets and corresponding lease liabilities, with differing methodologies for income statement recognition. In addition, the ASU requires expanded qualitative and quantitative disclosures about the Company’s lease arrangements. This guidance is effective for public business entities for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2018. The most significant impact of ASU No. 2016-2, Leases (Topic 842) is that a lessee is required to recognize a “right-of-use” asset and corresponding lease liability for operating leases agreements. The Company adopted the new lease standard on January 1, 2019 by recognizing lease assets and the corresponding lease liabilities. The adoption of these guidelines did not have an impact on retained earnings, the Company’s results of operations or cash flows, but it did have a material impact on specific balance sheet line items. See Note 8, Leases for more details.

In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-02, Income Statement-Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, which permits a reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings for stranded tax effects resulting from the Tax Act. Consequently, the update reclassifies the stranded tax effects resulting from the Tax Act and should improve the usefulness of information reported to financial statement users. However, because the amendments only relate to the reclassification of the income tax effects of the Tax Act, the underlying guidance that requires that the effects of the change in tax laws or rates be included in income from continuing operations is not affected. The amendments in this update also require certain disclosures about stranded tax effects. This update is

effective for public business entities for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2018. The Company adopted this guidance and recorded a $5,325,000 adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings as of January 1, 2019 with the corresponding offset to AOCI. See Note 20, Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) for more details.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments which amends the guidance on the measurement of the impairment of financial instruments. The new pronouncement replaces the existing model of measuring credit losses with an expected credit loss model referred to as “the Current Expected Credit Loss (CECL) model.” The new model is based on expected losses that should be measured based not only on historical experience but on the combination of historical data, current conditions and reasonable forecasts. Under this methodology, an entity recognizes as an allowance its estimate of lifetime expected credit losses and is required to apply the new credit loss model to most financial instruments held at amortized cost including trade receivables. The amendments in the update are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. The adoption of the guidance in ASU No. 2016-13 will not have a material effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-4, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment, which eliminates Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. When an indication of impairment was identified after performing the first step of the goodwill impairment test, Step 2 required that an entity determine the fair value at the impairment testing date of its assets and liabilities (including unrecognized assets and liabilities) using the same procedure that would be required in determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination. Under the amendments in ASU No. 2017-4, an entity would perform its annual, or interim, goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying value. An entity would recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying value exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value. In addition, an entity must consider income tax effects from any tax deductible goodwill on the carrying amount of the reporting unit when measuring the goodwill impairment loss, if applicable. The Company is required to adopt the amendments in ASU No. 2017-4 for its annual, or any interim, goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. The adoption of the guidance in ASU No. 2017-4 in 2020 is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) Disclosure Framework-Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement. This update modifies some disclosure requirements related to fair value measurements used for different levels of instruments in fair value hierarchy (Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3). The amendments in the update are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. The adoption of this update is not expected to have an effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows but may impact the disclosures made for fair value measurements used by the Company.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-14, Compensation-Retirement Benefits-Defined Benefit Plans-General (Subtopic 715-20). This update removes some disclosures about defined benefit plans that are no longer considered cost beneficial and adds some disclosures that have been identified as relevant. The amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2020. The adoption of this update is not expected to have an effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows but will impact the disclosures made for the Company’s defined benefit retirement plans.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other-Internal-Use software (Subtopic 350-40) Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement that is a Service Contract. This update aligns the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software. This update requires the entity to determine which implementation costs to capitalize as an asset related to the service contacts and which costs to expense over the term of the hosting contract. The amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. The Company has elected to apply the update prospectively to eligible implementation costs incurred starting January 1, 2020. The adoption of the guidance in ASU No. 2018-15 will not have a material effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740), Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes. This update provides guidance to reduce complexity in certain areas of accounting for income taxes. The amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020. The adoption of this update is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Other Non-Current Liabilities

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Other Liabilities Disclosure [Abstract]

Other Non-Current Liabilities

16. Other Non-Current Liabilities

The composition of other non-current liabilities was as follows:

	December 31
(In thousands)	2019		2018
Deferred revenue	$	891	$	1,215
Environmental and legal matters		12,023		20,404
Deferred compensation liability		49,835		43,819
Pension liability		19,407		26,722
Other non-current liabilities		14,024		11,704
Total other non-current liabilities	$	96,180	$	103,864

Insurance Recovery

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Insurance Recovery [Abstract]

Insurance Recovery

24. Insurance Recovery

The Company received insurance recovery proceeds of $8,965,000 in December 2019 for damaged equipment, incremental supply chain expenses and business interruption losses pertaining to the first quarter 2019 sulfonation equipment failure at the Company’s plant in Ecatepec, Mexico. The insurance recovery was recorded as reduction of cost of sales in the consolidated statement of income for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Leases

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Leases [Abstract]

Leases

8. Leases

The Company adopted ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), on January 1, 2019. This new accounting standard requires a dual approach for lessee accounting whereby a lessee accounts for lease arrangements as either finance leases or operating leases. The lease classification affects the pattern of expense recognition in the income statement. The most significant impact of adopting ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) is that a lessee is now required to recognize a “right-of-use” (ROU) asset and corresponding lease liability for operating lease agreements. ROU assets represent a right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent an obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. Operating leases are expensed on a straight-line basis over the life of the lease beginning on the date the Company takes possession of the property.

The Company elected to apply the new lease standard at adoption as allowed under ASU No. 2018-11 and, as a result, the Company did not retrospectively adjust prior periods presented. The Company elected the practical expedient to not separate non-lease components from lease components for all asset classes and the practical expedient which permits a Company to not reassess prior conclusions about lease identification, lease classifications and initial direct costs. The Company did not elect the use-of-hindsight or the practical expedient pertaining to land easements, the latter not being applicable to the Company. In addition, the Company made an accounting policy election to keep leases with an initial term of 12 months or less off the balance sheet. Upon adoption of ASC 842, the Company recognized $42,400,000 of ROU assets and related operating lease liabilities on its balance sheet. There was no cumulative catch-up adjustment made to beginning retained earnings.

Significant judgments used by the Company to determine whether a contract is or contains a lease include: (i) determining whether any explicitly or implicitly identified assets have been identified in the contract and (ii) determining whether the Company obtains substantially all of the economic benefits from the use of an underlying asset and directs how and for what purpose the asset is used during the term of the contract.

The Company’s operating leases are primarily comprised of railcars, real estate, storage tanks, autos, trailers and manufacturing/office equipment. Railcars and real estate comprise approximately 50 percent and 37 percent, respectively, of the Company’s consolidated ROU asset balance. With the exception of real estate, typical lease terms range from one to ten years. Real estate lease terms typically range from one to fifty years. The Company’s two principal real estate leases relate to land leases in the Philippines and Singapore. As of December 31, 2019, the Company had additional leases, primarily for equipment and railcars, that have not commenced of approximately $537,000. These leases will commence in the first half of 2020 with lease terms of five years.

Variability associated with the Company’s lease obligations typically relates to: (i) additional charges based on usage (i.e., railcar mileage in excess of a specified amount) and, (ii) periodic increases associated with Consumer Price Index (CPI) changes (i.e., land rental payments). Appropriate CPI at the inception of a lease is reflected in the Company’s lease liability balances whereas variability based on usage is typically excluded from lease liability amounts. Some of the Company’s leases include options to extend the lease term but these are typically not recognized as part of the ROU asset or lease liability at inception unless it is reasonably certain the renewal option will be exercised. Determining whether a renewal option is reasonably certain to be exercised requires judgment based on the existing facts and circumstances as well as expectations about future business needs. Renewal options are typically re-assessed within one year or less prior to lease termination when the Company is able to more accurately forecast future business needs. Some of the Company’s lease contracts include options to terminate leases early but these are typically not considered unless it is reasonably certain the early termination option will be exercised. The Company’s leases do not typically carry any residual value guarantees and typically payment is not considered probable when such guarantees are included in the contract.

Initial implementation of ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) did not impact compliance with any of the Company’s debt covenants, nor is it expected to in the future. The majority of the Company’s debt agreements contain language that excludes the impact of any new GAAP accounting change.

As most of the Company’s leases do not provide an implicit borrowing rate, the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate (IBR) based on the information available at the commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. IBRs were specifically determined for the United States, the Philippines, Singapore, Brazil and China, typically for five-year increments. The U.S. IBR was used for all other countries as the leases in these countries are not material. The total value of leases that reside in the five countries identified above represents approximately 97 percent of the Company’s consolidated ROU asset balance.

(In thousands)	Year ended December 31, 2019
Lease Cost
Operating lease cost	$	10,908
Short-term lease cost		4,420
Variable lease cost		1,045
Total lease cost	$	16,373
Other Information
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities:
Operating cash flow from operating leases	$	10,954
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities		5,694


(In thousands)
Undiscounted Cash Flows:
2020	$	10,086
2021		7,589
2022		6,395
2023		5,132
2024		3,014
Subsequent to 2024		16,235
Total Undiscounted Cash Flows	$	48,451
Less: Imputed interest		(10,052	)
Present value	$	38,399
Current operating lease liabilities ⁽¹⁾		8,745
Non-current operating lease liabilities		29,654
Total lease liabilities	$	38,399

(1)

This item is included in Accrued liabilities line on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet.

Weighted-average remaining lease term-operating leases		9 Years
Weighted-average discount rate-operating leases		4.2%

ASC 840 Disclosure

As required in transition, the table below summarizes the Company’s future minimum lease payments at December 31, 2018 under ASC 840.

(In thousands)
Year
2019	$	9,740
2020		8,294
2021		6,027
2022		5,242
2023		4,101
Subsequent to 2023		16,593
Total minimum future rental payments	$	49,997

Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Contingencies

17. Contingencies

There are a variety of legal proceedings pending or threatened against the Company that occur in the normal course of the Company’s business, the majority of which relate to environmental assessment, protection and remediation matters. Some of these proceedings may result in fines, penalties, judgments or costs being assessed against the Company at some future time. The Company’s operations are subject to extensive local, state and federal regulations, including CERCLA and the Superfund amendments of 1986 (Superfund) as well as comparable regulations applicable to the Company’s foreign locations. Over the years, the Company has received requests for information related to or has been named by government authorities as a PRP at a number of sites where cleanup costs have been or may be incurred by the Company under CERCLA and similar state statutes. In addition, damages are being claimed against the Company in general liability actions for alleged personal injury or property damage in the case of some disposal and plant sites. The Company believes that it has made adequate provisions for the costs it is likely to incur with respect to these sites and claims.

In determining the appropriate level of environmental reserves, the Company considers several factors such as information obtained from investigatory studies; changes in the scope of remediation; the interpretation, application and enforcement of laws and regulations; changes in the costs of remediation programs; the development of alternative cleanup technologies and methods; and the relative level of the Company’s involvement at various sites for which the Company is allegedly associated. The level of annual expenditures for remedial, monitoring and investigatory activities will change in the future as major components of planned remediation activities are completed and the scope, timing and costs of existing activities are changed. As of December 31, 2019, the Company estimated a range of possible environmental and legal losses of $25.9 million to $43.7 million. Within the range of possible environmental and legal losses, management has currently concluded that no single amount is more likely to occur than any other amounts in the ranges and, thus, has accrued at the lower end of the ranges. These accruals totaled $25.9 million at December 31, 2019 and $23.4 million at December 31, 2018. Although the Company believes that its reserves are adequate for environmental contingencies, it is possible due to the uncertainties noted above, that additional reserves could be required in the future. Cash expenditures related to legal and environmental matters approximated $3.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, compared to $1.6 million in 2018.

For certain sites, the Company has responded to information requests made by federal, state or local government agencies but has received no response confirming or denying the Company’s stated positions. As such, estimates of the total costs, or range of possible costs, of remediation, if any, or the Company’s share of such costs, if any, cannot be determined with respect to these sites. Consequently, the Company is unable to predict the effect thereof on the Company’s financial position, cash flows and results of operations. Based upon the Company’s present knowledge with respect to its involvement at these sites and the possibility of other viable entities’ responsibilities for cleanup, management believes that the Company has no material liability at these sites and that these matters, individually and in the aggregate, will not have a material effect on the Company’s financial position. However, in the event of one or more adverse determinations with respect to such sites in any annual or interim period, the effect on the Company’s cash flows and results of operations for those periods could be material.

Following are summaries of the Company’s major contingencies at December 31, 2019:

Maywood, New Jersey Site

The Company’s property in Maywood, New Jersey and property formerly owned by the Company adjacent to its current site and other nearby properties (collectively, the Maywood site) were listed on the National Priorities List in September 1993 pursuant to the provisions of CERCLA because of alleged chemical contamination. Pursuant to (i) September 21, 1987 Administrative Order on Consent entered into between the USEPA and the Company for property formerly owned by the Company at the Maywood site and (ii) the issuance of an order on November 12, 2004 by the USEPA to the Company for property currently owned by the Company at the Maywood site, the Company has completed various Remedial Investigation Feasibility Studies (RI/FS), and on September 24, 2014, USEPA issued its Record of Decision (ROD) for chemically-contaminated soil at the Maywood site, which requires the Company to perform remedial cleanup of the soil and buried waste. The USEPA has not yet issued a ROD for chemically-contaminated groundwater for Maywood site. Based on the most current information available, the Company believes its recorded liability is reasonable having considered the range of estimated costs of remediation for the Maywood site. The estimate of the cost of remediation for the Maywood site could change as the Company continues to hold discussions with the USEPA, as the design of the remedial action is finalized, if a groundwater ROD is issued or if other PRPs are identified. The ultimate amount for which the Company is liable could differ from the Company’s current recorded liability.

In April 2015, the Company entered into an Administrative Settlement Agreement and Administrative Order on Consent with USEPA which requires payment of certain costs and performance of certain investigative and design work for chemically-contaminated soil. Based on the Company’s review and analysis of this order, no changes to the Company’s current recorded liability for claims associated with soil remediation of chemical contamination at the Maywood site were required.

In addition, under the terms of a settlement agreement reached on November 12, 2004, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Company agreed to fulfill the terms of a Cooperative Agreement reached in 1985 under which the United States has taken title to and is responsible for the removal of radioactive waste at the Maywood site and has incurred past and will incur future remediation costs incurred by the United States. As such, the Company recorded no liability related to this settlement agreement.

D’Imperio Property Site

During the mid-1970’s, Jerome Lightman and the Lightman Drum Company disposed of hazardous substances generated by the Company’s at several sites in New Jersey, including the D’Imperio site. The Company was named as a PRP in an October 2, 1998 lawsuit in the U.S. District court for the district of New Jersey that involved the D’Imperio site. In 2019, the PRPs were provided with updated remediation cost estimates by the PRP group technical consultant and project manager which the Company considered in its determination of its range of estimated possible losses and liability balance. The changes in range of possible losses and liability balance related to such updated remediation cost estimates were immaterial. Remediation work is continuing at the D’Imperio site. Based on current information, the Company believes that its recorded liability is reasonable having considered the range of estimated cost of remediation for the D’Imperio site. Depending on the ultimate costs of the remediation at this site, the amount for which the Company is liable could differ materially from the current estimates.

Wilmington Site

The Company is currently contractually obligated to contribute to the environmental response costs associated with the Company’s formerly-owned site in Wilmington, Massachusetts (the Wilmington site). Remediation at this site is being managed by its current owner to whom the Company sold the property in 1980. Under the Company’s October 1, 1993 agreement with the current owner of the Wilmington site, once total site remediation costs exceed certain levels, the Company is obligated to contribute up to five percent of future response costs associated with this site with no limitation on the ultimate amount of the Company’s contributions. The Company has paid the current owner $2.8 million for the Company’s portion of environmental response costs at the Wilmington site through December 31, 2019. The Company has recorded a liability for its portion of the estimated remediation costs for the site. Depending on the ultimate cost of the remediation at this site, the amount for which the Company is liable could differ materially from the current estimates.

The Company and other prior owners of the Wilmington site also entered into an agreement in April 2004 waiving certain statute of limitations defenses for claims that may be filed by the Town of Wilmington, Massachusetts, in connection with this site. While the Company has denied any liability for any such claims, the Company agreed to this waiver while the parties continue to discuss the resolution of any potential claim which may be filed.

Other U.S. Sites

Through the regular environmental monitoring of its plant production sites, the Company discovered levels of chemical contamination that were above thresholds allowed by law at its Millsdale, Illinois and Fieldsboro, New Jersey plants. The Company voluntarily reported its results to the applicable state environmental agencies. As a result, the Company is required to perform self-remediation of the affected areas. In the fourth quarter of 2016, the Company recognized a charge for the estimated cost of remediating the sites. Remediation work is continuing at these sites. Based on current information, the Company believes that its recorded liability for the remediation of the affected areas is appropriate based on the estimate of expected costs. However, actual costs could differ materially from current estimates.

Debt

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

Debt

7. Debt

Debt comprised the following at December 31, 2019 and 2018:

(In thousands)	Maturity Dates	December 31, 2019		December 31, 2018
Unsecured private placement notes
3.95% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of $316 and $360 for 2019 and 2018, respectively)	2021-2027	$	99,684	$	99,640
3.86% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of $291 and $347 for 2019 and 2018, respectively)	2020-2025		85,423		99,653
4.86% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of $147 and $186 for 2019 and 2018, respectively)	2020-2023		36,996		46,243
5.88% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of $0 and $85 for 2019 and 2018, respectively)	2019		—		22,772
Debt of foreign subsidiaries
Unsecured bank debt, foreign currency	2019		—		7,772
Total debt		$	222,103	$	276,080
Less current maturities			23,571		37,058
Long-term debt		$	198,532	$	239,022

The Company’s long-term debt financing is currently composed of unsecured private placement notes issued to insurance companies, totaling $222,857,000 as of December 31, 2019. These notes are denominated in U.S. dollars and have fixed interest rates ranging from 3.86 percent to 4.86 percent. The notes had original maturities of 12 years with mandatory amortization of principal beginning six years after issuance. The Company will be required to make amortization payments on the currently outstanding notes from 2020 to 2027.

The Company has a committed $350,000,000 multi-currency revolving credit agreement that expires on January 30, 2023. The Company maintains standby letters of credit under its workers’ compensation insurance agreements and for other purposes, as needed from time to time, which are issued under the revolving credit agreement. As of December 31, 2019, the Company had outstanding letters of credit of $4,929,000 and no borrowings under the revolving credit agreement. There was $345,071,000 available under the revolving credit agreement as of December 31, 2019.

Loans under the credit agreement may be incurred, at the discretion of the Company, with terms to maturity of one to six months. The Company may choose from two interest rate options: (1) LIBOR applicable to each currency plus spreads ranging from 1.25 percent to 1.875 percent, depending on the Company’s net leverage ratio, or (2) the prime rate plus 0.25 percent to 0.875 percent, depending on the Company’s net leverage ratio. The credit agreement requires the Company to pay a commitment fee ranging from 0.15 percent to 0.325 percent per annum, which also depends on the Company’s net leverage ratio. The credit agreement requires the maintenance of certain financial ratios and compliance with certain other covenants that are similar to the Company’s existing debt agreements, including net worth, interest coverage and leverage financial covenants and limitations on restricted payments, indebtedness and liens.

On June 12, 2019, the Company prepaid the $17,100,000 outstanding principal balance of its 5.88 percent Series 2010-A Senior Notes due June 1, 2022 (Notes) and the related make-whole amount of $1,173,000. The make-whole amount primarily reflected the net present value of the remaining scheduled interest payments on the Notes, calculated in accordance with the applicable note purchase agreement. The prepayment was made with cash on hand. The Company also expensed remaining unamortized debt issuance costs of $74,000.

The Company’s foreign subsidiaries had no unsecured debt at December 31, 2019.

The Company’s loan agreements contain provisions, which, among others, require maintenance of certain financial ratios and place limitations on additional debt, investments and payment of dividends. Based on the loan agreement provisions that place limitations on dividend payments, unrestricted retained earnings (i.e., retained earnings available for dividend distribution) were $283,956,000 and $190,442,000 at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Debt at December 31, 2019, matures as follows: $23,571,000 in 2020; $37,858,000 in 2021; $37,858,000 in 2022; $37,857,000 in 2023; $28,572,000 in 2024 and $57,141,000 after 2024. Debt maturing in 2020 includes $23,571,000 of scheduled repayments under long-term debt agreements. Although the Company’s foreign subsidiaries currently have no short-term working capital loans, these type of loans routinely exist. These short-term loan agreements could be supplemented, if necessary, by the Company’s $350,000,000 revolving credit agreement entered into on January 30, 2018.

Net interest expense for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, comprised the following:

(In thousands)	2019			2018			2017
Interest expense	$	12,744		$	13,360		$	14,428
Interest income		(5,717	)		(1,829	)		(2,075	)
		7,027			11,531			12,353
Capitalized interest		(1,095	)		(760	)		(909	)
Interest expense, net	$	5,932		$	10,771		$	11,444

Deferred Compensation

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Deferred Compensation

13. Deferred Compensation

The Company sponsors deferred compensation plans that allow management employees to defer receipt of their annual bonuses and outside directors to defer receipt of their fees until retirement, departure from the Company or as otherwise elected. Compensation expense and the related deferred compensation obligation are recorded when the underlying compensation is earned. Over time, the deferred obligation may increase or decrease based on the performance results of investment options chosen by the plan participants. The investment options include Company common stock and a limited selection of mutual funds. The Company maintains sufficient shares of treasury stock to cover the equivalent number of shares that result from participants elections of the Company common stock investment option. As a result, the Company periodically purchases its common shares in the open market or in private transactions. The Company purchases shares of the applicable mutual funds to fund the portion of its deferred compensation liabilities tied to such investments.

Some plan distributions may be made in cash or Company common stock at the option of the participant. Other plan distributions can only be made in Company common stock. For deferred compensation obligations that may be settled in cash or Company common stock at the option of the participant, the Company must record appreciation in the market values of the investment choices made by participants as additional compensation expense. Conversely, declines in the market values of the investment choices reduce compensation expense. Increases and decreases of compensation expense that result from fluctuations in the underlying investments are recorded as part of operating expenses in the consolidated statements of income. The obligations that must be settled only in Company common stock are treated as equity instruments; therefore, fluctuations in the market price of the underlying Company stock do not affect earnings.

The additional compensation expense or income resulting from the changes in the market values and earnings of the selected investment options was $15,140,000 expense in 2019, $2,329,000 income in 2018 and $4,857,000 expense in 2017. The main factor in the increase of the 2019 deferred compensation expense versus 2018 deferred compensation income was a $28.44 per share increase in the market price of the Company’s common stock in 2019 versus a $4.97 per share decline in the price of stock in 2018. The Company’s deferred compensation liability was $59,031,000 and $50,451,000 at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Statement Of Income And Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net actuarial loss arising in period, tax	$ 1,263	$ 2,300	$ 771
Amortization of prior service cost included in pension expense, tax	3	3	4
Amortization of actuarial loss included in pension expense, tax	$ 657	$ 979	$ 1,240

Selected Quarterly Financial Data (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]

Selected Quarterly Financial Data

	2019
Quarter	First			Second			Third			Fourth			Year
Net Sales	$	489,170		$	473,003		$	451,582		$	444,990		$	1,858,745
Gross Profit		84,609			92,959			77,402			84,744			339,714
Operating Income		29,738			41,065			27,966			28,491			127,260
Interest, net		(1,853	)		(1,766	)		(1,402	)		(911	)		(5,932	)
Income Before Income Taxes		31,030			39,534			27,449			27,886			125,899
Net Income		24,978			30,210			25,880			22,033			103,101
Net Income Attributable to Stepan Company		24,984			30,218			25,889			22,038			103,129
Per Diluted Share		1.07			1.30			1.11			0.95			4.42

	2018
Quarter	First			Second			Third			Fourth			Year
Net Sales	$	499,335		$	519,866		$	507,997		$	466,659		$	1,993,857
Gross Profit ⁽¹⁾		91,198			89,981			83,576			74,594			339,349
Operating Income ⁽¹⁾		41,283			45,386			27,145			35,451			149,265
Interest, net		(3,151	)		(2,672	)		(2,797	)		(2,151	)		(10,771	)
Income Before Income Taxes ⁽¹⁾		39,292			43,198			24,694			30,585			137,769
Net Income ⁽¹⁾		31,945			33,452			21,754			23,954			111,105
Net Income Attributable to Stepan Company ⁽¹⁾		31,952			33,454			21,754			23,957			111,117
Per Diluted Share ⁽¹⁾		1.37			1.44			0.93			1.03			4.76

(1)

Segment Reporting - Operating Segment (Detail) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Sep. 30, 2019

Jun. 30, 2019

Mar. 31, 2019

Dec. 31, 2018

Sep. 30, 2018

Jun. 30, 2018

Mar. 31, 2018

Dec. 31, 2019

Dec. 31, 2018

Dec. 31, 2017

$ 444,990

$ 451,582

$ 473,003

$ 489,170

$ 466,659

$ 507,997

$ 519,866

$ 499,335

$ 1,858,745

^[1]

$ 1,993,857

^[1]

$ 1,925,007

^[1]

28,491

$ 27,966

$ 41,065

$ 29,738

35,451

^[2]

$ 27,145

^[2]

$ 45,386

^[2]

$ 41,283

^[2]

127,260

^[3]

149,265

^[2],[3]

154,840

^[3]

1,579,367

^[4]

1,514,614

^[4]

1,579,367

^[4]

1,514,614

^[4]

1,502,892

105,572

86,647

78,613

Operating Segments [Member]

78,701

81,115

79,022

1,858,745

1,993,857

1,925,007

^[5]

208,762

211,552

221,422

1,331,929

1,285,200

1,331,929

1,285,200

1,311,932

103,354

84,398

75,780

76,056

78,917

77,119

Surfactants [Member]

Surfactants [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]

1,272,723

1,385,932

1,297,555

1,272,723

1,385,932

1,297,555

122,780

133,518

^[5]

125,712

^[5]

907,032

850,553

907,032

850,553

881,415

69,725

51,543

50,400

48,422

50,514

49,102

Polymers [Member]

Polymers [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]

512,347

527,420

546,634

512,347

527,420

546,634

69,567

66,373

^[5]

85,745

^[5]

338,179

351,690

338,179

351,690

355,065

29,188

26,663

21,146

Specialty Products [Member]

22,151

23,253

22,998

Specialty Products [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]

73,675

80,505

80,818

73,675

80,505

80,818

16,415

11,661

^[5]

9,965

^[5]

$ 86,718

$ 82,957

86,718

82,957

75,452

4,441

6,192

4,234

New Accounting Pronouncements And Changes In Accounting Principles [Abstract]

$ 5,483

$ 5,150

$ 5,019

[1]	Net sales are attributed to countries based on the location of the Company facility making the sales.
[2]	The 2018 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO
[3]	The 2018 and 2017 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.
[4]	The 2018 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.
[5]	The 2018 and 2017 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO

Debt - Schedule of Net Interest Expense (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Interest Income Expense Net [Abstract]
Interest expense									$ 12,744	$ 13,360	$ 14,428
Interest income									(5,717)	(1,829)	(2,075)
Interest expense net of interest income									7,027	11,531	12,353
Capitalized interest									(1,095)	(760)	(909)
Interest expense, net	$ 911	$ 1,402	$ 1,766	$ 1,853	$ 2,151	$ 2,797	$ 2,672	$ 3,151	$ 5,932	$ 10,771	$ 11,444

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Estimated Amortization Expense for Identifiable Intangibles Assets (Detail) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($)
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
For year ended 12/31/20	$ 3,522
For year ended 12/31/21	2,207
For year ended 12/31/22	1,563
For year ended 12/31/23	1,563
For year ended 12/31/24	$ 1,362

Income Taxes

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income Taxes

10. Income Taxes

The provisions for taxes on income and the related income before taxes for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, were as follows:

(In thousands)	2019			2018 As Adjusted			2017 As Adjusted
Taxes on Income
Federal
Current	$	9,998		$	(296	)	$	32,299
Deferred ⁽¹⁾		(2,879	)		8,876			(3,690	)
State
Current		2,248			2,095			1,764
Deferred ⁽¹⁾		(1,783	)		1,821			587
Foreign
Current		15,568			14,510			13,077
Deferred		(354	)		(342	)		2,102
Total ⁽¹⁾	$	22,798		$	26,664		$	46,139
Income before Taxes
Domestic ⁽¹⁾	$	63,399		$	86,368		$	80,307
Foreign		62,500			51,401			66,575
Total ⁽¹⁾	$	125,899		$	137,769		$	146,882

(1)

The variations between the effective and statutory U.S. federal income tax rates are summarized as follows:

(In thousands)	2019 Amount			%			2018 Amount As Adjusted			%			2017 Amount As Adjusted			%
Federal income tax provision at statutory tax rate ⁽¹⁾	$	26,439			21.0		$	28,931			21.0		$	51,409			35.0
State income tax provision, less applicable federal tax benefit ⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾		367			0.3			3,094			2.2			1,528			1.0
Foreign income taxed at different rates		623			0.5			864			0.6			(8,075	)		(5.5	)
U.S. taxation of foreign earnings ⁽³⁾		2,349			1.9			2,348			1.7			(1,054	)		(0.7	)
Unrecognized tax benefits		2,954			2.3			(460	)		(0.3	)		(47	)		—
Domestic production activities deduction		—			—			—			—			(1,339	)		(0.9	)
Nontaxable foreign interest income		—			—			(1,179	)		(0.9	)		(2,073	)		(1.4	)
U.S. tax reform, net impact ⁽⁴⁾		—			—			(375	)		(0.3	)		10,323			7.0
Change in accounting methods ⁽⁵⁾		—			—			(3,383	)		(2.5	)		(893	)		(0.6	)
Prior years return to provision true-up ⁽⁶⁾		(1,740	)		(1.4	)		(508	)		(0.4	)		(266	)		(0.2	)
Stock based compensation, excess tax benefits		(1,633	)		(1.3	)		(1,648	)		(1.2	)		(2,254	)		(1.5	)
U.S. tax credits ⁽⁷⁾		(6,412	)		(5.1	)		(1,324	)		(1.0	)		(1,204	)		(0.8	)
Non-deductible expenses and other items, net		(149	)		(0.1	)		304			0.5			84			0.0
Total income tax provision ⁽¹⁾	$	22,798			18.1		$	26,664			19.4		$	46,139			31.4

(1)	The 2018 and 2017 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.

(2)	Includes incremental state research credits for the tax years 2015 - 2019 that were identified as part of a research and development tax credit study.

(3)	Includes cost of global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI) in 2019 and 2018 plus other taxes paid or withheld on cash repatriated from foreign countries in 2019 and 2018.

(4)	Does not include state tax impacts, which are included in state income tax provision, less applicable federal tax benefit.

(5)	For 2018, amount represents the federal tax rate change due to certain accounting methods that were adopted on the 2017 federal income tax return. For 2017, amount represents an accounting method change for depreciation.

(6)	Certain 2018 and 2017 amounts have been reclassified to conform to the 2019 presentation.

(7)	Includes incremental federal research credits for 2015 - 2019 that were identified as part of a research and development tax credit study. Also includes a federal tax rate change due to the classification of certain 2016 and 2017 depreciable fixed assets as deductible research costs.

At December 31, 2019 and 2018, the tax effects of significant temporary differences representing deferred tax assets and liabilities were as follows:

(In thousands)	2019			2018 As Adjusted
Deferred Tax Liabilities:
Depreciation	$	(59,574	)	$	(57,665	)
Unrealized foreign exchange loss		(1,479	)		(980	)
Amortization of intangibles		(835	)		(1,016	)
Inventories ⁽¹⁾		(5,855	)		(8,429	)
Other		(307	)		(301	)
	$	(68,050	)	$	(68,391	)
Deferred Tax Assets:
Pensions	$	5,855		$	7,971
Deferred revenue		161			208
Other accruals and reserves		12,171			13,123
Legal and environmental accruals		7,758			7,143
Deferred compensation		15,816			14,214
Bad debt and rebate reserves		2,604			2,916
Non-U.S. subsidiaries net operating loss carryforwards		3,966			3,869
Tax credit carryforwards		5,200			2,141
	$	53,531		$	51,585
Valuation Allowance	$	(2,994	)	$	(3,701	)
Net Deferred Tax Liabilities	$	(17,513	)	$	(20,507	)
Reconciliation to Consolidated Balance Sheet:
Non-current deferred tax assets (in other non-current assets) ⁽¹⁾		5,878			4,454
Non-current deferred tax liabilities		(23,391	)		(24,961	)
Net Deferred Tax (Liabilities) Assets	$	(17,513	)	$	(20,507	)

(1)

Earnings generated by a foreign subsidiary are presumed to ultimately be transferred to the parent company. Therefore, the establishment of deferred taxes may be required with respect to the excess of the investment value for financial reporting over the tax basis of investments in those foreign subsidiaries (also referred to as book-over-tax outside basis differences). A company may overcome this presumption and forgo recording a deferred tax liability in its financial statements if it can assert that management has the intent and ability to indefinitely reinvest the earnings of its foreign subsidiaries. Pursuant to the 2017 U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (Tax Act), the Company’s foreign earnings have been subject to U.S. federal taxes. The Company now has the ability to repatriate to the U.S. parent the cash associated with these foreign earnings with little additional U.S. federal taxes. This cash may, however, be subject to foreign income and/or local country taxes if repatriated to the United States. In addition, repatriation of some foreign cash balances may be further restricted by local laws. As such, the Company intends to limit its distributions to earnings previously taxed in the U.S. or earnings that would qualify for the 100 percent dividends received deduction provided for in the Tax Act as long as such distributions would not result in any significant foreign taxes. In 2019, the Company repatriated approximately $57,000,000 to the U.S. parent, and recorded $500,000 of additional income tax expense in 2019 as a result of the repatriation. The effect of the adjustment on the 2019 effective tax rate was an increase of approximately 0.4 percent. During 2019, the Company reevaluated its indefinite reinvestment assertion with regards to certain accumulated foreign earnings. The Company no longer considers the undistributed earnings of its Canadian subsidiary to be indefinitely reinvested in foreign operations to the extent of the subsidiary’s paid-up capital (PUC) as determined under Canadian tax law which is used to determine tax-free distributions for Canadian tax purposes. The Company also no longer considers the undistributed earnings of its Dutch subsidiary, one of its Singapore subsidiaries, and one of its Chinese subsidiaries to be indefinitely reinvested in foreign operations. A distribution from any of these subsidiaries should not result in any significant foreign taxes to the extent of the distribution limitations discussed above and therefore, the Company has not recognized a deferred tax liability for these undistributed earnings as of December 31, 2019. The Company considers the undistributed earnings of its remaining foreign subsidiaries to be indefinitely reinvested in foreign operations. At this time, the determination of deferred tax liabilities on this amount is not practicable.

The Company has non-U.S. tax loss carryforwards of $12,031,000 (pretax) as of December 31, 2019, and $14,901,000 as of December 31, 2018, that are available for use by the Company between 2020 and 2038. The Company has tax credit carryforwards of

$5,200,000 as of December 31, 2019, and $2,141,000 as of December 31, 2018 that are available for use by the Company between 2020 and 2034. The Company has non-U.S. capital loss carryforwards of $621,000 as of December 31, 2019, and $0 as of December 31, 2018. The Company’s capital loss carryforwards do not expire.

At December 31, 2019, the Company had valuation allowances of $2,994,000, which were attributable to deferred tax assets in Canada, China, India, the Philippines and Singapore. The realization of deferred tax assets is dependent on the generation of sufficient taxable income in the appropriate tax jurisdictions. The Company believes that it is more likely than not that the related deferred tax assets will not be realized.

As of December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, unrecognized tax benefits totaled $3,273,000, $168,000 and $1,927,000, respectively. The amount of unrecognized tax benefits that, if recognized, would favorably affect the Company’s effective income tax rate in any future periods, net of the federal benefit on state issues, was approximately $3,105,000, $162,000 and $1,917,000 at December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The Company does not believe that the amount of unrecognized tax benefits related to its current uncertain tax positions will change significantly over the next 12 months.

The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. In 2019, the Company recognized net interest and penalty expense of $19,000 compared to $26,000 of net interest and penalty income in 2018 and $3,000 of net interest and penalty expense in 2017. At December 31, 2019 the liability for interest and penalties was $49,000 compared to $30,000 at December 31, 2018.

The Company files income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and various states and foreign jurisdictions. The Company is not subject to U.S. federal income tax examinations by tax authorities for years before 2015. Some foreign jurisdictions and various U.S. states jurisdictions may be subject to examination back to 2013.

During 2016, the Internal Revenue Service started its audit of the 2011 and 2012 tax years. As of December 31, 2019, these audits were officially settled. During 2018, the Company effectively settled these audits and reversed an unrecognized tax benefit of $1,526,000 that was offset with a corresponding reversal of $1,326,000 related to an income tax refund receivable for which the Company is no longer entitled to receive.

Below are reconciliations of the January 1 and December 31 balances of unrecognized tax benefits for 2019, 2018 and 2017:

(In thousands)	2019			2018			2017
Unrecognized tax benefits, opening balance	$	168		$	1,927		$	1,931
Gross increases – tax positions in prior period		2,760			29			—
Gross increases – current period tax positions		355			26			20
Foreign currency translation		7			1			69
Settlement		—			(1,526	)		—
Lapse of statute of limitations		(17	)		(289	)		(93	)
Unrecognized tax benefits, ending balance	$	3,273		$	168		$	1,927

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Allowance for Doubtful Accounts and Other Accounts Receivable Allowances (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Allowance For Doubtful Accounts Receivable Rollforward
Allowance, balance at the beginning	$ 9,654	$ 10,116	$ 9,755
Provision charged to income	29	764	45
Accounts written off, net of recoveries	(358)	(1,226)	316
Allowance, balance at ending	$ 9,325	$ 9,654	$ 10,116

Earnings Per Share

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Earnings Per Share

19. Earnings Per Share

Below is the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017:

(In thousands, except per share amounts)	2019		2018		2017
Computation of Basic Earnings per Share
Net income attributable to Stepan Company ⁽¹⁾	$	103,129	$	111,117	$	100,774
Weighted-average number of shares outstanding		23,054		23,022		22,946
Basic earnings per share ⁽¹⁾	$	4.47	$	4.83	$	4.39
Computation of Diluted Earnings per Share
Net income attributable to Stepan Company ⁽¹⁾	$	103,129	$	111,117	$	100,774
Weighted-average number of shares outstanding		23,054		23,022		22,946
Add weighted-average net shares from assumed exercise of options (under treasury share method) ⁽²⁾		97		101		161
Add weighted-average net shares related to unvested stock awards (under treasury share method)		2		3		8
Add weighted-average net shares from assumed exercise of SARs (under treasury share method)		125		110		142
Add weighted-average contingently issuable net shares related to performance stock awards (under treasury share method)		38		89		120
Weighted-average shares applicable to diluted earnings		23,316		23,325		23,377
Diluted earnings per share ⁽¹⁾	$	4.42	$	4.76	$	4.31

(1)

(2)

Consolidated Statements of Equity (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Number of shares of common stock issued under stock option plan	59,799	97,471	104,277
Number of common stock shares purchased	144,457	205,983	76,790
Common stock	$ 1.03	$ 0.93	$ 0.86
Common Stock [Member]
Number of shares of common stock issued under stock option plan	59,799	97,471	104,277
Additional Paid-in Capital [Member]
Number of shares of common stock issued under stock option plan	59,799	97,471	104,277
Treasury Stock [Member]
Number of common stock shares purchased	144,457	205,983	76,790

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Fair Value Changes Within Asset Categories for which Fair Value Measurements Use Significant Unobservable Inputs Level 3 (Detail) - Insurance Contracts [Member] - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Fair Value Assets Measured On Recurring Basis Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]
Beginning balance	$ 1,243	$ 1,698
Sale proceeds (benefit payments)	(121)	(129)
Change in unrealized gain	37	(247)
Foreign exchange impact	46	(79)
Ending balance	$ 1,205	$ 1,243

Change In Method of Accounting for Inventory Valuation

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Change in Method of Accounting for Inventory Valuation

2. Change in Method of Accounting for Inventory Valuation

On January 1, 2019, the Company elected to change its method of accounting for U.S. inventories from the LIFO basis to the FIFO basis. Total U.S. inventories accounted for using the LIFO cost flow assumption, prior to the accounting method change, comprised 68 percent of the Company’s total inventories as of December 31, 2018. Non-U.S. inventories have historically been maintained on the FIFO basis. The Company believes that this change to the FIFO method of inventory valuation is preferable as it provides a better matching of costs with the physical flow of goods, more accurately reflects the current market value of inventory

presented on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets, standardizes the Company’s inventory valuation methodology and improves comparability with the Company’s industry peers.

In accordance with ASC 250, Accounting Changes and Error Corrections, this change in method of accounting for U.S. inventories has been retrospectively applied to all prior periods presented herein. Prior period financial statements and financial comparables have been adjusted to reflect what results would have been had the Company always used the FIFO method of inventory valuation for U.S. inventories. The cumulative effect on retained earnings for these changes was $23,659,000 at December 31, 2018.

The following tables present the prior year financial statement line items that have been affected by the retrospective change in accounting principle:

Income Statement

(In thousands, except per share amounts)	Year Ended December 31, 2018
	As originally reported under LIFO		Effect of change			As adjusted under FIFO
Cost of Sales	$	1,652,354	$	2,154		$	1,654,508
Gross Profit		341,503		(2,154	)		339,349
Operating Income		151,419		(2,154	)		149,265
Income Before Provision for Income Taxes		139,923		(2,154	)		137,769
Provision for Income Taxes		27,173		(509	)		26,664
Net Income		112,750		(1,645	)		111,105
Net Income Attributable to Stepan Company		112,762		(1,645	)		111,117
Net Income Per Diluted Common Share Attributable to Stepan Company	$	4.83	$	(0.07	)	$	4.76

(In thousands, except per share amounts)	Year Ended December 31, 2017
	As originally reported under LIFO		Effect of change			As adjusted under FIFO
Cost of Sales	$	1,586,485	$	(7,645	)	$	1,578,840
Gross Profit		338,522		7,645			346,167
Operating Income		147,195		7,645			154,840
Income Before Provision for Income Taxes		139,237		7,645			146,882
Provision for Income Taxes		47,690		(1,551	)		46,139
Net Income		91,547		9,196			100,743
Net Income Attributable to Stepan Company		91,578		9,196			100,774
Net Income Per Diluted Common Share Attributable to Stepan Company	$	3.92	$	0.39		$	4.31

Balance Sheet

(In thousands)	December 31, 2018
	As originally reported under LIFO		Effect of change			As adjusted under FIFO
Inventories	$	200,165	$	31,363		$	231,528
Other Non-Current Assets		10,964		(1,415	)		9,549
Total Assets		1,484,666		29,948			1,514,614
Deferred Income Taxes	$	18,672	$	6,289		$	24,961
Retained Earnings		813,448		23,659			837,107
Total Liabilities and Equity		1,484,666		29,948			1,514,614

Statement of Cash Flows

(In thousands)	Year Ended December 31, 2018
	As originally reported under LIFO			Effect of change			As adjusted under FIFO
Net Income	$	112,750		$	(1,645	)	$	111,105
Deferred Income Taxes		10,864			(509	)		10,355
Change in Assets and Liabilities:
Inventories		(26,832	)		2,154			(24,678	)

(In thousands)	Year Ended December 31, 2017
	As originally reported under LIFO		Effect of change			As adjusted under FIFO
Net Income	$	91,547	$	9,196		$	100,743
Deferred Income Taxes		550		(1,551	)		(1,001	)
Change in Assets and Liabilities:
Inventories		5,655		(7,645	)		(1,990	)

The following tables present what 2019 financial statement line items would have been had the Company not changed its method of accounting for U.S. inventories from the LIFO to FIFO basis:

Income Statement

(In thousands, except per share amounts)	Year Ended December 31, 2019
	As reported under FIFO		Effect of change			As computed under LIFO
Cost of Sales	$	1,519,031	$	(4,000	)	$	1,515,031
Gross Profit		339,714		4,000			343,714
Operating Income		127,260		4,000			131,260
Income Before Provision for Income Taxes		125,899		4,000			129,899
Provision for Income Taxes		22,798		983			23,781
Net Income		103,101		3,017			106,118
Net Income Attributable to Stepan Company		103,129		3,017			106,146
Net Income Per Diluted Common Share Attributable to Stepan Company	$	4.42	$	0.13		$	4.55

Balance Sheet

(In thousands)	December 31, 2019
	As reported under FIFO		Effect of change			As computed under LIFO
Inventories	$	203,647	$	(27,363	)	$	176,284
Other Non-Current Assets		13,210		1,415			14,625
Total Assets		1,579,367		(25,948	)		1,553,419
Deferred Income Taxes	$	23,391	$	(5,306	)	$	18,085
Retained Earnings		922,464		(20,642	)		901,822
Total Liabilities and Equity		1,579,367		(25,948	)		1,553,419

Statement of Cash Flows

(In thousands)	Year Ended December 31, 2019
	As reported under FIFO			Effect of change			As computed under LIFO
Net Income	$	103,101		$	3,017		$	106,118
Deferred Income Taxes		(5,016	)		983			(4,033	)
Change in Assets and Liabilities:
Inventories		28,460			(4,000	)		24,460

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Detail) MMBTU in Millions		12 Months Ended
	Jan. 01, 2019 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($) MMBTU Customer Subsidiary	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) Customer	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($) Customer
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		$ 315,383,000	$ 300,194,000
Single customer comprised more than 10 percent of the Company's consolidated net sales \| Customer		0	0	0
Cost of maintenance and repairs		$ 58,464,000	$ 57,010,000	$ 51,926,000
Total research and development expenses		$ 34,139,000	$ 33,519,000	$ 33,169,000
Capitalized Environmental expenditures depreciation period		10 years
Indefinite-life intangible assets		$ 0
Number of foreign subsidiaries \| Subsidiary		3
Reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings for stranded tax effects resulting from Tax Act	$ 5,325,000
Natural Gas [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Volume in derivative contract \| MMBTU		0.9
Purchased Contract Price		$ 2,442,000
Non-compete Agreements [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible asset, useful life		5 years
Trademarks [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible asset, useful life		11 years
Supply contracts [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible asset, useful life		4 years
Building [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Lives used for calculating depreciation expense		30 years
Building Improvements [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Lives used for calculating depreciation expense		15 years
Minimum [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Percentage of Tax benefit recognized		50.00%
Minimum [Member] \| Patents [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible asset, useful life		10 years
Minimum [Member] \| Customer Relationships [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible asset, useful life		10 years
Minimum [Member] \| Know-how [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible asset, useful life		8 years
Minimum [Member] \| Manufacturing Equipment [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Lives used for calculating depreciation expense		10 years
Minimum [Member] \| Furniture and Fixtures [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Lives used for calculating depreciation expense		5 years
Minimum [Member] \| Vehicles [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Lives used for calculating depreciation expense		3 years
Minimum [Member] \| Computers Equipment And Software [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Lives used for calculating depreciation expense		3 years
Maximum [Member] \| Patents [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible asset, useful life		15 years
Maximum [Member] \| Customer Relationships [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible asset, useful life		25 years
Maximum [Member] \| Know-how [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible asset, useful life		14 years
Maximum [Member] \| Manufacturing Equipment [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Lives used for calculating depreciation expense		15 years
Maximum [Member] \| Furniture and Fixtures [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Lives used for calculating depreciation expense		10 years
Maximum [Member] \| Vehicles [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Lives used for calculating depreciation expense		5 years
Maximum [Member] \| Computers Equipment And Software [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Lives used for calculating depreciation expense		10 years
Money Market Funds [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		$ 110,700,000
Demand Deposits and Certificates of Deposit [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		105,700,000
Non-U.S. Subsidiaries [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		$ 99,000,000.0
Nanjing Stepan Jinling Chemical Limited Liability Company [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Ownership percentage		80.00%

Stock-based Compensation - Summary of SARs Activity (Detail) - SARs [Member] $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($) $ / shares shares
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares, Beginning Balance \| shares	639,146
Granted, Shares \| shares	166,518
Exercised, Shares \| shares	(104,367)
Forfeited, Shares \| shares	(45,880)
Shares, Ending Balance \| shares	655,417
Weighted Average Exercise Price, Beginning Balance \| $ / shares	$ 60.64
Granted, Weighted Average Exercise Price \| $ / shares	92.02
Exercised, Weighted Average Exercise Price \| $ / shares	51.13
Forfeited, Weighted Average Exercise Price \| $ / shares	79.12
Weighted Average Exercise Price, Ending balance \| $ / shares	$ 68.83
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term, Ending balance	6 years 10 months 20 days
Aggregate Intrinsic Value, Ending balance \| $	$ 22,048

Leases (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Leases [Abstract]

Schedule of Lease Cost and Other Information

(In thousands)	Year ended December 31, 2019
Lease Cost
Operating lease cost	$	10,908
Short-term lease cost		4,420
Variable lease cost		1,045
Total lease cost	$	16,373
Other Information
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities:
Operating cash flow from operating leases	$	10,954
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities		5,694

Schedule of Lease Liability Payments


(In thousands)
Undiscounted Cash Flows:
2020	$	10,086
2021		7,589
2022		6,395
2023		5,132
2024		3,014
Subsequent to 2024		16,235
Total Undiscounted Cash Flows	$	48,451
Less: Imputed interest		(10,052	)
Present value	$	38,399
Current operating lease liabilities ⁽¹⁾		8,745
Non-current operating lease liabilities		29,654
Total lease liabilities	$	38,399

(1)

This item is included in Accrued liabilities line on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet.

Schedule of Operating Leases Weighted Average, Remaining Lease Term and Discount Rate

Weighted-average remaining lease term-operating leases		9 Years
Weighted-average discount rate-operating leases		4.2%

Schedule of Future Minimum Lease Payments Under ASC 840

(In thousands)
Year
2019	$	9,740
2020		8,294
2021		6,027
2022		5,242
2023		4,101
Subsequent to 2023		16,593
Total minimum future rental payments	$	49,997

Insurance Recovery - Additional Information (Detail)	12 Months Ended
Insurance Recovery - Additional Information (Detail)	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($)
Insurance Recovery [Abstract]
Insurance recovery proceeds	$ 8,965,000

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Equity [Abstract]

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

20. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

Below is the change in the Company’s accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (AOCI) balance by component (net of income taxes) for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017:

(In thousands)	Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments			Defined Benefit Pension Plan Adjustments			Cash Flow Hedge Adjustments			Total
Balance at December 31, 2016	$	(96,775	)	$	(30,790	)	$	100		$	(127,465	)
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications		26,214			(582	)		—			25,632
Amounts reclassified from AOCI		—			2,279			(9	)		2,270
Net current period other comprehensive income		26,214			1,697			(9	)		27,902
Balance at December 31, 2017	$	(70,561	)	$	(29,093	)	$	91		$	(99,563	)
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications		(37,920	)		(7,080	)		—			(45,000	)
Amounts reclassified from AOCI		—			3,090			(10	)		3,080
Net current period other comprehensive income		(37,920	)		(3,990	)		(10	)		(41,920	)
Balance at December 31, 2018	$	(108,481	)	$	(33,083	)	$	81		$	(141,483	)
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications		4,444			4,112			—			8,556
Amounts reclassified from AOCI		—			2,091			(9	)		2,082
Remeasurement adjustment related to the Tax Act⁽¹⁾		—			(5,325	)		—			(5,325	)
Net current period other comprehensive income		4,444			878			(9	)		5,313
Balance at December 31, 2019	$	(104,037	)	$	(32,205	)	$	72		$	(136,170	)

Amounts reclassified out of AOCI for the three years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, is displayed below:

	Amounts Reclassified from AOCI ⁽¹⁾
(In thousands)										Affected Line Item in Consolidated
	2019			2018			2017			Statements of Income
Amortization of defined pension items:
Prior service cost	$	(12	)	$	(12	)	$	(14	)
Actuarial loss		(2,739	)		(4,059	)		(3,509	)
	$	(2,751	)		(4,071	)		(3,523	)	Total before tax ⁽²⁾
		660			981			1,244		Tax benefit
	$	(2,091	)	$	(3,090	)	$	(2,279	)	Net of tax

Gains and losses on cash flow hedges:
Foreign exchange contracts	$	9		$	10		$	9		Cost of sales
		9			10			9		Total before tax
		—			—			—		Tax benefit
	$	9		$	10		$	9		Net of tax
Total reclassifications for the period	$	(2,082	)	$	(3,080	)	$	(2,270	)	Net of tax

(1)	Amounts in parentheses denote expense to statement of income.

(2)	This component of accumulated other comprehensive income is included in the computation of net periodic benefit cost (see Note 14 for details regarding net periodic benefit costs for the Company’s U.S. and U.K. defined benefit plans).

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Company's Asset Allocations for its U.S. Pension Plans by Asset Category (Detail) - United States [Member] - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	$ 160,423	$ 134,198	$ 147,908
Level 1 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	115,591	95,478
Level 2 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	44,832	38,720
Cash and Cash Equivalents [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	7,261	4,935
Cash and Cash Equivalents [Member] \| Level 1 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	7,261	4,935
Equity Securities [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	97,250	84,229
Equity Securities [Member] \| Level 1 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	97,250	84,229
U.S. Equities [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	50,319	34,751
U.S. Equities [Member] \| Level 1 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	50,319	34,751
Non-U.S. Equities [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	19,697	27,415
Non-U.S. Equities [Member] \| Level 1 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	19,697	27,415
Employer Securities [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	27,234	22,063
Employer Securities [Member] \| Level 1 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	27,234	22,063
Fixed Income Securities [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	55,912	45,034
Fixed Income Securities [Member] \| Level 1 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	11,080	6,314
Fixed Income Securities [Member] \| Level 2 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	44,832	38,720
U.S. Corporate Bonds [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	36,242	29,659
U.S. Corporate Bonds [Member] \| Level 2 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	36,242	29,659
U.S. Government and Agency Bonds [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	11,080	9,453
U.S. Government and Agency Bonds [Member] \| Level 1 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	11,080	6,314
U.S. Government and Agency Bonds [Member] \| Level 2 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total		3,139
Other Bonds [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	8,590	5,922
Other Bonds [Member] \| Level 2 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	$ 8,590	$ 5,922

Selected Quarterly Financial Data (Detail) - USD ($)
$ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Sep. 30, 2019

Jun. 30, 2019

Mar. 31, 2019

Dec. 31, 2018

Sep. 30, 2018

Jun. 30, 2018

Mar. 31, 2018

Dec. 31, 2019

Dec. 31, 2018

Dec. 31, 2017

Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]

Net Sales

$ 444,990

$ 451,582

$ 473,003

$ 489,170

$ 466,659

$ 507,997

$ 519,866

$ 499,335

$ 1,858,745

^[1]

$ 1,993,857

^[1]

$ 1,925,007

^[1]

84,744

77,402

92,959

84,609

74,594

^[2]

83,576

^[2]

89,981

^[2]

91,198

^[2]

339,714

^[3]

339,349

^[2],[3]

346,167

^[3]

Income Before Income Taxes

28,491

27,966

41,065

29,738

35,451

^[2]

27,145

^[2]

45,386

^[2]

41,283

^[2]

127,260

^[3]

149,265

^[2],[3]

154,840

^[3]

Interest, net

(911)

(1,402)

(1,766)

(1,853)

(2,151)

(2,797)

(2,672)

(3,151)

(5,932)

(10,771)

(11,444)

27,886

27,449

39,534

31,030

30,585

^[2]

24,694

^[2]

43,198

^[2]

39,292

^[2]

125,899

^[3],[4]

137,769

^[2],[3],[4]

146,882

^[3],[4]

22,033

25,880

30,210

24,978

23,954

^[2]

21,754

^[2]

33,452

^[2]

31,945

^[2]

103,101

^[3]

111,105

^[2],[3],[5]

100,743

^[3],[5]

$ 22,038

$ 25,889

$ 30,218

$ 24,984

$ 23,957

^[2]

$ 21,754

^[2]

$ 33,454

^[2]

$ 31,952

^[2]

$ 103,129

^[3]

$ 111,117

^[2],[3]

$ 100,774

^[3]

Per Diluted Share

$ 0.95

$ 1.11

$ 1.30

$ 1.07

$ 1.03

^[2]

$ 0.93

^[2]

$ 1.44

^[2]

$ 1.37

^[2]

$ 4.42

^[3]

$ 4.76

^[2],[3]

$ 4.31

^[3]

[1]	Net sales are attributed to countries based on the location of the Company facility making the sales.
[2]	The 2018 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO
[3]	The 2018 and 2017 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.
[4]	The 2018 and 2017 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO
[5]	The retained earnings and net income amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.

The amount of net income (loss) for the period available to each share of common stock or common unit outstanding during the reporting period and to each share or unit that would have been outstanding assuming the issuance of common shares or units for all dilutive potential common shares or units outstanding during the reporting period.

+ References

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+ Details

The portion of profit or loss for the period, net of income taxes, which is attributable to the parent.

+ References + Details

Revenue From Contract With Customer [Abstract]

The consolidated profit or loss for the period, net of income taxes, including the portion attributable to the noncontrolling interest.

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+ Details

Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Geographic Disaggregation of Net Sales

	2019
(In thousands)	Surfactants		Polymers		Specialty Products		Total
Geographic Market
North America	$	766,341	$	314,549	$	61,501	$	1,142,391
Europe		240,711		158,455		12,174		411,340
Latin America		212,405		3,304		—		215,709
Asia		53,266		36,039		—		89,305
Total	$	1,272,723	$	512,347	$	73,675	$	1,858,745

	2018
(In thousands)	Surfactants		Polymers		Specialty Products		Total
Geographic Market
North America	$	831,592	$	323,360	$	68,201		1,223,153
Europe		276,742		172,632		12,304		461,678
Latin America		212,824		3,463		—		216,287
Asia		64,774		27,965		—		92,739
Total	$	1,385,932	$	527,420	$	80,505	$	1,993,857

	2017
(In thousands)	Surfactants		Polymers		Specialty Products		Total
Geographic Market
North America	$	763,044	$	329,629	$	66,906		1,159,579
Europe		275,121		188,244		13,912		477,277
Latin America		190,802		4,451		—		195,253
Asia		68,588		24,310		—		92,898
Total	$	1,297,555	$	546,634	$	80,818	$	1,925,007

Segment Reporting

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Segment Reporting

18. Segment Reporting

The Company has three reportable segments: Surfactants, Polymers and Specialty Products. Each segment provides distinct products and requires separate management due to unique markets, technologies and production processes. Surfactants are used in a variety of consumer and industrial cleaning compounds as well as in agricultural products, lubricating ingredients, oil field chemicals and other specialized applications. Polymers are used primarily in plastics, building materials, refrigeration systems and CASE applications. Specialty Products are used in food, flavoring, nutritional supplement and pharmaceutical applications.

The Company evaluates the performance of its segments and allocates resources based on operating income before interest expense, other income/expense items and income tax provision. The accounting policies of the reportable segments are the same as those described in the summary of significant accounting policies.

The following is segment data for the three years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017:

(In thousands)	Surfactants		Polymers		Specialty Products		Segment Totals
2019
Net sales	$	1,272,723	$	512,347	$	73,675	$	1,858,745
Operating income		122,780		69,567		16,415		208,762
Assets		907,032		338,179		86,718		1,331,929
Capital expenditures		69,725		29,188		4,441		103,354
Depreciation and amortization expenses		48,422		22,151		5,483		76,056

2018
Net sales	$	1,385,932	$	527,420	$	80,505	$	1,993,857
Operating income ⁽¹⁾		133,518		66,373		11,661		211,552
Assets		850,553		351,690		82,957		1,285,200
Capital expenditures		51,543		26,663		6,192		84,398
Depreciation and amortization expenses		50,514		23,253		5,150		78,917

2017
Net sales	$	1,297,555	$	546,634	$	80,818	$	1,925,007
Operating income ⁽¹⁾		125,712		85,745		9,965		221,422
Assets		881,415		355,065		75,452		1,311,932
Capital expenditures		50,400		21,146		4,234		75,780
Depreciation and amortization expenses		49,102		22,998		5,019		77,119

(1)

Below are reconciliations of segment data to the consolidated financial statements:

(In thousands)	2019			2018			2017
Operating income - segment totals ⁽¹⁾	$	208,762		$	211,552		$	221,422
Business restructuring ⁽²⁾		(2,744	)		(2,588	)		(3,069	)
Unallocated corporate expenses ⁽³⁾		(78,758	)		(59,699	)		(63,513	)
Total operating income		127,260			149,265			154,840
Interest expense, net		(5,932	)		(10,771	)		(11,444	)
Other, net		4,571			(725	)		3,486
Consolidated income before income taxes⁽¹⁾	$	125,899		$	137,769		$	146,882

Assets - segment totals	$	1,331,929		$	1,285,200		$	1,311,932
Unallocated corporate assets ⁽¹⁾⁽⁴⁾		247,438			229,414			190,960
Consolidated assets	$	1,579,367		$	1,514,614		$	1,502,892

Capital expenditures - segment totals	$	103,354		$	84,398		$	75,780
Unallocated corporate expenditures		2,218			2,249			2,833
Consolidated capital expenditures	$	105,572		$	86,647		$	78,613

Depreciation and amortization expenses – segment totals	$	76,056		$	78,917		$	77,119
Unallocated corporate depreciation expenses		2,645			2,198			1,903
Consolidated depreciation and amortization expenses	$	78,701		$	81,115		$	79,022

(1)

(2)

See Note 23 regarding business restructuring costs.

(3)

(4)

The changes in unallocated corporate assets between 2019, 2018 and 2017 were primarily attributable to changes in the balance of U.S. cash and cash equivalents, which are not allocated to segments.

Below is certain Company-wide geographic data for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017:

(In thousands)	2019		2018		2017
Net sales ⁽¹⁾
United States	$	1,115,993	$	1,193,938	$	1,159,578
France		145,933		171,010		176,052
Poland		156,391		170,474		188,244
United Kingdom		96,842		105,732		99,069
Brazil		102,590		100,328		109,960
All other countries		240,996		252,375		192,104
Total	$	1,858,745	$	1,993,857	$	1,925,007

Long-lived assets ⁽²⁾
United States	$	462,199	$	427,274	$	420,342
Germany		30,084		29,151		29,116
Singapore		28,741		30,838		33,530
Brazil		46,740		48,427		55,974
China		27,201		29,030		30,849
United Kingdom		21,551		20,225		21,657
All other countries		64,239		61,145		50,631
Total	$	680,755	$	646,090	$	642,099

(1)

Net sales are attributed to countries based on the location of the Company facility making the sales.

(2)

Includes net property, plant and equipment, goodwill and other intangible assets.

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Amounts Recognized in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
United States [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Net actuarial loss	$ 37,671	$ 45,334
United Kingdom [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Net actuarial loss	$ 4,460	$ 5,849

Business Restructuring - Additional Information (Detail)

1 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

Employees

Mar. 31, 2019

USD ($)

Dec. 31, 2017

USD ($)

Jun. 30, 2017

USD ($)

Dec. 31, 2019

USD ($)

Employees

Dec. 31, 2018

USD ($)

Dec. 31, 2017

USD ($)

2019 Restructuring [Member] | Netherlands [Member]

^[1]

$ 2,744,000

$ 2,588,000

$ 3,069,000

2019 Restructuring [Member] | Early Termination of Lease Expenses [Member] | Netherlands [Member]

Severance costs

554,000

2018 Restructuring [Member] | Germany [Member] | Surfactants [Member]

122,000

2018 Restructuring [Member] | Germany [Member] | Surfactants [Member] | Asset And Spare Part

2,313,000

2018 Restructuring [Member] | Decommissioning Costs | Germany [Member] | Surfactants [Member]

$ 1,404,000

2017 Restructuring [Member] | Fieldsboro, NJ [Member]

909,000

2017 Restructuring [Member] | Singapore [Member] | Surfactants [Member]

$ 251,000

$ 915,000

Depreciation expense

$ 1,290,000

Number positions eliminated | Employees

2017 Restructuring [Member] | Termination Benefits [Member] | Singapore [Member] | Surfactants [Member]

2016 Restructuring [Member] | Longford Mills [Member] | Surfactants [Member]

$ 132,000

$ 0

Number positions eliminated | Employees

$ 7,484,000

2016 Restructuring [Member] | Termination Benefits [Member] | Longford Mills [Member] | Surfactants [Member]

2016 Restructuring [Member] | Other Expense [Member] | Longford Mills [Member] | Surfactants [Member]

$ 1,644,000

New Accounting Pronouncements And Changes In Accounting Principles [Abstract]

$ 5,840,000

[1]	See Note 23 regarding business restructuring costs.

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Statement Of Financial Position [Abstract]
Allowances	$ 9,325	$ 9,654
Common stock, par value	$ 1	$ 1
Common stock, shares authorized	60,000,000	60,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	26,493,335	26,308,668
Treasury stock, shares	3,979,735	3,803,043

Change In Method of Accounting for Inventory Valuation (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Summary of Prior Year Financial Statement Line Items that have Been Affected by Retrospective Change in Accounting Principle

The following tables present the prior year financial statement line items that have been affected by the retrospective change in accounting principle:

Income Statement

(In thousands, except per share amounts)	Year Ended December 31, 2018
	As originally reported under LIFO		Effect of change			As adjusted under FIFO
Cost of Sales	$	1,652,354	$	2,154		$	1,654,508
Gross Profit		341,503		(2,154	)		339,349
Operating Income		151,419		(2,154	)		149,265
Income Before Provision for Income Taxes		139,923		(2,154	)		137,769
Provision for Income Taxes		27,173		(509	)		26,664
Net Income		112,750		(1,645	)		111,105
Net Income Attributable to Stepan Company		112,762		(1,645	)		111,117
Net Income Per Diluted Common Share Attributable to Stepan Company	$	4.83	$	(0.07	)	$	4.76

(In thousands, except per share amounts)	Year Ended December 31, 2017
	As originally reported under LIFO		Effect of change			As adjusted under FIFO
Cost of Sales	$	1,586,485	$	(7,645	)	$	1,578,840
Gross Profit		338,522		7,645			346,167
Operating Income		147,195		7,645			154,840
Income Before Provision for Income Taxes		139,237		7,645			146,882
Provision for Income Taxes		47,690		(1,551	)		46,139
Net Income		91,547		9,196			100,743
Net Income Attributable to Stepan Company		91,578		9,196			100,774
Net Income Per Diluted Common Share Attributable to Stepan Company	$	3.92	$	0.39		$	4.31

Balance Sheet

(In thousands)	December 31, 2018
	As originally reported under LIFO		Effect of change			As adjusted under FIFO
Inventories	$	200,165	$	31,363		$	231,528
Other Non-Current Assets		10,964		(1,415	)		9,549
Total Assets		1,484,666		29,948			1,514,614
Deferred Income Taxes	$	18,672	$	6,289		$	24,961
Retained Earnings		813,448		23,659			837,107
Total Liabilities and Equity		1,484,666		29,948			1,514,614

Statement of Cash Flows

(In thousands)	Year Ended December 31, 2018
	As originally reported under LIFO			Effect of change			As adjusted under FIFO
Net Income	$	112,750		$	(1,645	)	$	111,105
Deferred Income Taxes		10,864			(509	)		10,355
Change in Assets and Liabilities:
Inventories		(26,832	)		2,154			(24,678	)

(In thousands)	Year Ended December 31, 2017
	As originally reported under LIFO		Effect of change			As adjusted under FIFO
Net Income	$	91,547	$	9,196		$	100,743
Deferred Income Taxes		550		(1,551	)		(1,001	)
Change in Assets and Liabilities:
Inventories		5,655		(7,645	)		(1,990	)

Summary of 2019 Financial Statement Line Items If Company Does Not Changed Method of Accounting for U.S. Inventories from LIFO to FIFO

The following tables present what 2019 financial statement line items would have been had the Company not changed its method of accounting for U.S. inventories from the LIFO to FIFO basis:

Income Statement

(In thousands, except per share amounts)	Year Ended December 31, 2019
	As reported under FIFO		Effect of change			As computed under LIFO
Cost of Sales	$	1,519,031	$	(4,000	)	$	1,515,031
Gross Profit		339,714		4,000			343,714
Operating Income		127,260		4,000			131,260
Income Before Provision for Income Taxes		125,899		4,000			129,899
Provision for Income Taxes		22,798		983			23,781
Net Income		103,101		3,017			106,118
Net Income Attributable to Stepan Company		103,129		3,017			106,146
Net Income Per Diluted Common Share Attributable to Stepan Company	$	4.42	$	0.13		$	4.55

Balance Sheet

(In thousands)	December 31, 2019
	As reported under FIFO		Effect of change			As computed under LIFO
Inventories	$	203,647	$	(27,363	)	$	176,284
Other Non-Current Assets		13,210		1,415			14,625
Total Assets		1,579,367		(25,948	)		1,553,419
Deferred Income Taxes	$	23,391	$	(5,306	)	$	18,085
Retained Earnings		922,464		(20,642	)		901,822
Total Liabilities and Equity		1,579,367		(25,948	)		1,553,419

Statement of Cash Flows

(In thousands)	Year Ended December 31, 2019
	As reported under FIFO			Effect of change			As computed under LIFO
Net Income	$	103,101		$	3,017		$	106,118
Deferred Income Taxes		(5,016	)		983			(4,033	)
Change in Assets and Liabilities:
Inventories		28,460			(4,000	)		24,460

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Defined Contribution Plans - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Defined Contribution Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Supplemental plan liability balances	$ 1,819	$ 1,519
Defined contribution plan expense	$ 12,030	11,799	$ 12,000
Percentage of union and non-union employees eligible for either statutory or Company's sponsored profit sharing contributions	77.00%
Statutory Plans [Member]
Defined Contribution Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Defined contribution plan expense	$ 935	374	$ 398
Defined Contribution Plans [Member]
Defined Contribution Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Balance of trust assets	$ 1,744	$ 1,444

Business Restructuring

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Restructuring And Related Activities [Abstract]

Business Restructuring

23. Business Restructuring

2019 Restructuring

In 2019, the Company restructured its Specialty Products office in the Netherlands and eliminated select positions from the site’s supply chain, quality control and research and development areas. This restructuring was designed to better align the number of personnel with current business requirements and reduce costs at the site. As a result, severance and early lease termination expenses of $554,000 and $122,000, respectively, were recognized during the year ended December 31, 2019.

2018 Restructuring

During the third quarter of 2018, the Company approved a plan to shut down Surfactants operations at its German plant site. As of December 31, 2019, an aggregate of $2,313,000 shut down related expense had been recognized at the site. This aggregate expense is comprised of $1,404,000 of asset and spare part write downs recognized in 2018 and $909,000 of decommissioning costs recognized in the year ended December 31, 2019. Decommissioning costs associated with the shutdown are expected to continue in 2020.

2017 Restructuring

During the fourth quarter of 2017, the Company approved a plan to restructure a portion of its Fieldsboro, New Jersey production facility. This facility is a part of the Surfactant reportable segment. This decision was made to improve future asset utilization and reduce the North American cost base going forward. As a result, the Company recorded $915,000 of restructuring expenses which reflected termination benefits for select plant employees. In addition, the Company reduced the useful lives of the manufacturing assets that were impacted by the restructuring and recorded $1,290,000 of accelerated depreciation. This expense was recorded in the cost of sales line of the consolidated statements of income. In the first quarter of 2019, the Company recognized a $251,000 favorable adjustment to the amount of termination benefits initially recorded.

Also, in June 2017, the Company eliminated 11 positions from manufacturing operations at its Singapore plant. The Singapore plant is part of the Company’s Surfactant segment. The reduction in positions was made to better align the number of personnel with current business requirements and to reduce costs at that site. As a result of the reduction in workforce, termination expense of $132,000 was recognized in the second quarter of 2017 and there was no remaining liability for the termination pay as of December 31, 2017.

2016 Restructuring

In May 2016, the Company announced plans to shut down its Long Mills, Ontarion, Canada (Longford Mills) manufacturing facility, a part of the Surfactant reportable segment, by December 31, 2016. The shutdown plan was implemented to improve the Company’s asset utilization in North America and to reduce the Company’s fixed cost base. Manufacturing operations at the Longford Mills plant ceased by the end of 2016, and production of goods manufactured at the facility was transferred to other Company North American production sites. Decommissioning of the assets is expected to continue throughout 2020. As of December 31, 2019, $7,484,000 of aggregate restructuring expense had been recognized, reflecting $1,644,000 of termination benefits for approximately 30 employees and $5,840,000 for other expenses, principally site decommissioning costs.

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Defined Benefit Plans - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Feb. 21, 2019	Aug. 08, 2018	Mar. 09, 2018	Feb. 21, 2018
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Assets gains or losses added for prior year	80.00%
Assets gains or losses added for second preceding year	60.00%
Assets gains or losses added for third preceding year	40.00%
Assets gains or losses added for fourth preceding year	20.00%
United States [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Common shares sold to the Company's ESOP trust				32,299	16,833	23,471	43,930
Expected long-term rate of return on assets	6.75%	6.75%	7.00%
Expected payment related to qualified plan	$ 0
Expected payment related to non-qualified plan	$ 301,000
U.K Plans [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Expected long-term rate of return on assets	3.82%	3.71%	3.77%
Percentage of premium estimated return for equities and properties to risk free rate	4.30%
Percentage of long term return in cash	0.80%
Expected payment related to qualified plan	$ 495,000
Equities [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Percentage of target allocation for investment category	45.00%
Expected long-term rate of return on assets	6.45%
Equities [Member] \| U.K Plans [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Percentage of target allocation for investment category	31.00%
Debt Securities [Member] \| United States [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Percentage of target allocation for investment category	38.00%
Debt Securities [Member] \| U.K Plans [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Percentage of target allocation for investment category	58.00%
Employer Securities [Member] \| United States [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Percentage of target allocation for investment category	15.00%
Cash [Member] \| United States [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Percentage of target allocation for investment category	2.00%
Cash [Member] \| U.K Plans [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Percentage of target allocation for investment category	6.00%
Insurance Contracts [Member] \| U.K Plans [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Percentage of target allocation for investment category	5.00%
U.S. and international equities [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Expected long-term rate of return on assets	4.53%

Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Deduction percentage of dividends received from distribution to earnings previously taxed	100.00%
Foreign earnings repatriated	$ 57,000,000
Additional income tax expense	$ 500,000
Increase in effective tax rate	0.004
Tax loss carryforwards	$ 12,031,000	$ 14,901,000
Tax credit carryforwards	5,200,000	2,141,000
Capital loss carryforwards	621,000	0
Valuation Allowance	2,994,000	3,701,000
Unrecognized tax benefits	3,273,000	168,000	$ 1,927,000	$ 1,931,000
Unrecognized tax benefits that, if recognized, would impact effective tax rates	3,105,000	162,000	1,917,000
Net interest and penalty expense (income)	19,000	(26,000)	$ 3,000
Income tax liability for interest and penalties	$ 49,000	30,000
Unrecognized tax benefits from adjustments related to examination		1,526,000
Income tax refund receivable		$ 1,326,000

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) - Summary of Amounts Reclassified Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Detail) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Sep. 30, 2019

Jun. 30, 2019

Mar. 31, 2019

Dec. 31, 2018

^[1]

Sep. 30, 2018

^[1]

Jun. 30, 2018

^[1]

Mar. 31, 2018

^[1]

Dec. 31, 2019

Dec. 31, 2018

Dec. 31, 2017

Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]

$ 27,886

$ 27,449

$ 39,534

$ 31,030

$ 30,585

$ 24,694

$ 43,198

$ 39,292

$ 125,899

^[2],[3]

$ 137,769

^[1],[2],[3]

$ 146,882

^[2],[3]

Tax benefit

^[3]

(22,798)

(26,664)

(46,139)

Defined Benefit Pension Plan Adjustments [Member] | Amounts Reclassified From Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member]

^[3]

1,519,031

1,654,508

1,578,840

Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]

Prior service cost

^[4]

(12)

(14)

Actuarial loss

^[4]

(2,739)

(4,059)

(3,509)

Income applicable to common stock

^[4],[5]

(2,751)

(4,071)

(3,523)

Tax benefit

^[4]

660

981

1,244

^[4]

(2,091)

(3,090)

(2,279)

Cash Flow Hedge Adjustments [Member] | Amounts Reclassified From Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member]

Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]

Income applicable to common stock

^[4]

^[4]

Cash Flow Hedge Adjustments [Member] | Foreign exchange contracts [Member] | Amounts Reclassified From Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member]

Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Member]

^[4]

Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]

Income applicable to common stock

^[4]

$ (2,082)

$ (3,080)

$ (2,270)

[1]	The 2018 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO
[2]	The 2018 and 2017 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO
[3]	The 2018 and 2017 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.
[4]	Amounts in parentheses denote expense to statement of income.
[5]	This component of accumulated other comprehensive income is included in the computation of net periodic benefit cost (see Note 14 for details regarding net periodic benefit costs for the Company’s U.S. and U.K. defined benefit plans).

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of Changes in Carrying Value of Goodwill

The changes in the carrying value of goodwill for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, were as follows:

(In thousands)	Surfactants Segment						Polymer Segment						Specialty Products Segment				Total
	2019			2018			2019			2018			2019		2018		2019			2018
Balance as of January 1
Goodwill	$	20,521		$	22,627		$	5,417		$	5,475		$	483	$	483	$	26,421		$	28,585
Accumulated impairment loss		(3,467	)		(3,467	)		—			—			—		—		(3,467	)		(3,467	)
Goodwill, net		17,054			19,160			5,417			5,475			483		483		22,954			25,118
Goodwill acquired⁽¹⁾		3,497			—			—			—			—		—		3,497			—
Goodwill measurement period adjustment		—			—			—			—			—		—		—			—
Foreign currency translation		(354	)		(2,106	)		(11	)		(58	)		—		—		(365	)		(2,164	)
Balance as of December 31
Goodwill		23,664			20,521			5,406			5,417			483		483		29,553			26,421
Accumulated impairment loss		(3,467	)		(3,467	)		—			—			—		—		(3,467	)		(3,467	)
Goodwill, net	$	20,197		$	17,054		$	5,406		$	5,417		$	483	$	483	$	26,086		$	22,954

(1)

See Note 21 for information regarding the goodwill acquired in a business combination.

Components of Other Intangible Assets and Changes in Gross Carrying Values

(In thousands)	Gross Carrying Value				Accumulated Amortization
	December 31				December 31
	2019		2018		2019		2018
Other Intangible Assets:
Patents	$	6,947	$	6,947	$	5,091	$	4,492
Non-compete agreements		374	$	387		242	$	173
Trademarks		4,087		3,800		2,561		1,929
Customer lists/relationships ⁽²⁾		14,539		10,750		5,983		4,356
Supply contract		2,040		2,113		1,657		1,189
Know-how ⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾		9,543		7,900		6,644		5,514
Total	$	37,530	$	31,897	$	22,178	$	17,653

(1)

(2)	In 2019, customer lists/relationships and know- how include the acquisition of an oilfield demulsifier product line. See Note 21 for more details.

Estimated Amortization Expense for Identifiable Intangibles Assets

Estimated amortization expense for identifiable intangibles assets for each of the five succeeding fiscal years is as follows:

(In thousands)
For year ended 12/31/20	$	3,522
For year ended 12/31/21		2,207
For year ended 12/31/22		1,563
For year ended 12/31/23		1,563
For year ended 12/31/24		1,362

Leases - Schedule of Operating Leases Weighted Average, Remaining Lease Term and Discount Rate (Detail)	Dec. 31, 2019
Leases [Abstract]
Weighted-average remaining lease term-operating leases	9 years
Weighted-average discount rate-operating leases	4.20%

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Schedule of Amounts Recognized in Balance Sheets (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
United States [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Non-current asset	$ 1,479
Current liability	(301)	$ (302)
Non-current liability	(17,254)	(24,094)
Net amount recognized	(16,076)	(24,396)
United Kingdom [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Non-current asset	2,507	570
Net amount recognized	$ 2,507	$ 570

Fair Value Measurements - Fair Values and Related Carrying Values of Debt (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Carrying value	$ 222,857	$ 277,058
Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair value	$ 226,712	$ 274,119

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Information for Pension Plans with Projected Benefit Obligations in Excess of Plan Assets (Detail) - United States [Member] - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Projected benefit obligation	$ 141,839	$ 158,594
Accumulated benefit obligation	141,839	158,594
Fair value of plan assets	$ 124,284	$ 134,198

Subsequent Events

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Subsequent Events [Abstract]

Subsequent Events

27. Subsequent Events

On January 19, 2020, the Company experienced a power disruption that impacted its Millsdale, Illinois facility. This power outage combined with below freezing temperatures led to significant production and operational challenges. During the period that followed the Millsdale facility operated on a partial basis and used existing inventories to serve its customers. On February 17, 2020, operational issues impacted the Millsdale site’s waste water treatment plant (WWTP) and forced the Company to stop production at the site. The Company has subsequently restarted polyol production using a temporary solution. The Company announced on February 26, 2020, that the waste water treatment plant at the Millsdale facility was back in operation and that the facility was producing Surfactant products. The Company is working to resume phthalic anhydride production. As a result of the WWTP plant being down and low inventory levels the Company declared Force Majeure for the supply of phthalic anhydride and certain surfactant product lines. The Company is using its global production network and working with customers to minimize the impact of this supply disruption. At this time, the Company is not able to quantify the extent of the impact from this event on the Company’s statement of financial position, results of operations or cash flows. The Company is working with its insurance provider to recover the losses related to this incident.

Accrued Liabilities (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Payables And Accruals [Abstract]

Composition of Accrued Liabilities

The composition of accrued liabilities was as follows:

	December 31
(In thousands)	2019		2018
Accrued payroll and benefits	$	57,894	$	53,782
Accrued customer rebates		25,148		24,833
Other accrued liabilities		38,225		16,955
Total accrued liabilities	$	121,267	$	95,570

Change in Method of Accounting for Inventory Valuation - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands

Dec. 31, 2019

Dec. 31, 2018

New Accounting Pronouncements Or Change In Accounting Principle [Line Items]

Percentage of LIFO inventory

68.00%

Retained earnings

^[1],[2]

$ 922,464

$ 837,107

Effect of Change [Member]

New Accounting Pronouncements Or Change In Accounting Principle [Line Items]

Retained earnings

$ (20,642)

$ 23,659

[1]	The 2019 amounts for the noted line items include an adjustment related to the Company’s first quarter 2019 adoption of Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2018-02, Income Statement – Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive income.
[2]	The 2018 amounts for the noted line items have been retrospectively changed from the amounts originally reported as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 change in method of accounting for U.S. inventory valuation from LIFO to FIFO.

Accrued Liabilities - Composition of Accrued Liabilities (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Payables And Accruals [Abstract]
Accrued payroll and benefits	$ 57,894	$ 53,782
Accrued customer rebates	25,148	24,833
Other accrued liabilities	38,225	16,955
Total accrued liabilities	$ 121,267	$ 95,570

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

1. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Nature of Operations

Use of Estimates

Principles of Consolidation

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investments with purchased maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents.

Receivables and Credit Risk

The following is an analysis of the allowance for doubtful accounts and other accounts receivable allowances for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017:

(In thousands)	2019			2018			2017
Balance at January 1	$	9,654		$	10,116		$	9,755
Provision charged to income		29			764			45
Accounts written off, net of recoveries		(358	)		(1,226	)		316
Balance at December 31	$	9,325		$	9,654		$	10,116

Inventories

Property, Plant and Equipment

Interest charges on borrowings applicable to major construction projects are capitalized.

Fair Value Measurements

Level 1 - quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities.

Level 3 - unobservable inputs which reflect the entity’s own assumptions about the assumptions market participants use in pricing the assets and liabilities.

Revenue Recognition

Cost of Sales

Operating Expenses

Compensation expense or income related to the Company’s deferred compensation plans is presented in the deferred compensation expense (income) line in the Consolidated Statements of Income.

Environmental Expenditures

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

Income Taxes

Translation of Foreign Currencies

Stock-Based Compensation

Earnings Per Share

Comprehensive Income and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

Segment Reporting

Derivative Instruments

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Selected Quarterly Financial Data

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]

Selected Quarterly Financial Data

(In thousands, except per share data)

Unaudited

	2019
Quarter	First			Second			Third			Fourth			Year
Net Sales	$	489,170		$	473,003		$	451,582		$	444,990		$	1,858,745
Gross Profit		84,609			92,959			77,402			84,744			339,714
Operating Income		29,738			41,065			27,966			28,491			127,260
Interest, net		(1,853	)		(1,766	)		(1,402	)		(911	)		(5,932	)
Income Before Income Taxes		31,030			39,534			27,449			27,886			125,899
Net Income		24,978			30,210			25,880			22,033			103,101
Net Income Attributable to Stepan Company		24,984			30,218			25,889			22,038			103,129
Per Diluted Share		1.07			1.30			1.11			0.95			4.42

	2018
Quarter	First			Second			Third			Fourth			Year
Net Sales	$	499,335		$	519,866		$	507,997		$	466,659		$	1,993,857
Gross Profit ⁽¹⁾		91,198			89,981			83,576			74,594			339,349
Operating Income ⁽¹⁾		41,283			45,386			27,145			35,451			149,265
Interest, net		(3,151	)		(2,672	)		(2,797	)		(2,151	)		(10,771	)
Income Before Income Taxes ⁽¹⁾		39,292			43,198			24,694			30,585			137,769
Net Income ⁽¹⁾		31,945			33,452			21,754			23,954			111,105
Net Income Attributable to Stepan Company ⁽¹⁾		31,952			33,454			21,754			23,957			111,117
Per Diluted Share ⁽¹⁾		1.37			1.44			0.93			1.03			4.76

(1)

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Impairment of Goodwill	$ 0	$ 0
Amortization of Intangible Assets, Total	$ 3,399,000	$ 3,470,000	$ 3,711,000

Fair Value Measurements - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Unamortized debt issuance cost	$ 754,000	$ 978,000

Acquisitions - Additional Information (Detail)			3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
Acquisitions - Additional Information (Detail)	Dec. 17, 2019 USD ($)	Mar. 26, 2018 USD ($) ft² T	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Paid from cash on hand				$ 9,000,000	$ 22,852,000	$ 4,339,000
Goodwill			$ (22,954,000)	(26,086,000)	(22,954,000)	(25,118,000)
Surfactants [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Goodwill			(17,054,000)	(20,197,000)	$ (17,054,000)	$ (19,160,000)
2019 Acquisition [Member] \| Oilfield Demulsifier Product Line [Member] \| Surfactants [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Paid from cash on hand	$ 9,000,000
Goodwill	(3,497,000)
2019 Acquisition [Member] \| Oilfield Demulsifier Product Line [Member] \| Surfactants [Member] \| Product Know-how [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Intangible assets identified related to acquisition	(1,500,000)
2019 Acquisition [Member] \| Oilfield Demulsifier Product Line [Member] \| Surfactants [Member] \| Customer Relationships [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Intangible assets identified related to acquisition	$ (3,200,000)
2019 Acquisition [Member] \| Minimum [Member] \| Oilfield Demulsifier Product Line [Member] \| Surfactants [Member] \| Product Know-how [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Weighted average amortization periods of identifiable intangibles assets	13 years
2019 Acquisition [Member] \| Minimum [Member] \| Oilfield Demulsifier Product Line [Member] \| Surfactants [Member] \| Customer List [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Weighted average amortization periods of identifiable intangibles assets	22 years
2019 Acquisition [Member] \| Maximum [Member] \| Oilfield Demulsifier Product Line [Member] \| Surfactants [Member] \| Product Know-how [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Weighted average amortization periods of identifiable intangibles assets	14 years
2019 Acquisition [Member] \| Maximum [Member] \| Oilfield Demulsifier Product Line [Member] \| Surfactants [Member] \| Customer List [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Weighted average amortization periods of identifiable intangibles assets	25 years
2018 Acquisition [Member] \| BASF Mexicana, S.A. DE C.V. [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total assets acquired		$ 22,852,000
2018 Acquisition [Member] \| BASF Mexicana, S.A. DE C.V. [Member] \| Surfactants [Member] \| Ecatepec, Mexico [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Paid from cash on hand		21,475,000
Intangible assets identified related to acquisition		$ 0
Incremental inventory and related value-added taxes				1,377,000
Capacity of production facility expected to be acquired \| T		50,000
Warehouse space, laboratory and office space currently expected to be acquired \| ft²		124,000
Total assets acquired				$ 22,852,000
Payment of incremental inventory and related value-added taxes			$ 1,377,000

Acquisitions

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Business Combinations [Abstract]

Acquisitions

21. Acquisitions

2019 Acquisition

On December 17, 2019, the Company acquired an oilfield demulsifier product line. The purchase price of the acquisition was $9,000,000 and was paid with cash on hand. This acquisition was accounted for as a business combination and the assets were measured and recorded at their estimated fair values. The primary assets acquired were intangibles, mostly comprised of goodwill ($3,497,000), product know-how ($1,500,000) and customer relationships ($3,200,000). A small amount of inventory was also acquired. All of the acquired assets are included within the Company’s Surfactants segment. The fair value analysis remains in process and is expected to be finalized during the first half of 2020. The preliminary weighted average amortization periods for the identifiable intangibles assets are: (i) customer list - 22 to 25 years, and; (b) know-how -13 to 14 years.

Pro forma financial information has not been included because revenues and earnings of the Company’s consolidated entity would not have been materially different than reported had the acquisition date been January 1, 2018. The acquired business did not impact the Company’s 2019 financial results.

2018 Acquisition

On March 26, 2018, the Company through a subsidiary in Mexico closed on a previously announced agreement with BASF Mexicana, S.A.DE C.V. (BASF) to acquire their production facility in Ecatepec, Mexico and a portion of their associated surfactants business. The facility is located close to Mexico City and has over 50,000 metric tons of capacity, 124,000 square feet of warehouse space, a large laboratory and office space. The acquired assets and business are included in the Company’s Surfactants segment. The purchase price of the acquisition was $21,475,000 and was paid with cash on hand. The primary assets acquired were land, buildings, machinery and equipment and inventory. In the third quarter of 2018 the Company reached alignment with BASF on the final value of inventory acquired. The incremental inventory and related value-added taxes totaled $1,377,000 and increased the total assets acquired in the transaction from $21,475,000 to $22,852,000 as of December 31, 2019. The final inventory settlement payment of $1,377,000 was made in the fourth quarter of 2018. The acquisition was accounted for as a business combination, and, accordingly, the assets acquired were measured and recorded at their estimated fair values. No intangible assets were identified as part of the acquisition. The following table summarizes the assets acquired as a result of the acquisition:


(In thousands)
Assets:
Property, plant and equipment	$	14,464
Inventory		5,687
Other Receivable		2,701
Total assets acquired	$	22,852

The acquired business had a minimal impact on the Company’s 2018 financial results.

Other Non-Current Liabilities - Statement of Composition of Other Non Current Liabilities (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Other Liabilities Disclosure [Abstract]
Deferred revenue	$ 891	$ 1,215
Environmental and legal matters	12,023	20,404
Deferred compensation liability	49,835	43,819
Pension liability	19,407	26,722
Other non-current liabilities	14,024	11,704
Total other non-current liabilities	$ 96,180	$ 103,864

Fair Value Measurements

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

Fair Value Measurements

3. Fair Value Measurements

The following were the financial instruments held by the Company at December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the methods and assumptions used to estimate the instruments’ fair values:

Cash and cash equivalents

Carrying value approximated fair value because of the short maturity of the instruments.

Derivative assets and liabilities

Derivative assets and liabilities include the foreign currency exchange contracts discussed in Note 4. Fair value and carrying value were the same because the contracts were recorded at fair value. The fair values of the foreign currency contracts were calculated as the difference between the applicable forward foreign exchange rates at the reporting date and the contracted foreign exchange rates multiplied by the contracted notional amounts. See the table that follows the financial instrument descriptions for the reported fair values of derivative assets and liabilities.

Long-term investments

Long-term investments included the mutual fund assets the Company held to fund a portion of its deferred compensation liabilities and all of its non-qualified supplemental executive defined contribution obligations (see the defined contribution plans section of Note 14). Fair value and carrying value were the same because the mutual fund assets were recorded at fair value in accordance with the FASB’s fair value option guidance. Fair values for the mutual funds were calculated using the published market price per unit at the reporting date multiplied by the number of units held at the reporting date. See the table that follows the financial instrument descriptions for the reported fair value of long-term investments.

Debt obligations

The fair value of debt with original maturities greater than one year comprised the combined present values of scheduled principal and interest payments for each of the various loans, individually discounted at rates equivalent to those which could be obtained by the Company for new debt issues with durations equal to the average life to maturity of each loan. The fair values of the remaining Company debt obligations approximated their carrying values due to the short-term nature of the debt. The Company’s fair value measurements for debt fall in level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.

(In thousands)	December 31
	2019		2018
Fair value	$	226,712	$	274,119

Carrying value		222,857		277,058

(In thousands)	December 2019		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Mutual fund assets	$	28,227	$	28,227	$	—	$	—
Derivative assets:
Foreign currency contracts		981		—		981		—
Total assets at fair value	$	29,208	$	28,227	$	981	$	—

Derivative liabilities:
Foreign currency contracts	$	429	$	—	$	429	$	—
Total liabilities at fair value	$	429	$	—	$	429	$	—

(In thousands)	December 2018		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Mutual fund assets	$	25,082	$	25,082	$	—	$	—
Derivative assets:
Foreign currency contracts		185		—		185		—
Total assets at fair value	$	25,267	$	25,082	$	185	$	—

Derivative liabilities:
Foreign currency contracts	$	10	$	—	$	10	$	—
Total liabilities at fair value	$	10	$	—	$	10	$	—

Composition of Inventories

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

+ References + Details

Inventories (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]

The composition of inventories was as follows:

	December 31
(In thousands)	2019		2018 As Adjusted
Finished products	$	139,785	$	163,617
Raw materials		63,862		67,911
Total inventories	$	203,647	$	231,528

Stock-based Compensation - Summary of Stock Award Activity (Detail) - Stock Awards [Member] - $ / shares	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares, Beginning Balance	85,370
Granted, Shares	45,327
Vested, Shares	(28,595)
Forfeited, Shares	(14,768)
Shares, Ending Balance	87,334	85,370
Unvested Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value, Beginning Balance	$ 73.65
Granted, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value	89.12	$ 72.06	$ 75.94
Vested, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value	77.90
Forfeited, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value	70.76
Unvested Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value, Ending Balance	$ 80.78	$ 73.65

Debt - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)		12 Months Ended
Debt - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	Jun. 12, 2019	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Jan. 30, 2018
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt		$ 222,103,000	$ 276,080,000
Line of credit facility, Minimum maturity period		1 month
Line of credit facility, Maximum maturity period		6 months
Unamortized debt issuance cost		$ 754,000	978,000
Debt matures in 2020		23,571,000
Debt matures in 2021		37,858,000
Debt matures in 2022		37,858,000
Debt matures in 2023		37,857,000
Debt matures in 2024		28,572,000
Debt matures after 2024		57,141,000
Amount of repayments of long-term debt due in next year		23,571,000
Amount of repayments of foreign subsidiaries short-term debt due in next year		$ 0
Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Commitment fee percentage		0.15%
Minimum [Member] \| LIBOR [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Spread rate		1.25%
Minimum [Member] \| Prime Rate [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Spread rate		0.25%
Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Commitment fee percentage		0.325%
Maximum [Member] \| LIBOR [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Spread rate		1.875%
Maximum [Member] \| Prime Rate [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Spread rate		0.875%
Unsecured Private Placement Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt		$ 222,857,000
Maturity Dates		12 years
Debt instrument maturity dates description		The notes had original maturities of 12 years with mandatory amortization of principal beginning six years after issuance.
Unsecured Private Placement Notes [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument interest rate percentage		3.86%
Unsecured Private Placement Notes [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument interest rate percentage		4.86%
Multi Currency Revolving Credit Agreement [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Revolving credit agreement		$ 350,000,000		$ 350,000,000
Credit agreement secured date		Jan. 30, 2023
Letters of Credit Outstanding		$ 4,929,000
Debt Outstanding		0
Unused Revolving credit		345,071,000
Unrestricted retained earnings		$ 283,956,000	$ 190,442,000
Series 2010-A Senior Notes due June 1, 2022 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument interest rate percentage	5.88%
Credit agreement secured date		Jun. 01, 2022
Prepaid outstanding principal	$ 17,100,000
Make-whole amount	1,173,000
Unamortized debt issuance cost	$ 74,000
Debt of foreign subsidiaries Unsecured bank debt and Term Loan, foreign currency [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt		$ 0

Stock-based Compensation - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares of common stock authorized for share based payment awards under 2011 Plan	2,600,000
Shares available for grant under the 2011 plan	1,032,406
Compensation expenses	$ 8,872,000	$ 6,837,000	$ 7,151,000
Decrease increase in market value of company common stock, per share	$ 102.44	$ 74.00
Increase decrease in market value of common stock	$ 28.44
Income tax benefit recognized in the income statement for share-based compensation arrangements	$ 1,501,000	$ 1,849,000	2,980,124
Proceeds from stock option exercises	$ 3,037,000	$ 4,163,000	$ 3,370,000
Stock Option [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Weighted-average grant-date fair values of options awarded	$ 26.49	$ 22.13	$ 24.49
Intrinsic values of options exercised	$ 2,518,000	$ 3,879,000	$ 5,232,000
Unrecognized compensation cost	$ 1,850,000
Weighted average period for amortization of unrecognized compensation cost	1 year 8 months 12 days
Actual tax benefit recognized for the tax deductions from stock based compensation	$ 348,000	$ 548,000	$ 1,455,000
Stock Option Granted Prior to 2017 [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period	2 years
Stock Options Granted in 2017 [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period	3 years
Percentage of awards vesting in each year	33.33%
Stock Options Granted in 2018 [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period	3 years
Percentage of awards vesting in each year	33.33%
Performance Stock Award [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Performance stock awards vested	0
Stock Awards [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Unrecognized compensation cost	$ 3,618,000
Weighted average period for amortization of unrecognized compensation cost	1 year 8 months 12 days
Performance stock awards vested	28,595
Weighted-average grant-date fair values of awards granted	$ 89.12	$ 72.06	$ 75.94
SARs [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Period of expiration	10 years
Unrecognized compensation cost	$ 4,058,000
Weighted average period for amortization of unrecognized compensation cost	1 year 8 months 12 days
Weighted-average grant-date fair values of awards granted	$ 26.43	$ 22.19	$ 24.90
SARs liability cash-settled	$ 4,509,000	$ 3,647,000
SARs Granted Prior to 2017 [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period	2 years
SARs Granted in 2017 [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period	3 years
Percentage of awards vesting in each year	33.33%
SARs Granted in 2018 [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period	3 years
Percentage of awards vesting in each year	33.33%
Maximum [Member] \| Stock Option [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Period of expiration	10 years
Minimum [Member] \| Stock Option [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Period of expiration	8 years

Segment Reporting - Summary of Company Wide Geographic Data (Detail) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Sep. 30, 2019

Jun. 30, 2019

Mar. 31, 2019

Dec. 31, 2018

Sep. 30, 2018

Jun. 30, 2018

Mar. 31, 2018

Dec. 31, 2019

Dec. 31, 2018

Dec. 31, 2017

$ 444,990

$ 451,582

$ 473,003

$ 489,170

$ 466,659

$ 507,997

$ 519,866

$ 499,335

$ 1,858,745

^[1]

$ 1,993,857

^[1]

$ 1,925,007

^[1]

^[2]

680,755

646,090

680,755

646,090

642,099

United States [Member]

^[1]

1,115,993

1,193,938

1,159,578

^[2]

462,199

427,274

462,199

427,274

420,342

France [Member]

^[1]

145,933

171,010

176,052

Poland [Member]

^[1]

156,391

170,474

188,244

United Kingdom [Member]

^[1]

96,842

105,732

99,069

All Other Countries [Member]

^[2]

21,551

20,225

21,551

20,225

21,657

^[1]

240,996

252,375

192,104

^[2]

64,239

61,145

64,239

61,145

50,631

Brazil [Member]

^[1]

102,590

100,328

109,960

^[2]

46,740

48,427

46,740

48,427

55,974

Germany [Member]

^[2]

30,084

29,151

30,084

29,151

29,116

Singapore [Member]

^[2]

28,741

30,838

28,741

30,838

33,530

China [Member]