Forterra (FRTA) 10-Q 9 Nov 17 2017 Q3 Quarterly report Financial data

Document and Entity Information

Document and Entity Information - shares	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Nov. 06, 2017
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	Forterra, Inc.
Entity Central Index Key	1,678,463
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Non-accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2017
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2,017
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		64,278,277

Condensed Consolidated Statemen

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Income Statement [Abstract]
Net sales	$ 444,257	$ 441,132	$ 1,219,244	$ 1,009,851
Cost of goods sold	362,150	339,819	1,022,574	789,756
Gross profit	82,107	101,313	196,670	220,095
Selling, general & administrative expenses	(59,366)	(62,355)	(191,964)	(153,076)
Impairment and exit charges	(1,193)	(555)	(13,004)	(578)
Earnings from equity method investee	2,936	4,146	9,449	9,014
Other operating income, net	2,008	1,946	5,251	5,290
Operating expenses, including earnings from equity method investments	(55,615)	(56,818)	(190,268)	(139,350)
Income from operations	26,492	44,495	6,402	80,745
Other income (expenses)
Interest expense	(15,582)	(31,756)	(46,202)	(73,885)
Other expense, net	(30,866)	(217)	(30,866)	(1,394)
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	(19,956)	12,522	(70,666)	5,466
Income tax (expense) benefit	8,454	(8,154)	25,448	28,586
Income (loss) from continuing operations	(11,502)	4,368	(45,218)	34,052
Discontinued operations, net of tax	0	4,000	0	7,069
Net income (loss)	$ (11,502)	$ 8,368	$ (45,218)	$ 41,121
Basic and Diluted earnings (loss) per share:
Continuing operations (in usd per share)	$ (0.18)	$ 0.10	$ (0.71)	$ 0.75
Discontinued operations (in usd per share)	0	0.09	0	0.16
Net income (loss) (in usd per share)	$ (0.18)	$ 0.19	$ (0.71)	$ 0.91
Weighted average common shares outstanding:
Basic and Diluted (in shares)	63,799	45,369	63,794	45,369

Condensed Consolidated Stateme3

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net income (loss)	$ (11,502)	$ 8,368	$ (45,218)	$ 41,121
Unrealized gain (loss) on derivative activities, net of tax	(2,195)	174	(4,103)	(1,253)
Foreign currency translation adjustment	2,762	621	3,998	5,404
Comprehensive income (loss)	$ (10,935)	$ 9,163	$ (45,323)	$ 45,272

Condensed Consolidated Balance

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 41,131	$ 40,024
Receivables, net	266,676	201,481
Inventories	264,292	279,502
Prepaid expenses	5,596	6,417
Other current assets	22,430	5,179
Total current assets	600,125	532,603
Non-current assets
Property, plant and equipment, net	426,246	452,914
Goodwill	504,964	491,447
Intangible assets, net	243,603	281,598
Investment in equity method investee	55,685	55,236
Other long-term assets	15,992	10,988
Total assets	1,846,615	1,824,786
Current liabilities
Trade payables	133,899	134,059
Accrued liabilities	79,320	82,165
Deferred revenue	8,892	20,797
Current portion of long-term debt	12,510	10,500
Total current liabilities	234,621	247,521
Non-current liabilities
Senior term loan	1,182,545	990,483
Revolving credit facility	0	95,064
Deferred tax liabilities	77,651	100,550
Deferred gain on sale-leaseback	76,469	78,215
Other long-term liabilities	27,991	23,253
Long-term TRA payable	159,003	156,783
Total liabilities	1,758,280	1,691,869
Commitments and Contingencies (Note 14)
Equity
Common stock, $0.001 par value, 64,294,793 and 63,924,124 shares issued and outstanding, respectively, and 190,000,000 shares authorized	18	18
Additional paid-in-capital	229,057	228,316
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(5,130)	(5,025)
Retained deficit	(135,610)	(90,392)
Total shareholder's equity	88,335	132,917
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	$ 1,846,615	$ 1,824,786

Condensed Consolidated Balance5

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Common shares, par value (in usd per share)	$ 0.001	$ 0.001
Common shares, issued (in shares)	64,294,793	63,924,124
Common shares, outstanding (in shares)	64,294,793	63,924,124
Common shares, authorized (in shares)	190,000,000	190,000,000

Condensed Consolidated Stateme6

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Net income (loss)	$ (45,218)	$ 41,121
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities:
Depreciation & amortization expense	87,463	71,049
Loss on business divestiture	31,606	0
Loss on disposal of property, plant and equipment	1,749	1,169
Amortization of debt discount and issuance costs	6,061	6,393
Impairment charges	10,551	0
Earnings from equity method investee	(9,449)	(9,014)
Distributions from equity method investee	9,000	7,800
Unrealized (gain) loss on derivative instruments, net	(2,035)	1,606
Provision (recoveries) for doubtful accounts	2,289	(1,235)
Deferred taxes	(16,321)	(51,846)
Deferred rent	1,941	0
Other non-cash items	1,690	45
Change in assets and liabilities:
Receivables, net	(84,974)	(61,591)
Inventories	(18,217)	18,370
Other assets	(15,522)	(7,973)
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	2,668	7,854
Other assets & liabilities	(2,415)	7,124
NET CASH (USED IN) PROVIDED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES	(39,133)	30,872
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Purchase of property, plant and equipment	(38,729)	(27,043)
Proceeds from business divestiture	23,200	0
Assets and liabilities acquired, business combinations, net	(35,380)	(872,471)
NET CASH USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES	(50,909)	(899,514)
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Proceeds from sale-leaseback	0	216,280
Deferred transaction costs on failed sale-leaseback	0	(6,492)
Payment of debt issuance costs	(2,498)	(10,638)
Payment of equity issuance costs	0	(6,669)
Payments on term loans	(8,880)	(2,191)
Proceeds from term loans, net	200,000	548,400
Proceeds from revolver	194,000	131,611
Payments on revolver	(293,000)	(55,173)
Proceeds from settlement of derivatives	0	6,546
Capital contribution from parent	0	402,127
Payments for return of contributed capital	0	(363,582)
Other financing activities	(232)	0
NET CASH PROVIDED BY FINANCING ACTIVITIES	89,390	860,219
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash	1,759	1,050
Net change in cash and cash equivalents	1,107	(7,373)
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period	40,024	43,590
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period	41,131	36,217
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURES:
Cash interest paid	40,968	51,476
Income taxes paid	27,590	0
SUPPLEMENTAL NON-CASH INVESTING AND FINANCING DISCLOSURES:
Fair value changes of derivatives recorded in OCI, net of tax	$ (4,103)	$ (1,253)

Organization and description of

Organization and description of the business	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Organization and description of the business	Organization and description of the business Description of the Business Forterra, Inc. (“Forterra” or the ‘‘Company’’) is involved in the manufacturing, sale and distribution of building materials in the United States (‘‘U.S.’’) and Eastern Canada. Forterra’s primary products are concrete drainage pipe, precast concrete structures, and water transmission pipe used in drinking and wastewater systems. These products are used in the residential, infrastructure and non-residential sectors of the construction industry. Forterra, a Delaware corporation, was formed on June 21, 2016 to hold the business of Forterra Building Products following the Reorganization (as defined below). The Acquisition The business of Forterra Building Products included indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries of LSF9 Concrete Holdings Ltd. (“LSF9”). Lone Star Fund IX (U.S.), L.P. (along with its affiliates and associates, but excluding the Company and other companies that it owns as a result of its investment activity, “Lone Star”), through its wholly-owned subsidiary LSF9, acquired the business of Forterra Building Products on March 13, 2015 (the “Acquisition”). LSF9, which was formed on February 6, 2015 for the purpose of acquiring the business of Forterra Building Products, had no operations prior to the date of the Acquisition. Prior to the Acquisition, the entities comprising the business of Forterra Building Products were indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries of HeidelbergCement A.G. (“HeidelbergCement”) a publicly listed company in Germany, encompassing HeidelbergCement's North American building products operations (“BP NAM”). LSF9 acquired BP NAM in the Acquisition, a business combination which also included the acquisition of HeidelbergCement’s U.K.-based building products operations for a total purchase price of $1.33 billion in cash, subject to a possible earn-out of up to $100.0 million as contingent consideration. The acquisition of BP NAM and HeidelbergCement's U.K.-based building products business was funded with an equity investment of $432.3 million and third-party debt in the amount of $940.0 million . As HeidelbergCement's U.K.-based building products operations are not part of Forterra, Forterra was allocated a proportion of the total debt and equity used in the Acquisition. See Note 11, Debt and deferred financing costs. Initial Public Offering On October 6, 2016, Forterra filed an Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation which increased the number of authorized shares of common stock from 1,000 with a par value of $0.01 per share to 190,000,000 with a par value of $0.001 per share, and, immediately after which, effected a 41,619.472 for one stock split (the “ Stock Split ” ) of it's issued and outstanding common stock previously approved by the Company's Board of Directors. Following the Stock Split there were 41,619,472 shares of common stock outstanding. The Company's Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation has also authorized 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock that may be issued at the approval of the Company's Board of Directors. No shares of preferred stock have been issued or were outstanding as of December 31, 2016 or September 30, 2017 . On October 25, 2016, Forterra sold 18,420,000 shares of common stock in its initial public offering (the “IPO”) at a public offering price of $18.00 per share. The Company received net proceeds of $313.3 million in the IPO. Reorganization Prior to the consummation of the IPO, LSF9 distributed its brick operations in the United States and Eastern Canada to an affiliate of Lone Star (the “Bricks Disposition”), recognized as a return of capital in the statement of shareholders' equity. Following the Bricks Disposition and prior to the consummation of the IPO, the remaining building products operations of LSF9 in the United States and Eastern Canada were transferred to Forterra in an internal reorganization under common control transaction (the “Reorganization”). Following the Reorganization, Forterra became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Forterra US Holdings, LLC, which is indirectly wholly owned by an affiliate of Lone Star. The Reorganization was accounted for as a change in reporting entity, and the condensed consolidated financial statements have been retrospectively adjusted for all periods presented to reflect the new organizational structure following the Reorganization, including the presentation of discontinued operations associated with the Bricks Disposition. Refinancing Concurrent with the completion of the IPO, Forterra entered into a new $300 million asset based revolving credit facility for working capital and general corporate purposes (the “2016 Revolver”) and a new $1.05 billion senior term loan facility (“2016 Senior Term Loan”), the proceeds of which, together with a $125.0 million draw on the 2016 Revolver and $296.0 million in proceeds from the IPO, were used to repay in full and terminate the then-existing asset based revolving credit facility (the “2015 Revolver”), $1.04 billion senior term loan (the “2015 Senior Term Loan”) and $260.0 million junior term loan (the “Junior term Loan”) (collectively, the “Refinancing”). On May 1, 2017, the Company amended the 2016 Senior Term Loan to increase the principal outstanding by an additional $200.0 million and to reduce the interest margin applicable to the full balance of the 2016 Senior Term Loan. The terms of the 2016 Senior Term Loan and the 2016 Revolver are described in greater detail in Note 11 , Debt and deferred financing costs. Recent Transactions On July 31, 2017, t he Company sold its U.S. concrete and steel pressure pipe business to Thompson Pipe Group ( “ TPG ” ) for aggregate consideration of $23.2 million (the “U.S. Pressure Pipe Divestiture”), as well as certain assets relating to a U.S. drainage facility. The Company used the net proceeds from the transaction to partially pay down the balance outstanding on its 2016 Revolver. The U.S. Pressure Pipe Divestiture generated a loss of $31.6 million recorded in other expense, net in the Company's condensed consolidated statements of operations. In addition, during the second quarter of 2017, in connection with the pending U.S. Pressure Pipe Divestiture, the Company recorded a pre-tax long-lived asset impairment charge of $7.5 million within impairment and exit charges in the Company's condensed consolidated statements of operations . See Note 20 , Discontinued operations and divestitures for additional details regarding the transaction.

Summary of significant accounti

Summary of significant accounting policies	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Summary of significant accounting policies	Summary of significant accounting policies General The Company's condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) and include the accounts and results of operations of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The condensed consolidated balance sheets and the condensed consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income (loss) and cash flows for the periods presented herein reflect all adjustments that are of a normal recurring nature and are necessary for a fair statement of the results of the periods shown. Certain information and note disclosures normally included in annual financial statements have been condensed or omitted pursuant to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The results of operations for the periods presented are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2017. Seasonal changes and other conditions can affect the sales volumes of the Company's products. The financial results for any interim period do not necessarily indicate the expected results for the year. These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2016 as provided in Forterra, Inc.'s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 filed with the SEC on March 31, 2017 (the “2016 10-K”). The Company has continued to follow the accounting policies set forth in those financial statements, except as supplemented and documented below. During the first quarter of 2017, the Company identified and corrected prior period errors related to cost accrual items which should have been recognized in 2016. A cumulative correction was recorded during the quarter ended March 31, 2017 which increased pretax loss by $4.6 million , which consisted of a $3.3 million increase to cost of goods sold and a $2.0 million increase to selling, general and administrative expenses, partially offset by a $0.7 million increase in revenues. The Company evaluated the impact of correcting these errors and concluded the errors were immaterial to operating results for the year ended December 31, 2016, expected annual operating results for the year ended December 31, 2017, and the trend of earnings. Long-lived assets held for sale The Company accounts for long-lived assets held for sale in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board ( “ FASB ” ) Accounting Standards Codification ( “ ASC ” ) 360, Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Asset, which requires assets to be classified as held for sale when the following criteria are met: 1) management, having the authority to approve the action, commits to a plan to sell; 2) the asset or asset group is available for immediate sale in its present condition; 3) an active program to locate a buyer and other actions required to complete the plan to sell have been initiated; 4) actions required to complete the sale indicate that is it unlikely that significant changes to the plan will be made or that the plan will be withdrawn, and 5) the sale is probable to qualify for recognition as a completed sale within one year. At such time assets or an asset group are determined to be held for sale, its carrying amount is adjusted to the lower of its depreciated book value or its estimated fair value, less costs to sell, and depreciation is no longer recognized. An impairment charge is recognized if the carrying value is in excess of its fair value. The assets and liabilities are required to be classified as held for sale on the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets. See additional description in Note 20 Discontinued operations and divestitures. Goodwill Goodwill represents the excess of costs over the fair value of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed. The Company evaluates goodwill and intangible assets in accordance with ASC 350, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets . ASC 350 requires goodwill to be either qualitatively or quantitatively assessed for impairment annually (or more frequently if impairment indicators arise) for each reporting unit. The Company performs its annual impairment testing of goodwill as of October 1 of each year and in interim periods if events occur that would indicate that it is more likely than not the fair value of a reporting unit is less than carrying value. The Company first assesses qualitative factors to evaluate whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount as the basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform a quantitative goodwill impairment test. The quantitative analysis compares the fair value of the reporting unit with its carrying amount. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds the fair value, impairment is recognized in an amount equal to that excess, limited to the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. Credit Risk At September 30, 2017 , the Company had an individual customer within its Water Pipe & Products segment that accounted for more than 10% of total net sales for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 . The customer represented approximately 16% and 14% , of the Company's total net sales for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 , respectively, and amounts payable by the customer at September 30, 2017 represented approximately 18% of the Company's total receivables, net. Recent Accounting Guidance Adopted In January 2017, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update ( “ ASU ” ) 2017-01 Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business in an effort to clarify the definition of a business with the objective of adding guidance to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years, however early adoption is permitted. The Company early adopted the guidance provided in the ASU in the second quarter of 2017. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment to simplify the accounting for goodwill impairment. The guidance removes the second step of the goodwill impairment test, which requires a hypothetical purchase price allocation. A goodwill impairment will now be the amount by which a reporting unit’s carrying value exceeds its fair value, not to exceed the carrying amount of goodwill. All other goodwill impairment guidance will remain largely unchanged. Entities will continue to have the option to perform a qualitative assessment to determine if a quantitative impairment test is necessary. The same one-step impairment test will be applied to goodwill at all reporting units, even those with zero or negative carrying amounts. Entities will be required to disclose the amount of goodwill at reporting units with zero or negative carrying amounts. This guidance is effective in 2020, but early adoption is permitted for any impairment tests performed after January 1, 2017. The Company elected to early adopt the ASU effective in the second quarter of 2017. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. In the second quarter of 2017, the Company recognized impairment of goodwill associated with one of its reporting units. See Note 8, Goodwill and other intangible assets for a discussion of the Company's interim goodwill assessment and the related impairment charge. In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-11, Inventory (Topic 330): Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory, requiring an entity to measure inventory within the scope of the ASU at the lower of cost and net realizable value. For public business entities, the amendments in this update were effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The adoption of this ASU during the first quarter of 2017 did not have a material impact on the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements. Recent Accounting Guidance Not Yet Adopted In May 2014, the FASB issued guidance (the effective date of which was later delayed) that outlines a single comprehensive model for accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers, which supersedes most of the existing revenue recognition guidance. This guidance requires an entity to recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services and also requires certain additional disclosures. The guidance is effective for interim and annual reporting periods that begin after December 15, 2017. Early adoption of the standard is permitted, but not before the original effective date of interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016. During the second quarter of 2016, the FASB issued additional revenue recognition guidance that clarifies how an entity identifies performance obligations related to customer contracts as well as the objectives of collectability, sales and other taxes, non-cash consideration, contract modifications at transition, and technical corrections. The guidance is effective beginning in the first quarter of 2018, and the Company does not currently plan to early adopt the guidance. The guidance permits two methods of adoption, retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented (full retrospective method), or retrospectively with the cumulative effect of initially applying the guidance recognized at the date of initial application (modified retrospective method). The Company will utilize the modified retrospective method upon adoption. The Company has gained an understanding of the standard’s revenue recognition model and is completing the analysis and documentation of the Company's contract details for impacts under the new revenue recognition model. While the evaluation of the impact of the standard is continuing, the Company expects the timing of our revenue recognition to generally remain the same under the new standard on an annual basis. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), amending the existing accounting standards for lease accounting, including requiring lessees to recognize most leases on their balance sheets and making targeted changes to lessor accounting. For public business entities, the amendments in this update are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years, and early adoption is permitted as of the standard’s issuance date. ASU 2016-02 requires a modified retrospective transition approach for all leases existing at, or entered into after, the date of initial application, with an option to use certain transition relief. The Company believes the adoption of this ASU will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements as it will result in most of the Company’s leases and associated assets being presented on the balance sheet. In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, providing guidance on eight specific cash flow statement classification matters, including but not limited to prepayment of debt or debt extinguishment costs and contingent consideration payments made after a business combination. The Company plans to adopt this standard on January 1, 2018. The adoption of the ASU will impact the Company's cash flow presentation in future periods. In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities. The new standard makes more financial and non-financial hedging strategies eligible for hedge accounting. It also amends the presentation and disclosure requirements and changes how companies assess effectiveness. For public companies, the amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The Company is evaluating the impact that the adoption of the ASU will have on its consolidated financial statements.

Business combinations

Business combinations	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Business combinations	Business combinations The acquisition described below is accounted for as a business combination as defined by ASC 805, Business Combinations . The Company allocated the purchase price to the individually identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their estimated fair value on the date of acquisition. The excess purchase price over those fair values was recorded as goodwill. The determination of fair values of the acquired assets and assumed liabilities requires significant judgment, including estimates impacting the determination of estimated lives of tangible and intangible assets, calculation of the fair value of property, plant and equipment, inventory, and various intangibles. The fair values of assets and liabilities were determined using level 3 inputs as defined by ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures . On February 3, 2017, Forterra acquired the assets of Royal Enterprises America, Inc. ("Royal") for aggregate consideration of $35.5 million in cash, including customary working capital adjustments. Royal manufactures concrete drainage pipe, precast concrete products, stormwater treatment technologies and erosion control products serving the greater Minneapolis market . The acquisition was financed with borrowings on the 2016 Revolver. The preliminary respective fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date are as follows (in thousands) : Net working capital $ 2,994 Property, plant and equipment 12,335 Customer relationship intangible 1,676 Non-compete agreement intangible 866 Other intangibles 443 Other assets and liabilities (726 ) Net identifiable assets acquired 17,588 Goodwill 17,903 Cash consideration transferred $ 35,491 Preliminary balances may be subject to change upon the Company's final determination of the fair value of acquired assets and liabilities. The Company has finalized the fair value allocations of all prior acquisitions as of September 30, 2017. Goodwill recognized is attributable primarily to expected operating efficiencies and expansion opportunities in the business acquired. Goodwill is expected to be deductible for tax purposes for the Royal acquisition. Transaction costs The Company recognized aggregate transaction costs, including legal, accounting, valuation, and advisory fees, specific to acquisitions of $0.4 million , for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 , and $2.2 million and $9.8 million , for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 , respectively . These costs are recorded in the condensed consolidated statements of operations within selling, general and administrative expenses.

Receivables, net

Receivables, net	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Receivables [Abstract]
Receivables, net	Receivables, net Receivables consist of the following (in thousands) : September 30, December 31, 2017 2016 Trade receivables $ 264,336 $ 178,012 Amounts billed, but not yet paid under retainage provisions 1,416 1,959 Other receivables 4,275 22,408 Total receivables $ 270,027 $ 202,379 Less: Allowance for doubtful accounts (3,351 ) (898 ) Receivables, net $ 266,676 $ 201,481

Inventories

Inventories	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Inventories	Inventories Inventories consist of the following (in thousands) : September 30, December 31, 2017 2016 Finished goods $ 175,880 $ 185,507 Raw materials 87,512 90,647 Work in process 900 3,348 Total inventories $ 264,292 $ 279,502

Investment in equity method inv

Investment in equity method investee	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract]
Investment in equity method investee	Investment in equity method investee The Company contributed plant assets and related inventory from nine operating locations as part of the agreement to form a joint venture with Americast, Inc., Concrete Pipe & Precast LLC ("CP&P"), and in return for the contribution the Company obtained a 50% ownership stake in the joint venture through its 500 Common Unit voting shares in CP&P. Both at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the Company owned 50% of CP&P's voting common stock. The Company's investment in the joint venture was $55.7 million at September 30, 2017 , which is included within the Drainage Pipe & Products segment. Selected unaudited financial data for the investee is as follows ( in thousands ): Three months ended Nine months ended September 30, September 30, 2017 2017 Net sales $ 35,302 $ 104,921 Gross profit 10,730 33,433 Income from operations 6,178 19,820 Net income $ 6,130 $ 19,644

Property, plant and equipment,

Property, plant and equipment, net	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Property, plant and equipment, net	Property, plant and equipment, net Property, plant and equipment, net, consist of the following (in thousands) : September 30, December 31, 2017 2016 Machinery and equipment $ 347,633 $ 329,871 Land, buildings and improvements 146,682 142,105 Other equipment 4,699 2,592 Construction-in-progress 30,024 43,855 Total property, plant and equipment 529,038 518,423 Less: accumulated depreciation (102,792 ) (65,509 ) Property, plant and equipment, net $ 426,246 $ 452,914 Depreciation expense totaled $15.6 million and $45.7 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 , respectively, and $16.3 million and $39.7 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 , respectively, which is included in cost of goods sold and selling, general and administrative expenses in the condensed consolidated statements of operations.

Goodwill and other intangible a

Goodwill and other intangible assets, net	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Goodwill and other intangible assets, net	Goodwill and other intangible assets, net The Company has goodwill which has been recorded in connection with its acquisition of businesses. The following table summarizes the changes in goodwill by operating segment for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 ( in thousands ): Drainage Pipe & Products Water Pipe & Products Total Balance at December 31, 2016 $ 168,866 $ 322,581 $ 491,447 Acquisitions 19,515 — 19,515 Impairment — (3,003 ) (3,003 ) Foreign currency and other adjustments 1,085 (4,080 ) (2,995 ) Balance at September 30, 2017 $ 189,466 $ 315,498 $ 504,964 During the second quarter of 2017, the Company performed interim goodwill impairment testing of our Canadian concrete and steel pressure pipe reporting unit after identifying indicators it was more-likely-than-not the reporting unit's carrying value was in excess of its fair value. The reporting unit's operating results are primarily driven by large contractual projects, for which future demand has not materialized, driving changes in the valuations inputs and assumptions supporting the reporting unit's fair value. Upon early adoption of ASU 2017-04 (see Note 2, Summary of significant accounting policies), the Company began using a one-step quantitative approach that compares the business enterprise value of each reporting unit with its carrying value. Business enterprise value is computed based on both an income approach (discounted cash flows) and a market approach. The income approach uses a reporting unit's estimated future cash flows, discounted at the weighted average cost of capital of a hypothetical third-party buyer. The market approach estimates fair value by applying cash flow multiples to the reporting unit's operating performance. The multiples are derived from comparable publicly traded companies with similar operating and investment characteristics to the reporting unit. The calculation of business enterprise value is based on significant unobservable inputs, such as price trends, customer demand, material costs and discount rates, and are classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy. As a result of the interim impairment testing, the Company determined the carrying value of the reporting unit's goodwill was fully impaired and a goodwill impairment charge of $3.0 million was recorded during the second quarter of 2017. Intangible assets other than goodwill at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 included the following ( in thousands ): Net carrying value as of September 30, 2017 Net carrying value as of December 31, 2016 Customer relationships $ 181,231 $ 209,937 Trade names 30,970 34,771 Patents 16,978 20,673 Customer backlog 613 1,628 Non-compete agreements 6,604 7,410 In-Process R&D 6,354 6,692 Other 853 487 Total intangible assets $ 243,603 $ 281,598 Amortization expense totaled $13.5 million and $41.8 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 , respectively, and $12.2 million and $25.2 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 , respectively, which is included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the condensed consolidated statements of operations. All of the Company's intangible assets are amortizable.

Fair value measurement

Fair value measurement	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair value measurement	Fair value measurement The Company's financial instruments consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, trade and other receivables, derivative instruments, accounts payable, long-term debt, accrued liabilities, and the long-term tax receivable agreement payable. The carrying value of the Company's cash equivalents, trade receivables, other receivables, trade payables, the asset based revolver and accrued liabilities approximates fair value due to their short-term maturity. The Company may adjust the carrying amount of certain non-financial assets to fair value on a non-recurring basis when they are impaired. The carrying amount and estimated fair value of the Company’s financial instruments and other assets and liabilities measured and recorded at fair value on a recurring basis is as follows for the dates indicated (in thousands) : Fair value measurements at September 30, 2017 using Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) Significant Other Observable Inputs Significant Unobservable Inputs Total Fair Value Non-current assets Derivative asset — $2,035 — $2,035 Current liabilities Derivative liability — $7,028 — $7,028 Fair value measurements at December 31, 2016 using Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Total Fair Value Non-current liabilities Derivative liability — $372 — $372 Liabilities and assets recorded at fair value classified as level 2 are valued using observable market inputs. The fair values of derivative assets and liabilities are determined using quantitative models that utilize multiple market inputs including interest rates and exchange rates to generate continuous yield or pricing curves and volatility factors to value the position. The majority of market inputs are actively quoted and can be validated through external sources, including brokers, market transactions and third-party pricing services. The fair values of derivative assets and liabilities include adjustments for market liquidity, counter-party credit quality and other instrument-specific factors, where appropriate. In addition, the Company incorporates within its fair value measurements a valuation adjustment to reflect the credit risk associated with the net position. Positions are netted by counter-parties, and fair value for net long exposures is adjusted for counter-party credit risk while the fair value for net short exposures is adjusted for the Company’s own credit risk. The estimated carrying amount and fair value of the Company’s financial instruments and liabilities for which fair value is only disclosed is as follows (in thousands) : Fair value measurements at September 30, 2017 using Carrying Amount September 30, 2017 Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Total Fair Value 2016 Senior Term Loan $1,195,055 — $1,054,269 — $1,054,269 Tax receivable agreement payable 163,003 — — 118,183 118,183 Fair value measurements at December 31, 2016 using Carrying Amount December 31, 2016 Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Total Fair Value 2016 Senior Term Loan $1,000,983 — $1,064,395 — $1,064,395 Tax receivable agreement payable 160,783 — — 125,614 125,614 The fair value of debt is the estimated amount the Company would have to pay to transfer its debt, including any premium or discount attributable to the difference between the stated interest rate and market rate of interest at the balance sheet date. Fair values are supported by observable market transactions when available. The determination of the fair value of the tax receivable agreement payable was determined using a discounted cash flow methodology using level 3 inputs as defined by ASC 820. The determination of fair value required significant judgment, including estimates of the timing and amounts of various tax attributes. These estimates are based on management’s best knowledge of current events and actions that the Company may undertake in the future. Actual results could differ from these estimates. In the second quarter of 2017, the Company recorded goodwill impairment $3.0 million and long-lived asset impairment of $7.5 million . The measurements supporting each of the above impairment charges are classified as a Level 3 fair value assessment due to the significance of unobservable inputs used in the determination of the fair value. See Note 8, Goodwill and other intangible assets and Note 20, Discontinued operations and divestitures for further discussion.

Accrued liabilities

Accrued liabilities	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Payables and Accruals [Abstract]
Accrued liabilities	Accrued liabilities Accrued liabilities consist of the following (in thousands) : September 30, December 31, 2017 2016 Accrued payroll and employee benefits $ 26,305 $ 29,945 Accrued taxes 13,197 32,746 Accrued rebates 10,275 7,509 Short-term derivative liability 7,028 — Warranty 4,117 3,509 Tax receivable agreement liability, current portion 4,000 4,000 Environmental obligation 685 775 Other miscellaneous accrued liabilities 13,713 3,681 Total accrued liabilities $ 79,320 $ 82,165

Debt and deferred financing cos

Debt and deferred financing costs	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Debt and deferred financing costs	Debt and deferred financing costs The Company’s debt consisted of the following (in thousands) : September 30, December 31, 2017 2016 2016 Senior Term Loan, net of debt issuance costs and original issuance discount of $43,440 and $46,392, respectively $ 1,195,055 $ 1,000,983 2016 Revolver, net of debt issuance costs of $3,936 — 95,064 Total debt $ 1,195,055 $ 1,096,047 Less: current portion debt (12,510 ) (10,500 ) Total long-term debt $ 1,182,545 $ 1,085,547 Concurrent with the completion of the IPO, in the Refinancing the Company entered into the 2016 Revolver for working capital and general corporate purposes and the 2016 Senior Term Loan, the proceeds of which, together with the proceeds from the IPO, were used to repay in full the Junior Term Loan of $260.0 million , the 2015 Senior Term Loan of $1.04 billion , and the existing balance under the 2015 Revolver, in addition to related expenses associated with the IPO and Refinancing. Immediately subsequent to the completion of the IPO, Forterra had $125.0 million outstanding on its 2016 Revolver and $1.05 billion on its 2016 Senior Term Loan. The $260.0 million repayment toward the Junior Term Loan represented a full repayment of the outstanding principal on that loan, resulting in a related write-off of issue discounts and capitalized issuance costs of approximately $22.4 million . The repayment also triggered a prepayment penalty of approximately $7.8 million . The 2016 Senior Term Loan provides for a $1.05 billion senior secured term loan that was made available to a newly formed direct subsidiary of Forterra. Subject to the conditions set forth in the term loan agreement, the 2016 Senior Term Loan may be increased by (i) up to the greater of $285.0 million and 1.0x consolidated EBITDA (defined below) of Forterra and its restricted subsidiaries for the four quarters most recently ended prior to such incurrence plus (ii) the aggregate amount of any voluntary prepayments, plus (iii) an additional amount, provided certain financial tests are met. Effective May 1, 2017 the Company amended the 2016 Senior Term Loan to increase the principal outstanding by an additional $200.0 million and to reduce the interest margins applicable to the full balance of the 2016 Senior Term Loan by 50 basis points such that applicable margin based on LIBOR was reduced from 3.50% to 3.00% . The net proceeds from the incremental term loan of $196.8 million were used to pay down a portion of the outstanding balance on the 2016 Revolver. This amendment had no effect on the Company's ability to increase the size of the 2016 Senior Term Loan under the original provisions. The 2016 Senior Term Loan matures on October 25, 2023 and is subject to quarterly amortization equal to 0.25% of the initial principal amount. Interest accrues on outstanding borrowings thereunder at a rate equal to LIBOR (with a floor of 1.0% ) or an alternate base rate, in each case plus a margin of 3.00% or 2.00% , respectively. Outstanding borrowings under the 2016 Senior Term Loan are guaranteed by Forterra and each of its direct and indirect material wholly-owned domestic subsidiaries except certain excluded subsidiaries (the "Guarantors"). The 2016 Senior Term Loan is secured by substantially all of the assets of Forterra, the borrower and the Guarantors; provided that the obligations under the 2016 Senior Term Loan are not secured by any liens on more than 65% of the voting stock of the Canadian subsidiaries or assets of the Canadian subsidiaries. The 2016 Senior Term Loan contains customary representations and warranties, and affirmative and negative covenants, that, among other things, restrict the ability of Forterra and its restricted subsidiaries to incur additional debt, incur or permit liens on assets, make investments and acquisitions, consolidate or merge with any other company, engage in asset sales and pay dividends and make distributions. The 2016 Senior Term Loan does not contain any financial covenants. Obligations under the 2016 Senior Term Loan may be accelerated upon certain customary events of default (subject to grace periods, as appropriate). The 2016 Revolver provides for an aggregate principal amount of up to $300.0 million , with up to $280.0 million to be made available to the U.S. borrowers and up to $20.0 million to be made available to the Canadian borrowers (the allocation may be modified periodically at the Company's request). Subject to the conditions set forth in the revolving credit agreement related to the 2016 Revolver (the "2016 Credit Agreement"), the 2016 Revolver may be increased by up to the greater of (i) $100.0 million and (ii) such amount as would not cause the aggregate borrowing base to be exceeded by more than $50.0 million . Borrowings under the 2016 Revolver may not exceed a borrowing base equal to the sum of (i) 100% of eligible cash, (ii) 85% of eligible accounts receivable and (iii) the lesser of (a) 75% of eligible inventory and (b) 85% of the orderly liquidation value of eligible inventory, with the U.S. and Canadian borrowings being subject to separate borrowing base limitations. The advance rates for accounts receivable and inventory are subject to increase by 2.5% during certain periods. The 2016 Revolver matures on October 25, 2021. The Revolver also provides for the issuance of letters of credit of up to an agreed sublimit. Interest accrues on outstanding borrowings at a rate equal to LIBOR or CDOR plus a margin ranging from 1.25% to 1.75% per annum, or at an alternate base rate, Canadian prime rate or Canadian base rate plus a margin ranging from 0.25% to 0.75% per annum, in each case, based upon the average excess availability under the 2016 Revolver for the most recently completed calendar quarter. The obligations of the borrowers under the 2016 Revolver are guaranteed by Forterra and its direct and indirect wholly-owned restricted subsidiaries other than certain excluded subsidiaries; provided that the obligations of the U.S. borrowers are not guaranteed by the Canadian subsidiaries. The 2016 Revolver is secured by substantially all of the assets of the borrowers; provided that the obligations of the U.S. borrowers are not secured by any liens on more than 65% of the voting stock of the Canadian subsidiaries or assets of the Canadian subsidiaries. The 2016 Revolver contains customary representations and warranties, and affirmative and negative covenants, including representations, warranties, and covenants that, among other things, restrict the ability of Forterra and its restricted subsidiaries to incur additional debt, incur or permit liens on assets, make investments and acquisitions, consolidate or merge with any other company, engage in asset sales and pay dividends and make distributions. The 2016 Credit Agreement contains a financial covenant restricting Forterra from allowing its fixed charge coverage ratio to drop below 1.00 :1.00 during a compliance period, which is triggered when the availability under the 2016 Revolver falls below a threshold set forth in the 2016 Credit Agreement. Obligations under the 2016 Credit Agreement may be accelerated upon certain customary events of default (subject to grace periods, as appropriate). The fixed charge coverage ratio is the ratio of consolidated earnings before interest, depreciation, and amortization (“EBITDA’’) less cash payments for capital expenditures and income taxes to consolidated fixed charges (interest expense plus scheduled payments of principal on indebtedness). The weighted average annual interest rate on the 2016 Revolver was 2.70% and 2.69% for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 , respectively. In addition, Forterra pays a facility fee of between 20.0 and 32.5 basis points per annum based upon the utilization of the total 2016 Revolver. Availability under the 2016 Revolver at September 30, 2017 based on draws, and outstanding letters of credit and allowable borrowing base was $284.3 million . As of September 30, 2017 , scheduled maturities of long-term debt were as follows: 2016 Senior Term Loan 2017 $ 3,128 2018 12,510 2019 12,510 2020 12,510 2021 12,510 Thereafter: 1,185,327 $ 1,238,495 2015 Senior Term Loan, Junior Term Loan, and Revolving Credit Facility In connection with the financing of the Acquisition, LSF9 entered into the 2015 Senior Term Loan for borrowings of $635.0 million , the Junior Term Loan for borrowings of $260.0 million , and drew $45.0 million on the 2015 Revolver (such credit agreements together, as amended from time to time, the “Initial Credit Agreements”). Approximately $515.5 million was the obligation of Forterra as a joint and several obligation under ASC 405-40, Obligations Resulting from Joint and Several Liability Arrangements . See Note 1, Basis of presentation to the audited consolidated financial statements included in the 2016 10-K for additional information. In October 2015, the Company increased the size of the 2015 Senior Term Loan by $240.0 million in connection with the acquisition of Cretex Concrete Products, Inc (the “Cretex Acquisition”). Additionally, in April 2016, the Company's capacity on the 2015 Revolver was increased to $285.0 million . In conjunction with the issuance of debt related to the Acquisition and the Cretex Acquisition, LSF9 incurred $71.6 million of debt issuance costs and debt discounts; of which $51.9 million was attributed to the Company debt obligation. The Initial Credit Agreements were secured by substantially all of the assets of the Company. In April 2016, LSF9 borrowed $205.0 million on the 2015 Revolver in order to finance the acquisition of USP Holdings Inc. (the “USP Acquisition”) of which $203.4 million was repaid during April 2016 with proceeds from an affiliated entity controlled by LSF9 but not included among the legal entities that comprise the Company. In connection with the additional proceeds obtained in April 2016 which benefited the Company, under ASC 405-40 , Obligations Resulting from Joint and Several Liability Arrangements, the Company assumed an additional obligation of $203.4 million that was recognized as an increase to the Company’s allocated share of the 2015 Senior Term Loan balance with an associated increase in debt issuance fees and discount related to the 2015 Senior Term Loan of $8.9 million . The affiliated entity was subsequently released as a co-obligor and its joint and several liability under terms of all of the 3 rd party credit agreements. On June 17, 2016, LSF9 borrowed an incremental $345.0 million on the 2015 Senior Term Loan and used the proceeds to pay a dividend of $338.3 million , net of debt issuance costs, to the shareholders of LSF9. The dividend was recorded as a return of capital. LSF9 incurred debt issuance fees and discount of $6.7 million in connection with the issuance of the debt. The incremental borrowings incurred interest at the same rate as the 2015 Senior Term Loan. Under ASC 405-40 Obligations Resulting from Joint and Several Liability Arrangements , the Company recognized the full amount of the incremental borrowing, net of related issuance costs and discount, as an obligation in the condensed consolidated balance sheet. Joint and Several Obligations The Company recorded debt on its balance sheet as of December 31, 2015 under ASC 405-40, Obligations Resulting from Joint and Several Liability Arrangements . The Company and the affiliates of LSF9 were co-obligors and jointly and severally liable under terms of the Initial Credit Agreements. The Company’s allocated portion of the $940.0 million of third party debt used to finance the Acquisition was $515.5 million . The initial obligation of $515.5 million was reflected on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheet at the Acquisition date as $254.9 million of 2015 Senior Term Loan, $260.0 million of Junior Term Loan and $0.6 million of 2015 Revolver obligations. The remaining $424.5 million of the debt was allocated to affiliates of LSF9 that are not included in Forterra based on the amounts affiliates of LSF9 have fully repaid as discussed below. In April of 2016, the Company’s affiliate co-obligors were released from joint and several liability under the Initial Credit Agreements. The Company was consequently the sole source of repayment for its $515.5 million share for the initial obligation under the Initial Credit Agreements, as well as other obligations recorded on the balance sheet. In addition to the initial debt obligation of $515.5 million recorded by the Company, additional 2015 Senior Term Loan borrowings of $240.0 million that in October 2015 were used to finance the Cretex Acquisition were allocated in full to the Company. On April 26, 2016, affiliates of the Company under control of LSF9 but not included in Forterra repaid $203.4 million of the 2015 Revolver balance that was drawn in April 2016 and $176.7 million of the 2015 Senior Term Loan, after which the other affiliates were released as obligors to the loan and the Company became the sole source of repayment under the LSF9 debt agreement. The Company reflected the increased obligation as an increase in the 2015 Senior Term Loan in order to reflect the change in its obligation as a result of the additional borrowings of LSF9. A proportionate amount of debt issuance costs and discount related to the increased obligation under the 2015 Senior Term Loan was also allocated to the Company at the time of the increased obligation. Lines of Credit and Other Debt Facilities The Company had standby letters of credit outstanding of $15.7 million as of September 30, 2017 which reduce the borrowings available under the Revolver.

Derivatives and hedging

Derivatives and hedging	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivatives and hedging	Derivatives and hedging The Company uses derivatives to manage selected foreign exchange and interest rate exposures. The Company does not use derivative instruments for speculative trading purposes, and cash flows from derivative instruments are included in net cash provided by (used in) financing activities in the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows. At September 30, 2017 , the Company had foreign exchange forward contracts, designated as cash flow hedges in accordance with ASC 815-20 Derivatives - Hedging , which allows for the effective portion of the changes in the fair value of the instruments to be captured in accumulated other comprehensive income, and ineffective portion recorded in earnings. These instruments were assigned to Forterra by an affiliate concurrent with the Reorganization, directly prior to the Refinancing and IPO and have a termination date of March 2018. Additionally, o n February 9, 2017, Forterra entered into interest rate swap transactions with a combined notional value of $525 million . Under the terms of the swap transactions, Forterra agreed to pay a fixed rate of interest of 1.52% and receive floating rate interest indexed to one-month LIBOR with monthly settlement terms with the swap counterparties. The swaps have a three -year term and expire on March 31, 2020. The interest rate swaps are not designated as cash flow hedges, therefore all changes in the fair value of these instruments are captured as a component of interest expense in the condensed consolidated statements of operations. The instruments the Company previously held, included foreign exchange forward contracts and fixed-for-float cross currency swaps entered into in March of 2016, were settled in connection with the Reorganization and Refinancing, resulting in a net cash settlement of approximately $1.3 million paid by the Company in the fourth quarter of 2016. A quantitative analysis is utilized to assess hedge effectiveness for cash flow hedges. The Company assesses the hedge effectiveness and measures the amount of ineffectiveness for the hedge relationships based on changes in forward exchange rates. The Company elects to present all derivative assets and derivative liabilities on a net basis on its condensed consolidated balance sheets when a legally enforceable International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. (“ISDA”) Master Agreement exists. An ISDA Master Agreement is an agreement between two counterparties, which may have multiple derivative transactions with each other governed by such agreement, and such ISDA Master Agreement generally provides for the net settlement of all or a specified group of these derivative transactions, through a single payment, in a single currency, in the event of a default on, or affecting any, one derivative transaction or a termination event affecting all, or a specified group of, derivative transactions. At September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the Company’s derivative instruments fall under an ISDA master netting agreement. The following table presents the fair values of derivative assets and liabilities in the condensed consolidated balance sheets (in thousands) : September 30, 2017 Derivative Assets Derivative Liabilities Notional Amount Fair Value Notional Amount Fair Value Foreign exchange forward contracts $ — — $ 92,961 $ 7,028 Interest rate swaps 525,000 2,035 — — Total derivatives, gross 2,035 7,028 Less: Legally enforceable master netting agreements — — Total derivatives, net $ — $ 2,035 $ — $ 7,028 December 31, 2016 Derivative Assets Derivative Liabilities Notional Amount Fair Value Notional Amount Fair Value Foreign exchange forward contracts $ — $ — $ 92,961 $ 372 Total derivatives, gross — 372 Less: Legally enforceable master netting agreements — — Total derivatives, net $ — $ — $ — $ 372 The following table presents the effect of derivative instruments on the condensed consolidated statements of operations (in thousands) : Three months ended Nine months ended September 30, September 30, 2017 2016 2017 2016 Foreign exchange forward contracts Gain (loss) on derivatives not designated as hedges in other operating income (expense) $ — $ 850 $ — $ (2,024 ) Interest rate swaps Gain on derivatives not designated as hedges included in interest expense 709 — 2,035 —

Sale-Leaseback Transaction

Sale-Leaseback Transaction	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Leases [Abstract]
Sale-Leaseback Transaction	Sale-Leaseback Transaction On April 5, 2016, the Company sold properties in 47 sites throughout the U.S. and Canada to Pipe Portfolio Owner (Multi) LP (the “U.S. Buyer”) and FORT-BEN Holdings (ONQC) Ltd. (the “Canadian Buyer”) for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $204.3 million . On April 14, 2016, the Company sold additional properties in two sites located in the U.S. to the U.S. Buyer for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $11.9 million . In connection with these transactions, the Company and U.S. Buyer and an affiliate of the Canadian Buyer entered into master land and building lease agreements under which the Company agreed to lease back each of the properties for an initial term of twenty years , followed by one optional renewal term of 9 years, 11 months . Leaseback rental will escalate annually by 2% during the initial term and based on changes in the Consumer Price Index capped at 4% during the optional renewal period. The proceeds received from the sale-leaseback transactions net of transaction costs of $6.5 million amounted to $209.7 million . Prior to the Reorganization, the sale-leaseback transactions were considered to have one form of prohibited “continuing involvement” at the inception of the lease which preclude sale-leaseback accounting for transactions involving real estate in the financial statements of the Company because a guarantee by LSF9 provided the buyer-lessor or the lessor, as applicable, with additional collateral that reduced the buyer-lessor’s or the lessor's, as applicable, risk of loss. As a result, the assets subject to the sale-leaseback remained on the balance sheet and were depreciated. Additionally, the aggregate proceeds were recorded as a financing obligation in the consolidated balance sheet and under financing in the statements of cash flow. In October 2016, t he Company entered into agreements to replace the original guarantor, LSF9, with Forterra, as the new guarantor, effective immediately following completion of the Reorganization. Due to the change in guarantor, the sale leaseback qualified for sales recognition and was classified as an operating lease beginning October 2016. Associated with the sale, in October 2016, the Company recognized a loss on the statement of operations of $19.6 million and a deferred gain of $81.5 million . The deferred gain will be amortized over the life of the lease. As of September 30, 2017 , the non-current portion of the deferred gain was $76.5 million and the current portion of the deferred gain was $2.8 million in the condensed consolidated balance sheets.

Commitments and contingencies

Commitments and contingencies	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and contingencies	Commitments and contingencies Legal matters The Company is involved in legal proceedings and litigation in the ordinary course of business. In the opinion of management, the outcome of such matters will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s condensed combined financial position, results of operations, or liquidity. Other than routine litigation incidental to the Company's business and those matters described below, there are no material legal proceedings to which the Company is a party or to which any of the Company’s properties are subject. In connection with the Acquisition, there is an earn-out contingency including contingent consideration of up to $100.0 million if and to the extent the 2015 financial results of the businesses acquired by Lone Star in the Acquisition, including the Company and HeidelbergCement's former building products business in the United Kingdom, exceeded a specified Adjusted EBITDA target for fiscal year 2015, as calculated pursuant to the terms of the purchase agreement. If such Adjusted EBITDA calculation exceeds the specified target, LSF9, and therefore, Forterra would be required to pay HeidelbergCement an amount equal to a multiple of such excess Adjusted EBITDA, with any payment capped at $100.0 million . In April 2016, the Company provided an earn-out statement to HC demonstrating that no payment was required. On June 13, 2016, HeidelbergCement provided notification that it is disputing, among other things, the Company’s calculation of Adjusted EBITDA under the purchase agreement and asserting that a payment should be made in the amount of $100.0 million . The Company does not believe HeidelbergCement’s position has merit and intends to vigorously oppose HeidelbergCement's assertions. On October 5, 2016, affiliates of HeidelbergCement filed a lawsuit in the Delaware Court of Chancery seeking specific performance and claiming access to the Company's books, records, and personnel; seeking a declaratory judgment concerning the scope of the neutral accounting expert’s authority; and in the alternative, cla im ing a breach of contract and seeking the $100.0 million and other damages (the "Delaware Action"). In November 2016, the defendants filed a motion to dismiss the Delaware Action, and on January 6, 2017, the plaintiffs filed a First Amended Complaint. The defendants filed a motion to dismiss the First Amended Complaint on February 22, 2017, requesting that the Court dismiss all claims in the Delaware Action. On March 24, 2017, the plaintiffs in the Delaware Action filed a response, and the defendants filed a reply on April 7, 2017. The court in the Delaware Action held a hearing on the defendants' motion to dismiss on September 21, 2017, but the Court has not issued any ruling on that motion. As a result of the Reorganization, the defendants in the Delaware Action are no longer part of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries, however the Company remains the liable party in this matter. As of September 30, 2017 , no liability for this contingency has been accrued as payment of any earn-out is not considered probable. However, the outcome of this matter is uncertain, and no assurance can be given to the ultimate outcome of the resulting proceedings. If the Company is unsuccessful in resolving the dispute, it could recognize a material charge to its earnings. Beginning on August 14, 2017, four plaintiffs filed putative class action complaints in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York against a group of defendants that varies by complaint but includes the Company, certain members of senior management, the Board of Directors, Lone Star and certain of its affiliates, and certain banks that acted as underwriters of the IPO (collectively or in groups that vary by complaint, the “defendants”). On August 14, 2017, a putative class action complaint was filed by Charles Forrester; on August 16, 2017, a putative class action complaint was filed by Supanin Disayawathana; on August 23, 2017 a putative class action complaint was filed by Matthew Spindler; and on September 27, 2017, a putative class action complaint was filed by Nancy Maloney (the four complaints together, the "Securities Lawsuits"). The Securities Lawsuits are brought by each plaintiff individually and on behalf of all persons who purchased Company securities during an alleged class period that varies by complaint, but generally begins with the IPO in October 2016 and lasts through a range of dates from May 12, 2017 through August 14, 2017. The Securities Lawsuits generally allege that the Company's registration statement on Form S-1 filed in connection with the IPO (the "Registration Statement"), and in the case of certain complaints, statements made by the Company or the individual defendants at times after the IPO, contained false or misleading statements and/or omissions of material facts relating to (1) the lack of growth from organic sales versus sales from acquisitions, and the lack of organic growth related thereto, (2) increased pricing pressure on the Company's products, (3) softness in the concrete and steel pressure pipe business, (4) operational problems at plants, including problems relating to defective products, (5) unpaid invoices for products and services that resulted in understated expenses, (6) an undisclosed material weakness in internal controls related to inventory, and (7) an undisclosed material weakness in internal controls relating to bill and hold transactions. The Securities Lawsuits generally assert claims under Section 11 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended ("Securities Act"), Section 15 of the Securities Act, Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, and Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act, and they seek (1) class certification under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, (2) damages in an amount to be proven at trial, (3) prejudgment and post-judgment interest, (4) an award of reasonable costs and expense of plaintiffs, including counsel and expert fees, (5) an award of rescission or a rescissory measure of damages, and (6) equitable or other relief as deemed appropriate by the court. On October 13, 2017, three competing motions were filed for consolidation of the Securities Lawsuits and for appointment of an individual or group of individuals as lead plaintiff in the consolidated case under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Responses to the competing motions were filed on October 27, 2017, at which time one motion was withdrawn and on November 3, 2017, one of the moving parties, Wladislaw Maciuga, filed a Notice of Non-Opposition with the Court, noting that he was unopposed as lead plaintiff. The court is expected t o make its lead plaintiff determination before the end of the year. The Company intends to defend the Securities Lawsuits vigorously. Given the stage of the proceedings, the Company cannot reasonably estimate at this time the possible loss or range of loss, if any, that may arise from the Securities Lawsuits. Long-term incentive plan Following the Acquisition, Lone Star implemented a cash-based long term incentive plan (the “LTIP”), which entitles the participants in the LTIP a potential cash payout upon a monetization event as defined by the LTIP. Potential monetization events include the sale, transfer or otherwise disposition of all or a portion of the Company or successor entities of LSF9, an initial public offering where Lone Star reduces its ownership interest in the Company or successor entities of LSF9 below 50%, or through certain cash distribution as defined in the LTIP. Before the payout of any cash the LTIP requires Lone Star to realize in cash the full return of their investment plus a specified internal rate of return, which is calculated by comparing the return to Lone Star over the timeline of its investment in the Company and certain successor entities of LSF9. As of September 30, 2017 , no monetization event had occurred, and therefore no amounts were accrued in the condensed consolidated balance sheets. While no payments have occurred thus far, payments under the LTIP could be significant depending upon future monetization events. The timing and amount of such payments are unknown and is dependent upon future monetization events and market conditions that are outside of the control of the Company or the participants of the plan. Subsequent to the IPO, Forterra became directly liable for any payment obligations triggered under the LTIP, but LSF9 or one of its affiliates will remain obligated to make payments to the Company in amounts equal to any payment obligations triggered under the LTIP as and when such payment obligations are triggered. Tax receivable agreement In connection with the IPO, the Company entered into a tax receivable agreement with Lone Star that provides for, among other things, the payment by the Company to Lone Star of 85% of the amount of certain covered tax benefits, which may reduce the actual liability for certain taxes that the Company might otherwise be required to pay. The tax benefits subject to the tax receivable agreement include: (i) all depreciation and amortization deductions, and any offset to taxable income and gain or increase to taxable loss, resulting from the tax basis that the Company had in its assets as of the time of the consummation of the IPO, (ii) the utilization of the Company's and its subsidiaries’ net operating losses and tax credits, if any, attributable to periods prior to the IPO, (iii) deductions in respect of payments made, funded or reimbursed by an initial party to the tax receivable agreement (other than the Company or one of its subsidiaries) or an affiliate thereof to participants under the LTIP, (iv) deductions in respect of transaction expenses attributable to the USP Acquisition and (v) certain other tax benefits attributable to payments made under the tax receivable agreement. For purposes of the tax receivable agreement, the aggregate reduction in income tax payable by the Company will be computed by comparing the Company's actual income tax liability with its hypothetical liability had it not been able to utilize the related tax benefits. The agreement will remain in effect for the period of time in which any such related tax benefits remain. The Company accounts for potential payments under the tax receivable agreement as a contingent liability, with amounts accrued when considered probable and reasonably estimable. As of the IPO date, the Company recorded a $160.8 million liability and a reduction to additional paid-in-capital related to the tax receivable agreement for the undiscounted value of probable future payments. Net of tax effects of $18.5 million , the net reduction to additional paid-in-capital related to the initial liability for the tax receivable agreement was $142.3 million . The Company anticipates that it will have sufficient taxable income in future periods to realize the full value of the obligation recorded. Future tax receivable agreement payments related to the tax basis of assets at the time of the IPO will be recorded as a reduction to the liability and will be recorded as a financing obligation in the statement of cash flows. At the end of each reporting period, any changes in the Company's estimate of the liability will be recorded in the statement of operations as a component of other income/expense and will be recorded as an operating activity in the statement of cash flows. As of September 30, 2017 , the liability recorded was $163.0 million , after adjustments made for changes in tax basis. No payments have been made through September 30, 2017 . The timing and amount of future tax benefits associated with the tax receivable agreement are subject to change, and additional payments may be required which could be materially different from the current accrued liability.

Earnings per share

Earnings per share	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Earnings per share	Earnings per share Basic earnings per share ( “ EPS ” ) is calculated by dividing net earnings by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Potentially dilutive securities include employee stock options and shares of restricted stock. Diluted EPS reflects the assumed exercise, vesting or conversion of all dilutive securities. For purposes of calculating earnings (loss) per share, weighted average shares prior to the Reorganization have been retroactively adjusted to give effect to Stock Split and the Reorganization for all historical periods presented in the financial statements. The computations of earnings (loss) per share for periods prior to the IPO do not include the shares issued in connection with the IPO. The calculations of the basic and diluted EPS for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 are presented below (in thousands, except per share amounts) : For the three months ended September 30, For the nine months ended September 30, 2017 2016 2017 2016 Income (loss) from continuing operations $ (11,502 ) $ 4,368 $ (45,218 ) $ 34,052 Discontinued operations, net of tax — 4,000 — 7,069 Net Income (loss) $ (11,502 ) $ 8,368 $ (45,218 ) $ 41,121 Common stock: Weighted average basic shares outstanding 63,799 45,369 63,794 45,369 Effect of dilutive securities — — — — Weighted average diluted shares outstanding 63,799 45,369 63,794 45,369 Basic earnings (loss) per share: Income (loss) from continuing operations $ (0.18 ) $ 0.10 $ (0.71 ) $ 0.75 Income from discontinued operations, net of taxes $ — $ 0.09 $ — $ 0.16 Net income (loss) $ (0.18 ) $ 0.19 $ (0.71 ) $ 0.91 Diluted earnings (loss) per share: Income (loss) from continuing operations $ (0.18 ) $ 0.10 $ (0.71 ) $ 0.75 Income from discontinued operations, net of taxes $ — $ 0.09 $ — $ 0.16 Net income (loss) $ (0.18 ) $ 0.19 $ (0.71 ) $ 0.91

Stock-based plans

Stock-based plans	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
Stock-based plans	Stock-based plans 2016 Stock Incentive Plan Forterra has one equity compensation plan under which it has granted stock awards, the Forterra, Inc. 2016 Stock Incentive Plan (the "2016 Incentive Plan"). The 2016 Incentive Plan became effective October 19, 2016, upon the approval of the Company's then-sole equity-holder, and serves as the umbrella plan for the Company’s stock-based and cash-based incentive compensation programs for its directors, officers and other eligible employees. The aggregate number of shares of common stock that may be issued under the 2016 Incentive Plan may not exceed 5,000,000 shares. Effective October 19, 2016, the board of directors granted employees and independent directors 361,590 options to purchase shares of common stock at an exercise price of $18.00 per share and 136,900 shares of restricted common stock. Both the options and restricted shares awarded to employees are subject to a four -year vesting period and the options and restricted shares awarded to independent directors are subject to a one -year vesting period. Additional grants of an aggregate of 612,826 and 1,225,188 options were awarded to employees during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively. These options are subject to a three -year vesting period. The awards of stock options granted under the 2016 Incentive Plan have a term of ten years. In accordance with ASC 718, Compensation-Stock Compensation , the Company recognizes stock-based compensation expense over the requisite service period for the entire award, or to the date at which retirement eligibility is achieved and subsequent service no longer required for continued vesting of the award, in an amount equal to the grant date fair value of share-based payments, which include stock options granted and restricted stock awards to employees and non-employee members of Forterra's board of directors. The Company records stock-based compensation expense in cost of goods sold and selling, general and administrative expenses. Stock-based compensation expense was approximately $1.4 million and $2.8 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 respectively. Stock Option Grants The value of the options is determined by using a Black-Scholes pricing model that includes the following variables: 1) exercise price of the instrument, 2) fair market value of the underlying stock on date of grant, 3) expected life, 4) estimated volatility and 5) the risk-free interest rate. The Company utilized the following weighted-average assumptions in estimating the fair value of the option grants in the nine months ended September 30, 2017 : Expected dividends — % Expected volatility 39.60 % Risk-free interest rate 0.85 % Expected lives in years 6 Weighted-average fair value of options: Granted $4.17 The Black-Scholes model requires the use of subjective assumptions including expectations of future dividends and stock price volatility. Expected volatility is calculated based on an analysis of historical and implied volatility measures for a set of Forterra's peer companies. The average expected life is based on the contractual term of the option and expected employee exercise and post-vesting employment termination behavior. Such assumptions are only used for making the required fair value estimate and should not be considered as indicators of future dividend policy or stock price appreciation. Because changes in the subjective assumptions can materially affect the fair value estimate, and because employee stock option have characteristics significantly different from those of traded options, the use of the Black-Scholes option pricing model may not provide a reliable estimate of the fair value of employee stock options. A summary of the status of stock options granted under the 2016 Incentive Plan during the nine months ended September 30, 2017 , and changes during the nine months then ended, is presented in the table below: Shares Weighted Average Exercise Price Outstanding, beginning of period 357,840 $18.00 Granted 1,225,188 $10.80 Exercised — n/a Forfeited (178,509 ) $18.70 Outstanding, end of period 1,404,519 $11.63 Options exercisable at end of period 27,500 $18.00 Restricted Stock Awards Restricted stock awards are share awards that entitle the holder to receive shares of the Company's common stock which become freely transferable upon vesting. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 , pursuant to the 2016 Incentive Plan, the Company issued 160,348 and 450,698 restricted stock awards, respectively. These restricted stock awards granted to employees generally vest on a three -year vesting schedule. The estimated compensation cost of the restricted stock awards, which is equal to the fair value of the awards on the date of grant, is recognized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period. The following table summarizes information about restricted stock award activity during the nine months ended September 30, 2017 : Shares Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value Unvested balance, beginning of period 134,650 $18.00 Grants 450,698 $13.16 Vested shares (13,500 ) $18.00 Forfeitures (78,798 ) $18.75 Unvested balance, end of period 493,050 $13.45

Income taxes

Income taxes	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	Income Taxes The Company's quarterly provision for income taxes is calculated using the annual effective tax rate method, which applies an estimated annual effective tax rate to pre-tax income or loss. The Company recorded income tax benefit from continuing operations of $8.5 million and $25.4 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 , respectively, and an income tax expense of $8.2 million and an income tax benefit of $28.6 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 , respectively. The income tax benefit for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 recorded includes an effective tax rate of 36.0% , which differs from the federal statutory rate primarily due to the effect of state income taxes, valuation allowance in certain states and foreign rate differentials which decrease the benefit rate. There was no income tax benefit associated with the goodwill impairment recognized in the nine months ended September 30, 2017 since the goodwill is nondeductible for income tax purposes. The income tax benefit for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 is primarily attributable to the reduction of the Company's valuation allowance and corresponding recognition of a deferred tax benefit after giving consideration to deferred income tax liabilities of $34.9 million recorded in the acquisition of Sherman-Dixie Concrete Industries, Inc. and USP Holdings, Inc.

Segment reporting

Segment reporting	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Segment reporting	Segment reporting Segment information is presented in accordance with ASC 280, Segment Reporting , which establishes standards for reporting information about operating segments. It also establishes standards for related disclosures about products and geographic areas. Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise that engage in business activities that earn revenues, incur expenses and prepare separate financial information that is evaluated regularly by the Company’s chief operating decision maker ( “ CODM ” ) in order to allocate resources and assess performance. The Corporate and Other segment includes expenses related to certain executive salaries, interest costs related to the Company's credit agreements, acquisition related costs, and other corporate costs that are not directly attributable to the Company's operating segments. The Company's segments follow the same accounting policies as the Company. Net sales from the major products sold to external customers include drainage pipe and precast products and concrete and steel water transmission pipe. The Company’s three geographic areas consist of the United States, Canada and Mexico for which it reports net sales, fixed assets and total assets. For purposes of evaluating segment profit, the CODM reviews EBITDA as a basis for making the decisions to allocate resources and assess performance. The following tables set forth reportable segment information with respect to net sales and other financial information attributable to the Company's reportable segments for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 (in thousands) : For the three months ended September 30, 2017: Drainage Pipe & Products Water Pipe & Products Corporate and Other Total Net Sales $ 248,231 $ 195,987 $ 39 $ 444,257 Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes 35,529 (21,294 ) (34,191 ) (19,956 ) Depreciation and amortization 11,703 17,136 319 29,158 Interest expense 110 14 15,458 15,582 EBITDA $ 47,342 $ (4,144 ) $ (18,414 ) $ 24,784 Capital expenditures $ 4,696 $ 2,774 $ 68 $ 7,538 For the three months ended September 30, 2016: Drainage Pipe & Products Water Pipe & Products Corporate and Other Total Net Sales $ 215,486 $ 225,645 $ 1 $ 441,132 Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes 37,994 24,478 (49,950 ) 12,522 Depreciation and amortization 10,057 18,351 82 28,490 Interest expense 3,451 805 27,500 31,756 EBITDA $ 51,502 $ 43,634 $ (22,368 ) $ 72,768 Capital expenditures $ 6,351 $ 6,632 $ — $ 12,983 For the nine months ended September 30, 2017: Drainage Pipe & Products Water Pipe & Products Corporate and Other Total Net Sales $ 630,200 $ 588,999 $ 45 $ 1,219,244 Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes 63,656 (21,195 ) (113,127 ) (70,666 ) Depreciation and amortization 34,847 52,046 570 87,463 Interest expense 329 30 45,843 46,202 EBITDA $ 98,832 $ 30,881 $ (66,714 ) $ 62,999 Capital expenditures $ 19,161 $ 10,935 $ 1,041 $ 31,137 Total assets $ 809,353 $ 970,716 $ 66,546 $ 1,846,615 For the nine months ended September 30, 2016: Drainage Pipe & Products Water Pipe & Products Corporate and Other Total Net Sales $ 552,035 $ 455,286 $ 2,530 $ 1,009,851 Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes 90,205 43,821 (128,560 ) 5,466 Depreciation and amortization 29,608 34,853 457 64,918 Interest expense 6,723 1,577 65,585 73,885 EBITDA $ 126,536 $ 80,251 $ (62,518 ) $ 144,269 Capital expenditures $ 12,621 $ 10,035 $ 624 $ 23,280 Total assets $ 753,044 $ 1,103,245 $ 56,875 $ 1,913,164 In the nine months ended September 30, 2017 above, the Water Pipe & Products income from continuing operations includes the impact of $3.0 million of goodwill impairment and $7.5 million of long-lived asset impairment charges. In the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 above, the Water Pipe & Products income from continuing operations includes the loss generated from the U.S. Pressure Pipe Divestiture of $31.6 million . The Company has an investment in an equity method investee included in the Drainage Pipe & Products segment for which earnings from equity method investee were $2.9 million and $9.4 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 , respectively, and $4.1 million and $9.0 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 , respectively, and with the following balances (in thousands) : September 30, December 31, 2017 2016 Investment in equity method investee $ 55,685 $ 55,236 The Company is also required by ASC 280 to disclose additional information related to geographic location. The Company has operations in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The Company has both revenues and long-lived assets in each country; and those assets and revenues are recorded within geographic location as follows (in thousands) : Property, plant, and equipment, net: September 30, December 31, 2017 2016 United States $ 395,019 $ 422,853 Canada 20,748 19,584 Mexico 10,479 10,477 $ 426,246 $ 452,914 Net Sales: For the three months ended September 30, For the nine months ended September 30, 2017 2016 2017 2016 United States $ 412,562 $ 398,949 $ 1,146,292 $ 916,795 Canada 27,688 39,039 62,507 86,953 Mexico 4,007 3,144 10,445 6,103 $ 444,257 $ 441,132 $ 1,219,244 $ 1,009,851

Related party transactions

Related party transactions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]
Related party transactions	Related party transactions Hudson Advisors The Company had an advisory agreement with Hudson Advisors, an affiliate of Lone Star, to provide certain management oversight services to the Company, including assistance and advice on strategic plans, obtaining and maintaining certain legal documents, and communicating and coordinating with service providers. The Company incurred fees totaling $1.0 million and $4.1 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 , respectively, included in selling, general and administrative expense on the condensed consolidated statement of operations. In conjunction with the IPO, the advisory agreement with Hudson Advisors was terminated. Affiliates receivable The Company paid for certain services provided for affiliates which the Company billed to its affiliates. At December 31, 2016, the Company recorded a receivable of $0.1 million , for services paid on behalf of affiliates in other current assets on the condensed consolidated balance sheets. Tax receivable agreement In connection with the IPO, the Company entered into a tax receivable agreement with Lone Star that provides for, among other things, the payment by the Company to Lone Star of 85% of the amount of certain covered tax benefits, which may reduce the actual liability for certain taxes that the Company might otherwise be required to pay. See further discussion at Note 14 Commitments and contingencies. Bricks Joint Venture In connection with the Bricks Disposition, Forterra entered into a transition services agreement with the joint venture formed by the affiliate of Lone Star and an unaffiliated third party pursuant to which Forterra's former bricks business was contributed (the "Bricks Joint Venture"). Pursuant to the transition services agreement, Forterra continued to provide certain administrative services, including but not limited to information technology, accounting and treasury for a limited period of time following the Bricks Disposition. The Company recognized a total of $0.2 million and $1.8 million in Other Operating Income, net pursuant to the transition services agreement related to the Bricks Joint Venture for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 , respectively. Additionally, during the transition period, the Company collected cash from as well as settled invoices and payroll on behalf of its former bricks business. As a result, Forterra had a net payable due to affiliates of $8.4 million as of December 31, 2016, and a net receivable from affiliates of $1.9 million as of September 30, 2017 .

Discontinued operations and div

Discontinued operations and divestitures	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]
Discontinued operations and divestitures	Discontinued operations and divestitures Discontinued operations On August 23, 2016, an affiliate of Lone Star entered into an agreement with an unaffiliated third party to contribute Forterra's bricks business to the Bricks Joint Venture. In exchange for the contribution of the bricks business, an affiliate of Lone Star received a 50% interest in the Bricks Joint Venture. In connection with the Reorganization described in Note 1, Organization and description of the business, on October 17, 2016, Forterra distributed its bricks business to an affiliate of Lone Star in a transaction among entities under common control. Following the Bricks Disposition, Forterra no longer had any relation to or business affiliation with its former bricks business or the Bricks Joint Venture other than contractual arrangements regarding certain limited transition services, the temporary use of the “Forterra” name, and a short-term loan, of approximately $11.9 million , which was subsequently repaid in full in 2016. The Bricks Disposition has been accounted for as a discontinued operation. The key components of loss from discontinued operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 consist of the following (in thousands) : September 30, 2016 Three months ended Nine months ended Revenue $ 39,012 $ 110,436 Operating costs and expenses (32,875 ) (97,029 ) Depreciation and amortization (2,139 ) (6,131 ) Operating income $ 3,998 $ 7,276 Other income 3 1 Income tax expense (1 ) (208 ) Income from discontinued operations, net of tax $ 4,000 $ 7,069 Divestitures Effective July 31, 2017, Forterra completed the U.S. Pressure Pipe Divestiture, selling its U.S. concrete and steel pressure pipe business, which was part of the Company's Water Pipe and Products segment to TPG, in exchange for approximately $23.2 million in cash, exclusive of fees and expenses, as well as certain assets relating to a U.S. drainage pipe and products manufacturing facility. The assets acquired, recognized at fair value, include $3.8 million of working capital, $1.8 million of machinery and equipment, and a customer intangible totaling $0.8 million . The U.S. Pressure Pipe Divestiture generated a pre-tax loss of $31.6 million recorded in other expense, net. For the quarter ending June 30, 2017, the Company classified the assets and liabilities of its U.S. concrete and steel pressure pipe business as held for sale. Assets and liabilities which meet the held for sale criteria are carried at fair value less selling costs. An analysis indicated that the carrying value of the long-lived assets held for sale exceeded the fair value less costs to sell, and as a result, a pre-tax impairment charge of $7.5 million was recorded within impairment and exit charges during the second quarter of 2017 and the nine month period ended September 30, 2017. The long-lived assets' fair value was estimated using accepted cost approach methodologies. The pre-tax loss of the U.S. concrete and steel pressure pipe business was $34.1 million and $49.4 million for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2017 , respectively, inclusive of loss on U.S. Pressure Pipe Divestiture of $31.6 million , and long-lived asset impairment of $7.5 million . In 2016, the assets generated a pre-tax loss of $7.5 million for the three months ended September 30, 2016 and pre-tax income of $0.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 .

Summary of significant accoun27

Summary of significant accounting policies (Policies)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	The Company's condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) and include the accounts and results of operations of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries.
Consolidation	All intercompany transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Long-lived assets held for sale	Long-lived assets held for sale The Company accounts for long-lived assets held for sale in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board ( “ FASB ” ) Accounting Standards Codification ( “ ASC ” ) 360, Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Asset, which requires assets to be classified as held for sale when the following criteria are met: 1) management, having the authority to approve the action, commits to a plan to sell; 2) the asset or asset group is available for immediate sale in its present condition; 3) an active program to locate a buyer and other actions required to complete the plan to sell have been initiated; 4) actions required to complete the sale indicate that is it unlikely that significant changes to the plan will be made or that the plan will be withdrawn, and 5) the sale is probable to qualify for recognition as a completed sale within one year. At such time assets or an asset group are determined to be held for sale, its carrying amount is adjusted to the lower of its depreciated book value or its estimated fair value, less costs to sell, and depreciation is no longer recognized. An impairment charge is recognized if the carrying value is in excess of its fair value. The assets and liabilities are required to be classified as held for sale on the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets.
Goodwill	Goodwill Goodwill represents the excess of costs over the fair value of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed. The Company evaluates goodwill and intangible assets in accordance with ASC 350, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets . ASC 350 requires goodwill to be either qualitatively or quantitatively assessed for impairment annually (or more frequently if impairment indicators arise) for each reporting unit. The Company performs its annual impairment testing of goodwill as of October 1 of each year and in interim periods if events occur that would indicate that it is more likely than not the fair value of a reporting unit is less than carrying value. The Company first assesses qualitative factors to evaluate whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount as the basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform a quantitative goodwill impairment test. The quantitative analysis compares the fair value of the reporting unit with its carrying amount. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds the fair value, impairment is recognized in an amount equal to that excess, limited to the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit.
Recent Accounting Guidance Adopted and Not Yet Adopted	Recent Accounting Guidance Adopted In January 2017, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update ( “ ASU ” ) 2017-01 Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business in an effort to clarify the definition of a business with the objective of adding guidance to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years, however early adoption is permitted. The Company early adopted the guidance provided in the ASU in the second quarter of 2017. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment to simplify the accounting for goodwill impairment. The guidance removes the second step of the goodwill impairment test, which requires a hypothetical purchase price allocation. A goodwill impairment will now be the amount by which a reporting unit’s carrying value exceeds its fair value, not to exceed the carrying amount of goodwill. All other goodwill impairment guidance will remain largely unchanged. Entities will continue to have the option to perform a qualitative assessment to determine if a quantitative impairment test is necessary. The same one-step impairment test will be applied to goodwill at all reporting units, even those with zero or negative carrying amounts. Entities will be required to disclose the amount of goodwill at reporting units with zero or negative carrying amounts. This guidance is effective in 2020, but early adoption is permitted for any impairment tests performed after January 1, 2017. The Company elected to early adopt the ASU effective in the second quarter of 2017. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. In the second quarter of 2017, the Company recognized impairment of goodwill associated with one of its reporting units. See Note 8, Goodwill and other intangible assets for a discussion of the Company's interim goodwill assessment and the related impairment charge. In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-11, Inventory (Topic 330): Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory, requiring an entity to measure inventory within the scope of the ASU at the lower of cost and net realizable value. For public business entities, the amendments in this update were effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The adoption of this ASU during the first quarter of 2017 did not have a material impact on the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements. Recent Accounting Guidance Not Yet Adopted In May 2014, the FASB issued guidance (the effective date of which was later delayed) that outlines a single comprehensive model for accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers, which supersedes most of the existing revenue recognition guidance. This guidance requires an entity to recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services and also requires certain additional disclosures. The guidance is effective for interim and annual reporting periods that begin after December 15, 2017. Early adoption of the standard is permitted, but not before the original effective date of interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016. During the second quarter of 2016, the FASB issued additional revenue recognition guidance that clarifies how an entity identifies performance obligations related to customer contracts as well as the objectives of collectability, sales and other taxes, non-cash consideration, contract modifications at transition, and technical corrections. The guidance is effective beginning in the first quarter of 2018, and the Company does not currently plan to early adopt the guidance. The guidance permits two methods of adoption, retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented (full retrospective method), or retrospectively with the cumulative effect of initially applying the guidance recognized at the date of initial application (modified retrospective method). The Company will utilize the modified retrospective method upon adoption. The Company has gained an understanding of the standard’s revenue recognition model and is completing the analysis and documentation of the Company's contract details for impacts under the new revenue recognition model. While the evaluation of the impact of the standard is continuing, the Company expects the timing of our revenue recognition to generally remain the same under the new standard on an annual basis. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), amending the existing accounting standards for lease accounting, including requiring lessees to recognize most leases on their balance sheets and making targeted changes to lessor accounting. For public business entities, the amendments in this update are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years, and early adoption is permitted as of the standard’s issuance date. ASU 2016-02 requires a modified retrospective transition approach for all leases existing at, or entered into after, the date of initial application, with an option to use certain transition relief. The Company believes the adoption of this ASU will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements as it will result in most of the Company’s leases and associated assets being presented on the balance sheet. In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, providing guidance on eight specific cash flow statement classification matters, including but not limited to prepayment of debt or debt extinguishment costs and contingent consideration payments made after a business combination. The Company plans to adopt this standard on January 1, 2018. The adoption of the ASU will impact the Company's cash flow presentation in future periods. In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities. The new standard makes more financial and non-financial hedging strategies eligible for hedge accounting. It also amends the presentation and disclosure requirements and changes how companies assess effectiveness. For public companies, the amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The Company is evaluating the impact that the adoption of the ASU will have on its consolidated financial statements.

Business combinations (Tables)

Business combinations (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Schedule of Fair Values of Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed	The preliminary respective fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date are as follows (in thousands) : Net working capital $ 2,994 Property, plant and equipment 12,335 Customer relationship intangible 1,676 Non-compete agreement intangible 866 Other intangibles 443 Other assets and liabilities (726 ) Net identifiable assets acquired 17,588 Goodwill 17,903 Cash consideration transferred $ 35,491

Receivables, net (Tables)

Receivables, net (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Receivables [Abstract]
Schedule of Receivables, Net and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts	Receivables consist of the following (in thousands) : September 30, December 31, 2017 2016 Trade receivables $ 264,336 $ 178,012 Amounts billed, but not yet paid under retainage provisions 1,416 1,959 Other receivables 4,275 22,408 Total receivables $ 270,027 $ 202,379 Less: Allowance for doubtful accounts (3,351 ) (898 ) Receivables, net $ 266,676 $ 201,481

Inventories (Tables)

Inventories (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Inventories	Inventories consist of the following (in thousands) : September 30, December 31, 2017 2016 Finished goods $ 175,880 $ 185,507 Raw materials 87,512 90,647 Work in process 900 3,348 Total inventories $ 264,292 $ 279,502

Investment in equity method i31

Investment in equity method investee (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract]
Selected Historical Financial Data of the Investee	Selected unaudited financial data for the investee is as follows ( in thousands ): Three months ended Nine months ended September 30, September 30, 2017 2017 Net sales $ 35,302 $ 104,921 Gross profit 10,730 33,433 Income from operations 6,178 19,820 Net income $ 6,130 $ 19,644

Property, plant and equipment32

Property, plant and equipment, net (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Schedule of Property, Plant and Equipment, net	Property, plant and equipment, net, consist of the following (in thousands) : September 30, December 31, 2017 2016 Machinery and equipment $ 347,633 $ 329,871 Land, buildings and improvements 146,682 142,105 Other equipment 4,699 2,592 Construction-in-progress 30,024 43,855 Total property, plant and equipment 529,038 518,423 Less: accumulated depreciation (102,792 ) (65,509 ) Property, plant and equipment, net $ 426,246 $ 452,914

Goodwill and other intangible33

Goodwill and other intangible assets, net (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Goodwill by Segment	The following table summarizes the changes in goodwill by operating segment for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 ( in thousands ): Drainage Pipe & Products Water Pipe & Products Total Balance at December 31, 2016 $ 168,866 $ 322,581 $ 491,447 Acquisitions 19,515 — 19,515 Impairment — (3,003 ) (3,003 ) Foreign currency and other adjustments 1,085 (4,080 ) (2,995 ) Balance at September 30, 2017 $ 189,466 $ 315,498 $ 504,964
Schedule of Intangible Assets	Intangible assets other than goodwill at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 included the following ( in thousands ): Net carrying value as of September 30, 2017 Net carrying value as of December 31, 2016 Customer relationships $ 181,231 $ 209,937 Trade names 30,970 34,771 Patents 16,978 20,673 Customer backlog 613 1,628 Non-compete agreements 6,604 7,410 In-Process R&D 6,354 6,692 Other 853 487 Total intangible assets $ 243,603 $ 281,598

Fair value measurement (Tables)

Fair value measurement (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Summary of Carrying and Fair Value Amounts for Financial Instruments and Liabilities	The estimated carrying amount and fair value of the Company’s financial instruments and liabilities for which fair value is only disclosed is as follows (in thousands) : Fair value measurements at September 30, 2017 using Carrying Amount September 30, 2017 Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Total Fair Value 2016 Senior Term Loan $1,195,055 — $1,054,269 — $1,054,269 Tax receivable agreement payable 163,003 — — 118,183 118,183 Fair value measurements at December 31, 2016 using Carrying Amount December 31, 2016 Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Total Fair Value 2016 Senior Term Loan $1,000,983 — $1,064,395 — $1,064,395 Tax receivable agreement payable 160,783 — — 125,614 125,614
Summary of Fair Value Measurements on Recurring Basis	The carrying amount and estimated fair value of the Company’s financial instruments and other assets and liabilities measured and recorded at fair value on a recurring basis is as follows for the dates indicated (in thousands) : Fair value measurements at September 30, 2017 using Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) Significant Other Observable Inputs Significant Unobservable Inputs Total Fair Value Non-current assets Derivative asset — $2,035 — $2,035 Current liabilities Derivative liability — $7,028 — $7,028 Fair value measurements at December 31, 2016 using Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Total Fair Value Non-current liabilities Derivative liability — $372 — $372

Accrued liabilities (Tables)

Accrued liabilities (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Payables and Accruals [Abstract]
Schedule of accrued liabilities	Accrued liabilities consist of the following (in thousands) : September 30, December 31, 2017 2016 Accrued payroll and employee benefits $ 26,305 $ 29,945 Accrued taxes 13,197 32,746 Accrued rebates 10,275 7,509 Short-term derivative liability 7,028 — Warranty 4,117 3,509 Tax receivable agreement liability, current portion 4,000 4,000 Environmental obligation 685 775 Other miscellaneous accrued liabilities 13,713 3,681 Total accrued liabilities $ 79,320 $ 82,165

Debt and deferred financing c36

Debt and deferred financing costs (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of long-term debt	The Company’s debt consisted of the following (in thousands) : September 30, December 31, 2017 2016 2016 Senior Term Loan, net of debt issuance costs and original issuance discount of $43,440 and $46,392, respectively $ 1,195,055 $ 1,000,983 2016 Revolver, net of debt issuance costs of $3,936 — 95,064 Total debt $ 1,195,055 $ 1,096,047 Less: current portion debt (12,510 ) (10,500 ) Total long-term debt $ 1,182,545 $ 1,085,547
Schedule of minimum future principal payments	As of September 30, 2017 , scheduled maturities of long-term debt were as follows: 2016 Senior Term Loan 2017 $ 3,128 2018 12,510 2019 12,510 2020 12,510 2021 12,510 Thereafter: 1,185,327 $ 1,238,495

Derivatives and hedging (Tables

Derivatives and hedging (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Fair values of derivative assets and liabilities in the balance sheets	The following table presents the fair values of derivative assets and liabilities in the condensed consolidated balance sheets (in thousands) : September 30, 2017 Derivative Assets Derivative Liabilities Notional Amount Fair Value Notional Amount Fair Value Foreign exchange forward contracts $ — — $ 92,961 $ 7,028 Interest rate swaps 525,000 2,035 — — Total derivatives, gross 2,035 7,028 Less: Legally enforceable master netting agreements — — Total derivatives, net $ — $ 2,035 $ — $ 7,028 December 31, 2016 Derivative Assets Derivative Liabilities Notional Amount Fair Value Notional Amount Fair Value Foreign exchange forward contracts $ — $ — $ 92,961 $ 372 Total derivatives, gross — 372 Less: Legally enforceable master netting agreements — — Total derivatives, net $ — $ — $ — $ 372
Gain (loss) recognized in the statements of operations and comprehensive income on derivative instruments in cash flow hedging relationships	The following table presents the effect of derivative instruments on the condensed consolidated statements of operations (in thousands) : Three months ended Nine months ended September 30, September 30, 2017 2016 2017 2016 Foreign exchange forward contracts Gain (loss) on derivatives not designated as hedges in other operating income (expense) $ — $ 850 $ — $ (2,024 ) Interest rate swaps Gain on derivatives not designated as hedges included in interest expense 709 — 2,035 —

Earnings per share (Tables)

Earnings per share (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Schedule of Calculation of Basic and Dilutive Earnings Per Share	The calculations of the basic and diluted EPS for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 are presented below (in thousands, except per share amounts) : For the three months ended September 30, For the nine months ended September 30, 2017 2016 2017 2016 Income (loss) from continuing operations $ (11,502 ) $ 4,368 $ (45,218 ) $ 34,052 Discontinued operations, net of tax — 4,000 — 7,069 Net Income (loss) $ (11,502 ) $ 8,368 $ (45,218 ) $ 41,121 Common stock: Weighted average basic shares outstanding 63,799 45,369 63,794 45,369 Effect of dilutive securities — — — — Weighted average diluted shares outstanding 63,799 45,369 63,794 45,369 Basic earnings (loss) per share: Income (loss) from continuing operations $ (0.18 ) $ 0.10 $ (0.71 ) $ 0.75 Income from discontinued operations, net of taxes $ — $ 0.09 $ — $ 0.16 Net income (loss) $ (0.18 ) $ 0.19 $ (0.71 ) $ 0.91 Diluted earnings (loss) per share: Income (loss) from continuing operations $ (0.18 ) $ 0.10 $ (0.71 ) $ 0.75 Income from discontinued operations, net of taxes $ — $ 0.09 $ — $ 0.16 Net income (loss) $ (0.18 ) $ 0.19 $ (0.71 ) $ 0.91

Stock-based plans (Tables)

Stock-based plans (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
Schedule of Weighted Average Assumptions in Estimating Fair Value of Options	The Company utilized the following weighted-average assumptions in estimating the fair value of the option grants in the nine months ended September 30, 2017 : Expected dividends — % Expected volatility 39.60 % Risk-free interest rate 0.85 % Expected lives in years 6 Weighted-average fair value of options: Granted $4.17
Schedule of Stock Options Outstanding, Vested and Expected to Vest	A summary of the status of stock options granted under the 2016 Incentive Plan during the nine months ended September 30, 2017 , and changes during the nine months then ended, is presented in the table below: Shares Weighted Average Exercise Price Outstanding, beginning of period 357,840 $18.00 Granted 1,225,188 $10.80 Exercised — n/a Forfeited (178,509 ) $18.70 Outstanding, end of period 1,404,519 $11.63 Options exercisable at end of period 27,500 $18.00
Schedule of Restricted Stock Award Activity	The following table summarizes information about restricted stock award activity during the nine months ended September 30, 2017 : Shares Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value Unvested balance, beginning of period 134,650 $18.00 Grants 450,698 $13.16 Vested shares (13,500 ) $18.00 Forfeitures (78,798 ) $18.75 Unvested balance, end of period 493,050 $13.45

Segment reporting (Tables)

Segment reporting (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Schedule of Segment Reporting Information, by Segment	The following tables set forth reportable segment information with respect to net sales and other financial information attributable to the Company's reportable segments for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 (in thousands) : For the three months ended September 30, 2017: Drainage Pipe & Products Water Pipe & Products Corporate and Other Total Net Sales $ 248,231 $ 195,987 $ 39 $ 444,257 Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes 35,529 (21,294 ) (34,191 ) (19,956 ) Depreciation and amortization 11,703 17,136 319 29,158 Interest expense 110 14 15,458 15,582 EBITDA $ 47,342 $ (4,144 ) $ (18,414 ) $ 24,784 Capital expenditures $ 4,696 $ 2,774 $ 68 $ 7,538 For the three months ended September 30, 2016: Drainage Pipe & Products Water Pipe & Products Corporate and Other Total Net Sales $ 215,486 $ 225,645 $ 1 $ 441,132 Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes 37,994 24,478 (49,950 ) 12,522 Depreciation and amortization 10,057 18,351 82 28,490 Interest expense 3,451 805 27,500 31,756 EBITDA $ 51,502 $ 43,634 $ (22,368 ) $ 72,768 Capital expenditures $ 6,351 $ 6,632 $ — $ 12,983 For the nine months ended September 30, 2017: Drainage Pipe & Products Water Pipe & Products Corporate and Other Total Net Sales $ 630,200 $ 588,999 $ 45 $ 1,219,244 Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes 63,656 (21,195 ) (113,127 ) (70,666 ) Depreciation and amortization 34,847 52,046 570 87,463 Interest expense 329 30 45,843 46,202 EBITDA $ 98,832 $ 30,881 $ (66,714 ) $ 62,999 Capital expenditures $ 19,161 $ 10,935 $ 1,041 $ 31,137 Total assets $ 809,353 $ 970,716 $ 66,546 $ 1,846,615 For the nine months ended September 30, 2016: Drainage Pipe & Products Water Pipe & Products Corporate and Other Total Net Sales $ 552,035 $ 455,286 $ 2,530 $ 1,009,851 Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes 90,205 43,821 (128,560 ) 5,466 Depreciation and amortization 29,608 34,853 457 64,918 Interest expense 6,723 1,577 65,585 73,885 EBITDA $ 126,536 $ 80,251 $ (62,518 ) $ 144,269 Capital expenditures $ 12,621 $ 10,035 $ 624 $ 23,280 Total assets $ 753,044 $ 1,103,245 $ 56,875 $ 1,913,164 September 30, December 31, 2017 2016 Investment in equity method investee $ 55,685 $ 55,236
Long-lived Assets by Geographic Areas	The Company is also required by ASC 280 to disclose additional information related to geographic location. The Company has operations in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The Company has both revenues and long-lived assets in each country; and those assets and revenues are recorded within geographic location as follows (in thousands) : Property, plant, and equipment, net: September 30, December 31, 2017 2016 United States $ 395,019 $ 422,853 Canada 20,748 19,584 Mexico 10,479 10,477 $ 426,246 $ 452,914
Revenue from External Customers by Geographic Areas	Net Sales: For the three months ended September 30, For the nine months ended September 30, 2017 2016 2017 2016 United States $ 412,562 $ 398,949 $ 1,146,292 $ 916,795 Canada 27,688 39,039 62,507 86,953 Mexico 4,007 3,144 10,445 6,103 $ 444,257 $ 441,132 $ 1,219,244 $ 1,009,851

Discontinued operations and d41

Discontinued operations and divestitures (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]
Schedule of Loss From Discontinued Operations	The key components of loss from discontinued operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 consist of the following (in thousands) : September 30, 2016 Three months ended Nine months ended Revenue $ 39,012 $ 110,436 Operating costs and expenses (32,875 ) (97,029 ) Depreciation and amortization (2,139 ) (6,131 ) Operating income $ 3,998 $ 7,276 Other income 3 1 Income tax expense (1 ) (208 ) Income from discontinued operations, net of tax $ 4,000 $ 7,069

Organization and description 42

Organization and description of the business (Details)	May 01, 2017USD ($)	Oct. 25, 2016USD ($)$ / sharesshares	Oct. 06, 2016$ / sharesshares	Mar. 13, 2015USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)$ / sharesshares	Jun. 30, 2017USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2016USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)$ / sharesshares	Sep. 30, 2016USD ($)	Jul. 31, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016USD ($)$ / sharesshares	Oct. 05, 2016$ / sharesshares	Jun. 13, 2016USD ($)
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Common shares, authorized (in shares) | shares					190,000,000			190,000,000			190,000,000
Common shares, par value (in usd per share) | $ / shares					$ 0.001			$ 0.001			$ 0.001
Common shares, outstanding (in shares) | shares					64,294,793			64,294,793			63,924,124
Debt obligations					$ 1,195,055,000			$ 1,195,055,000			$ 1,096,047,000
Proceeds from term loans, net								200,000,000	$ 548,400,000
Repayments of debt								8,880,000	2,191,000
Impairment charges							$ 7,500,000	10,551,000	$ 0
Water Pipe & Products
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Impairment charges								7,500,000
US Concrete and Steel Pressure | Water Pipe & Products | Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Cash consideration on sale of disposal group										$ 23,200,000
Loss on sale of disposal group					(31,600,000)			(30,900,000)
Impairment charges						$ 7,500,000		7,500,000
US Concrete and Steel Pressure | Water Pipe & Products | Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations | Other Expense, Net
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Loss on sale of disposal group								(31,600,000)
Senior Notes
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Repayments of debt		$ 1,040,000,000
Senior Notes | 2016 Senior Term Loan
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Debt obligations		1,050,000,000			1,195,055,000			1,195,055,000			1,000,983,000
Line of Credit | 2016 Revolver
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Debt obligations					$ 0			$ 0			$ 95,064,000
Line of Credit | 2016 Revolver | Revolving Credit Facility
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Line of credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity		300,000,000
Debt obligations		125,000,000
Line of Credit | 2016 Senior Term Loan
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Proceeds from term loans, net	$ 200,000,000
Junior Term Loan
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Repayments of debt		260,000,000
Forterra Building Products
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Common shares, authorized (in shares) | shares			190,000,000									1,000
Common shares, par value (in usd per share) | $ / shares			$ 0.001									$ 0.01
Stock split (in shares)			41,619.472
Common shares, outstanding (in shares) | shares			41,619,472
Preferred stock, authorized (in shares) | shares			10,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued (in shares) | shares					0			0			0
Preferred stock, shares outstanding (in shares) | shares					0			0			0
Repayments from offering		296,000,000
Forterra Building Products | Senior Notes
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Repayments of debt		1,040,000,000
Forterra Building Products | Senior Notes | 2016 Senior Term Loan
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Debt obligations		1,050,000,000
Forterra Building Products | Line of Credit | Revolving Credit Facility
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Proceeds from term loans, net		125,000,000
Forterra Building Products | Line of Credit | 2016 Revolver | Revolving Credit Facility
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Line of credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity		300,000,000
Forterra Building Products | Line of Credit | 2016 Senior Term Loan
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Proceeds from term loans, net	$ 200,000,000
Forterra Building Products | Junior Term Loan
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Repayments of debt		$ 260,000,000
Forterra Building Products | IPO
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Number of shares issued in stock offering (in shares) | shares		18,420,000
Public offering price (in usd per share) | $ / shares		$ 18
Net proceeds from offering		$ 313,300,000
Predecessor | Heidelberg Cement Hanson Building Products
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Business acquisition, possible maximum earn out				$ 100,000,000									$ 100,000,000
Predecessor | Heidelberg Cement Hanson Building Products | Forterra Building Products
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Aggregate consideration				1,330,000,000
Business acquisition, possible maximum earn out				100,000,000
Capital contribution used to fund acquisition				432,300,000
Debt acquired to fund acquisition				$ 940,000,000

Summary of significant accoun43

Summary of significant accounting policies - Prior Period Adjustments (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Increase in pre-tax loss	$ 19,956		$ (12,522)	$ 70,666	$ (5,466)
Increase to cost of revenue	362,150		339,819	1,022,574	789,756
Increase in selling, general and administrative expenses	59,366		62,355	191,964	153,076
Increase in revenues	$ 444,257		$ 441,132	$ 1,219,244	$ 1,009,851
Prior Period Adjustments-Cost Accruals
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Increase in pre-tax loss		$ 4,600
Increase to cost of revenue		3,300
Increase in selling, general and administrative expenses		2,000
Increase in revenues		$ 700

Summary of significant accoun44

Summary of significant accounting policies - Credit Risk (Details) - Customer Concentration Risk - Customer One - Water Pipe & Products	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017
Sales Revenue, Net
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Concentration risk, percentage	16.00%	14.00%
Accounts Receivable
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Concentration risk, percentage		18.00%

Business combinations - Additio

Business combinations - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Feb. 03, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business combinations, transaction costs		$ 2.2	$ 0.4	$ 9.8
Royal
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Aggregate consideration	$ 35.5

Business combinations - Fair Va

Business combinations - Fair Value of Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Feb. 03, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Goodwill	$ 504,964		$ 491,447
Royal
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Net working capital		$ 2,994
Property, plant and equipment		12,335
Other assets and liabilities		(726)
Net identifiable assets acquired		17,588
Goodwill		17,903
Cash consideration transferred		35,491
Royal | Customer relationships
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible assets		1,676
Royal | Non-compete agreements
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible assets		866
Royal | Other
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible assets		$ 443

Receivables, net (Details)

Receivables, net (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Receivables	$ 270,027	$ 202,379
Less: Allowance for doubtful accounts	(3,351)	(898)
Receivables, net	266,676	201,481
Trade receivables
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Receivables	264,336	178,012
Amounts billed, but not yet paid under retainage provisions
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Receivables	1,416	1,959
Other receivables
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Receivables	$ 4,275	$ 22,408

Inventories (Details)

Inventories (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Finished goods	$ 175,880	$ 185,507
Raw materials	87,512	90,647
Work in process	900	3,348
Total inventories	$ 264,292	$ 279,502

Investment in equity method i49

Investment in equity method investee - Additional Information (Details) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016USD ($)	Jul. 20, 2012locationshares
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Investment in equity method investee	$ 55,685	$ 55,236
Drainage Pipe & Products
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Investment in equity method investee	55,685	$ 55,236
Joint Venture
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Ownership percentage		50.00%	50.00%
Joint Venture | Drainage Pipe & Products
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Investment in equity method investee	$ 55,700
Forterra Building Products | Joint Venture
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Number of operating locations under joint venture | location			9
Ownership percentage			50.00%
Number or shares owned on equity method investment (in shares) | shares			500

Investment in equity method i50

Investment in equity method investee - Selected Historical Financial Data of Investee (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017
Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract]
Net sales	$ 35,302	$ 104,921
Gross profit	10,730	33,433
Income from operations	6,178	19,820
Net income	$ 6,130	$ 19,644

Property, plant and equipment51

Property, plant and equipment, net (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2016
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Total property, plant and equipment	$ 529,038		$ 529,038		$ 518,423
Less: accumulated depreciation	(102,792)		(102,792)		(65,509)
Property, plant and equipment, net	426,246		426,246		452,914
Depreciation expense	15,600	$ 16,300	45,700	$ 39,700
Machinery and equipment
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Total property, plant and equipment	347,633		347,633		329,871
Land, buildings and improvements
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Total property, plant and equipment	146,682		146,682		142,105
Other equipment
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Total property, plant and equipment	4,699		4,699		2,592
Construction-in-progress
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Total property, plant and equipment	$ 30,024		$ 30,024		$ 43,855

Goodwill and other intangible52

Goodwill and other intangible assets, net - Goodwill Roll Forward (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance at December 31, 2016			$ 491,447
Acquisitions			19,515
Impairment		$ (3,000)	(3,003)
Foreign currency and other adjustments			(2,995)
Balance at September 30, 2017			504,964
Drainage Pipe & Products
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance at December 31, 2016			168,866
Acquisitions			19,515
Impairment			0
Foreign currency and other adjustments			1,085
Balance at September 30, 2017			189,466
Water Pipe & Products
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance at December 31, 2016			322,581
Acquisitions			0
Impairment	$ (3,000)
Foreign currency and other adjustments			(4,080)
Balance at September 30, 2017			$ 315,498

Goodwill and other intangible53

Goodwill and other intangible assets, net - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended				9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill impairment loss				$ (3,000)	$ (3,003)
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Amortization expense	$ 13,500		$ 12,200		$ 41,800	$ 25,200
Water Pipe & Products
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill impairment loss		$ (3,000)

Goodwill and other intangible54

Goodwill and other intangible assets, net - Intangible Assets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Total intangible assets, net carrying value	$ 243,603	$ 281,598
In-Process R&D
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Indefinite-lived intangibles, net carrying value	6,354	6,692
Customer relationships
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangibles, net carrying value	181,231	209,937
Trade names
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangibles, net carrying value	30,970	34,771
Patents
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangibles, net carrying value	16,978	20,673
Customer backlog
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangibles, net carrying value	613	1,628
Non-compete agreements
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangibles, net carrying value	6,604	7,410
Other
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangibles, net carrying value	$ 853	$ 487

Fair value measurement - Assets

Fair value measurement - Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Non-current assets
Derivative asset	$ 2,035	$ 0
Non-current liabilities
Derivative liability	7,028	372
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Non-current assets
Derivative asset	2,035
Non-current liabilities
Derivative liability	7,028	372
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)
Non-current assets
Derivative asset	0
Non-current liabilities
Derivative liability	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)
Non-current assets
Derivative asset	2,035
Non-current liabilities
Derivative liability	7,028	372
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
Non-current assets
Derivative asset	0
Non-current liabilities
Derivative liability	$ 0	$ 0

Fair value measurement - Carryi

Fair value measurement - Carrying Amount and Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Tax receivable agreement payable	$ 4,000	$ 4,000
Carrying Amount
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Tax receivable agreement payable	163,003	160,783
Carrying Amount | Senior Notes
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
2016 Senior Term Loan	1,195,055	1,000,983
Fair Value
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Tax receivable agreement payable	118,183	125,614
Fair Value | Senior Notes
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
2016 Senior Term Loan	1,054,269	1,064,395
Fair Value | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Tax receivable agreement payable	0	0
Fair Value | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) | Senior Notes
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
2016 Senior Term Loan	0	0
Fair Value | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Tax receivable agreement payable	0	0
Fair Value | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | Senior Notes
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
2016 Senior Term Loan	1,054,269	1,064,395
Fair Value | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Tax receivable agreement payable	118,183	125,614
Fair Value | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) | Senior Notes
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
2016 Senior Term Loan	$ 0	$ 0

Fair value measurement - Additi

Fair value measurement - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Goodwill impairment loss	$ 3,000	$ 3,003
Long-lived asset impairment	$ 7,500	$ 10,551	$ 0

Accrued liabilities (Details)

Accrued liabilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Payables and Accruals [Abstract]
Accrued payroll and employee benefits	$ 26,305	$ 29,945
Accrued taxes	13,197	32,746
Accrued rebates	10,275	7,509
Short-term derivative liability	7,028	0
Warranty	4,117	3,509
Tax receivable agreement liability, current portion	4,000	4,000
Environmental obligation	685	775
Other miscellaneous accrued liabilities	13,713	3,681
Total accrued liabilities	$ 79,320	$ 82,165

Debt and deferred financing c59

Debt and deferred financing costs - Schedule of Debt (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Oct. 25, 2016
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 1,195,055	$ 1,096,047
Less: current portion debt	(12,510)	(10,500)
Total long-term debt	1,182,545	1,085,547
Senior Term Loan | 2016 Senior Term Loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	1,195,055	1,000,983	$ 1,050,000
Debt issue costs and original issue discount	43,440	46,392
Revolving Line of Credit | 2016 Revolver
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	0	95,064
Debt issuance costs	$ 0	$ 3,936

Debt and deferred financing c60

Debt and deferred financing costs - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($)	May 01, 2017	Oct. 25, 2016	Jun. 17, 2016	Apr. 26, 2016	Mar. 13, 2015	Apr. 30, 2016	Oct. 31, 2015	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2016
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of long term debt									$ 8,880,000	$ 2,191,000
Debt outstanding								$ 1,195,055,000	1,195,055,000		$ 1,096,047,000
Proceeds from term loans, net									200,000,000	548,400,000
Net proceeds from incremental term loan									194,000,000	$ 131,611,000
Forterra Building Products
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, face amount, carve out portion					$ 515,500,000
Predecessor | Forterra Building Products | Heidelberg Cement Hanson Building Products
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt acquired to fund acquisition					940,000,000
Successor | Forterra Building Products
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, face amount, unallocated portion					424,500,000
2016 Senior Term Loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt, gross								$ 1,238,495,000	$ 1,238,495,000
2016 Senior Term Loan | LIBOR
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Margin rate	3.00%	3.50%
2015 Senior Term Loan Credit Agreement | Forterra Building Products
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, face amount, carve out increase during period						$ 203,400,000
Payments of dividends			$ 338,300,000
Junior Term Loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of long term debt		$ 260,000,000
Write-off of issue discounts and capitalized issuance costs		22,400,000
Repayments of debt, prepayment penalty		7,800,000
Junior Term Loan | LIBOR
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate, floor percentage								1.00%	1.00%
Junior Term Loan | Forterra Building Products
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of long term debt		260,000,000
Debt instrument, face amount					260,000,000
Long-term debt, gross					260,000,000
Senior Term Loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of long term debt		1,040,000,000
Senior Term Loan | Forterra Building Products
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of long term debt		1,040,000,000
Senior Term Loan | Senior Secured Term Loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt outstanding		1,050,000,000
Line of credit facility, accordion feature, increase limit		285,000,000
Senior Term Loan | 2016 Senior Term Loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt outstanding		$ 1,050,000,000						$ 1,195,055,000	$ 1,195,055,000		1,000,983,000
Debt instrument, amortization percentage	0.25%
Debt issue costs and original issue discount								43,440,000	43,440,000		46,392,000
Senior Term Loan | 2016 Senior Term Loan | LIBOR
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate, floor percentage	1.00%
Senior Term Loan | 2016 Senior Term Loan | Base Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Margin rate	2.00%
Senior Term Loan | 2016 Senior Term Loan | LIBOR or CDOR | Canada
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, collateral covenant, percentage of voting stock, maximum		65.00%
Senior Term Loan | 2016 Senior Term Loan | Forterra Building Products
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt outstanding		$ 1,050,000,000
Senior Term Loan | 2015 Senior Term Loan | Forterra Building Products
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, face amount					635,000,000
Senior Term Loan | 2015 Senior Term Loan | Forterra Building Products | Cretex
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt increase							$ 240,000,000
Senior Term Loan | 2015 Senior Term Loan Credit Agreement | Forterra Building Products
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt increase			345,000,000
Debt instrument, discount (premium) and debt issuance costs, carve-out portion						8,900,000
Debt issue costs and original issue discount			$ 6,700,000
Long-term debt, gross					254,900,000
Senior Term Loan | 2015 Senior Term Loan Credit Agreement | Forterra Building Products | Cretex
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt increase							240,000,000
Senior Term Loan | 2015 Senior Term Loan Credit Agreement | Affiliates of LSF9
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of long term debt						176,700,000
Line of Credit | Revolving Credit Facility | Forterra Building Products
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Proceeds from term loans, net		125,000,000
Line of Credit | 2016 Senior Term Loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Proceeds from term loans, net	$ 200,000,000
Debt instrument, reduction in applicable interest rate percentage	0.50%
Net proceeds from incremental term loan	$ 196,800,000
Line of Credit | 2016 Senior Term Loan | Forterra Building Products
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Proceeds from term loans, net	$ 200,000,000
Line of Credit | 2016 Revolver
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt outstanding								$ 0	$ 0		$ 95,064,000
Line of Credit | 2016 Revolver | Revolving Credit Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt outstanding		125,000,000
Line of credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity		300,000,000
Line of credit facility, accordion feature, increase limit		100,000,000
Line of credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity, accordion feature, increase limit		$ 50,000,000
Debt instrument, borrowing base limitation, sum of eligible cash, maximum		100.00%
Debt instrument, borrowing base limitation, eligible accounts receivable, maximum		85.00%
Debt instrument, borrowing base limitation, eligible inventory, maximum		75.00%
Debt instrument, borrowing base limitation, orderly liquidation value of eligible inventory, maximum		85.00%
Debt instrument, borrowing base limitation, eligible accounts receivable and inventory, accordion feature, maximum		2.50%
Fixed charge coverage ratio		1
Weighted average annual interest rate								2.70%	2.69%
Allowable borrowing base								$ 284,300,000	$ 284,300,000
Stand-by letters of credit outstanding								$ 15,700,000	$ 15,700,000
Line of Credit | 2016 Revolver | Revolving Credit Facility | Canada
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity		$ 20,000,000
Line of Credit | 2016 Revolver | Revolving Credit Facility | United States
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity		$ 280,000,000
Line of Credit | 2016 Revolver | Revolving Credit Facility | Minimum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit, facility fee percentage									0.20%
Line of Credit | 2016 Revolver | Revolving Credit Facility | Maximum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit, facility fee percentage									0.325%
Line of Credit | 2016 Revolver | Revolving Credit Facility | LIBOR or CDOR
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, collateral covenant, percentage of voting stock, maximum		65.00%
Line of Credit | 2016 Revolver | Revolving Credit Facility | LIBOR or CDOR | Minimum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Margin rate		1.25%
Line of Credit | 2016 Revolver | Revolving Credit Facility | LIBOR or CDOR | Maximum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Margin rate		1.75%
Line of Credit | 2016 Revolver | Revolving Credit Facility | CDOR | Minimum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Margin rate		0.25%
Line of Credit | 2016 Revolver | Revolving Credit Facility | CDOR | Maximum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Margin rate		0.75%
Line of Credit | 2016 Revolver | Revolving Credit Facility | Forterra Building Products
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity		$ 300,000,000
Line of Credit | 2015 Revolver | Forterra Building Products
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of long term debt						203,400,000
Debt increase						205,000,000
Line of Credit | 2015 Revolver | Affiliates of LSF9
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of long term debt				$ 203,400,000
Line of Credit | 2015 Revolver | Revolving Credit Facility | Forterra Building Products
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt outstanding					45,000,000
Long-term debt, gross					$ 600,000
Line of Credit | 2015 Revolver | Revolving Credit Facility | Forterra Building Products | Cretex
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity						$ 285,000,000
Financing obligation | Forterra Building Products | Cretex
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt issuance costs, gross							71,600,000
Debt instrument, discount (premium) and debt issuance costs, carve-out portion							$ 51,900,000

Debt and deferred financing c61

Debt and deferred financing costs - Future Minimum Principal Payments (Details) - 2016 Senior Term Loan $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
2,017	$ 3,128
2,018	12,510
2,019	12,510
2,020	12,510
2,021	12,510
Thereafter	1,185,327
Long-term Debt, Gross	$ 1,238,495

Derivatives and hedging - Addit

Derivatives and hedging - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Feb. 09, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative, net notional amount settled in cash		$ 1,300
Interest rate swaps
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative Asset, Notional Amount			$ 525,000
Interest rate swaps | Not Designated as Hedging Instrument
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative notional amount	$ 525,000
Derivative, fixed Interest rate to pay interest	1.52%
Derivative, term of contract	3 years

Derivatives and hedging - Deriv

Derivatives and hedging - Derivative Instruments, Assets and Liabilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Derivative Assets
Derivative Asset, Fair Value	$ 2,035	$ 0
Derivative Asset, less legally enforceable master netting agreements	0	0
Derivative Asset, net	2,035	0
Derivative Liabilities
Derivative Liability, Fair Value	7,028	372
Derivative Liability, less legally enforceable master netting agreements	0	0
Derivative Liability, net	7,028	372
Foreign exchange forward contracts
Derivative Assets
Derivative Asset, Notional Amount	0	0
Derivative Asset, Fair Value	0	0
Derivative Liabilities
Derivative Liability, Notional Amount	92,961	92,961
Derivative Liability, Fair Value	7,028	$ 372
Interest rate swaps
Derivative Assets
Derivative Asset, Notional Amount	525,000
Derivative Asset, Fair Value	2,035
Derivative Liabilities
Derivative Liability, Notional Amount	0
Derivative Liability, Fair Value	$ 0

Derivatives and hedging - Der64

Derivatives and hedging - Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) (Details) - Not Designated as Hedging Instrument - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Foreign exchange forward contracts | Other Operating Income (Expense)
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on derivatives not designated as hedges	$ 0	$ 850	$ 0	$ (2,024)
Interest rate swaps | Interest Expense
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on derivatives not designated as hedges	$ 709	$ 0	$ 2,035	$ 0

Sale-Leaseback Transaction (Det

Sale-Leaseback Transaction (Details) $ in Thousands	Apr. 14, 2016USD ($)property	Apr. 05, 2016USD ($)property	Oct. 31, 2016USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2016USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016USD ($)
Sale Leaseback Transaction [Line Items]
Number of properties sold | property	2	47
Proceeds from sale-leaseback	$ 11,900	$ 204,300		$ 0	$ 216,280
Sale leaseback transaction, lease term	20 years
Sale leaseback transaction, lease renewal term	9 years 11 months
Sale leaseback transaction, transaction costs	$ 6,500			0	$ 6,492
Proceeds from sale leaseback transactions, net of transaction costs	$ 209,700
Sale leaseback transaction, loss recognized in operations			$ 19,600
Total deferred gain on leaseback			$ 81,500
Deferred gain on sale-leaseback, noncurrent				76,469		$ 78,215
Other Current Liabilities
Sale Leaseback Transaction [Line Items]
Deferred gain on leaseback, current				$ 2,800
Minimum
Sale Leaseback Transaction [Line Items]
Sale leaseback transaction, rent escalation percentage	2.00%
Maximum
Sale Leaseback Transaction [Line Items]
Sale leaseback transaction, rent escalation percentage	4.00%

Commitments and contingencies (

Commitments and contingencies (Details)	Nov. 03, 2017movant	Oct. 27, 2017motion	Oct. 13, 2017motion	Aug. 14, 2017plaintiff	Oct. 25, 2016USD ($)	Oct. 05, 2016USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)	Jun. 13, 2016USD ($)	Mar. 13, 2015USD ($)
Lone Star | Affiliated Entities
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Accrued liabilities related to tax receivable agreement					$ 160,800,000		$ 163,000,000
Income tax benefits, recognized as reduction to equity					18,500,000
Reduction to additional-paid-in capital related to tax receivable agreement					$ 142,300,000
Payments of liability related to tax receivable agreement							0
HeidelbergCement, Case | Pending Litigation
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Loss contingency, damages sought						$ 100,000,000
Loss contingency liability							$ 0
Securities Lawsuits
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Loss contingency, number of plaintiffs | plaintiff				4
Securities Lawsuits | Subsequent Event
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Loss contingency, number of competing motions filed for consolidation | motion			3
Loss contingency, number of motions withdrawn | motion		1
Loss contingency, number of movants | movant	1
Predecessor | Heidelberg Cement Hanson Building Products
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Business acquisition, possible maximum earn out								$ 100,000,000	$ 100,000,000
Successor | Lone Star | Affiliated Entities
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Certain covered tax benefits paid by related party, percentage					85.00%

Earnings per share (Details)

Earnings per share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Income (loss) from continuing operations	$ (11,502)	$ 4,368	$ (45,218)	$ 34,052
Discontinued operations, net of tax	0	4,000	0	7,069
Net income (loss)	$ (11,502)	$ 8,368	$ (45,218)	$ 41,121
Common stock:
Weighted average basic shares outstanding (in shares)	63,799	45,369	63,794	45,369
Effect of dilutive securities - stock options (in shares)	0	0	0	0
Weighted average diluted shares outstanding (in shares)	63,799	45,369	63,794	45,369
Basic earnings (loss) per share:
Loss from continuing operations (in usd per share)	$ (0.18)	$ 0.10	$ (0.71)	$ 0.75
Loss from discontinued operations, net of taxes (in usd per share)	0	0.09	0	0.16
Net loss (in usd per share)	(0.18)	0.19	(0.71)	0.91
Diluted earnings (loss) per share:
Loss from continuing operations (in usd per share)	(0.18)	0.10	(0.71)	0.75
Loss from discontinued operations, net of taxes (in usd per share)	0	0.09	0	0.16
Net income (loss) (in usd per share)	$ (0.18)	$ 0.19	$ (0.71)	$ 0.91

Stock-based plans - Additional

Stock-based plans - Additional Information (Details) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	Oct. 19, 2016plan$ / sharesshares	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)shares	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)$ / sharesshares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of equity compensation plans | plan	1
Stock options granted (in shares)			1,225,188
Granted at fair value (in usd per share) | $ / shares			$ 10.80
Stock-based compensation expense | $		$ 1.4	$ 2.8
Restricted stock
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Restricted stocks granted (in shares)			450,698
Share-based incentive plan award vesting period			3 years
Employees and Independent Directors
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock options granted (in shares)	361,590
Granted at fair value (in usd per share) | $ / shares	$ 18
Employees and Independent Directors | Restricted stock
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Restricted stocks granted (in shares)	136,900
Employees
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock options granted (in shares)		612,826	1,225,188
Employees | Stock options
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based incentive plan award vesting period	4 years		3 years
Employees | Restricted stock
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Restricted stocks granted (in shares)		160,348	450,698
Share-based incentive plan award vesting period			4 years
Independent Directors | Stock options
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based incentive plan award vesting period	1 year
Independent Directors | Restricted stock
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based incentive plan award vesting period			1 year
2016 Stock Incentive Plan
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of shares authorized for issuance (in shares)	5,000,000
2016 Stock Incentive Plan | Stock options
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Term of share-based incentive plan			10 years

Stock-based plans - Weighted Av

Stock-based plans - Weighted Average Assumptions in Estimating Fair Value of Options (Details)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017$ / shares
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
Expected dividends	0.00%
Expected volatility	39.60%
Risk-free interest rate	0.85%
Expected lives in years	6 years
Weighted-average fair value of options:
Granted (in usd per share)	$ 4.17
Weighted Average Exercise Price
Granted (in usd per share)	$ 10.80

Stock-based plans - Stock Optio

Stock-based plans - Stock Options Activity (Details) - $ / shares	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Shares
Outstanding, beginning of period (in shares)	357,840
Granted (in shares)	1,225,188
Exercised (in shares)	0
Forfeited (in shares)	(178,509)
Outstanding, end of period (in shares)	1,404,519
Options exercisable at end of period (in shares)	27,500
Weighted Average Exercise Price
Outstanding, end of period (in usd per share)	$ 18
Granted (in usd per share)	10.80
Forfeited (in usd per share)	18.70
Outstanding, end of period (in usd per share)	11.63
Options exercisable at end of period (in usd per share)	$ 18

Stock-based plans - Restricted

Stock-based plans - Restricted Stock Awards Activity (Details) - Restricted stock	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017$ / sharesshares
Shares
Unvested balance, beginning of period (in shares) | shares	134,650
Grants (in shares) | shares	450,698
Vested (in shares) | shares	(13,500)
Forfeitures (in shares) | shares	(78,798)
Unvested balance, end of period (in shares) | shares	493,050
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Unvested balance, beginning of the period (in usd per share) | $ / shares	$ 18
Grants (in usd per share) | $ / shares	13.16
Vested (in usd per share) | $ / shares	18
Forfeitures (in usd per share) | $ / shares	18.75
Unvested balance, end of period (in usd per share) | $ / shares	$ 13.45

Income taxes (Details)

Income taxes (Details) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Income tax (expense) benefit	$ 8,454,000	$ (8,154,000)	$ 25,448,000	$ 28,586,000
Effective income tax rate percentage			36.00%
Income tax benefit derived from non-deductible goodwill	$ 0		$ 0
Sherman-Dixie and USP
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Deferred income tax liabilities acquired		$ 34,900,000		$ 34,900,000

Segment reporting (Details)

Segment reporting (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended				9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2016USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2016USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)geographic_area	Sep. 30, 2016USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016USD ($)
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of geographic areas | geographic_area					3
Net sales	$ 444,257		$ 441,132		$ 1,219,244	$ 1,009,851
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	(19,956)		12,522		(70,666)	5,466
Depreciation and amortization	29,158		28,490		87,463	64,918
Interest expense	15,582		31,756		46,202	73,885
EBITDA	24,784		72,768		62,999	144,269
Capital expenditures	7,538		12,983		31,137	23,280
Assets	1,846,615		1,913,164		1,846,615	1,913,164
Goodwill impairment loss				$ 3,000	3,003
Long-lived asset impairment				$ 7,500	10,551	0
Earnings from equity method investee	2,936		4,146		9,449	9,014
Investment in equity method investee	55,685				55,685		$ 55,236
Property, plant and equipment, net	426,246				426,246		452,914
United States
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	412,562		398,949		1,146,292	916,795
Property, plant and equipment, net	395,019				395,019		422,853
Canada
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	27,688		39,039		62,507	86,953
Property, plant and equipment, net	20,748				20,748		19,584
Mexico
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	4,007		3,144		10,445	6,103
Property, plant and equipment, net	10,479				10,479		10,477
Drainage Pipe & Products
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Goodwill impairment loss					0
Earnings from equity method investee	2,900		4,100		9,400	9,000
Investment in equity method investee	55,685				55,685		$ 55,236
Water Pipe & Products
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Goodwill impairment loss		$ 3,000
Long-lived asset impairment					7,500
Water Pipe & Products | US Concrete and Steel Pressure | Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Goodwill impairment loss					3,000
Long-lived asset impairment		$ 7,500			7,500
Loss on sale of disposal group	31,600				30,900
Operating segments | Drainage Pipe & Products
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	248,231		215,486		630,200	552,035
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	35,529		37,994		63,656	90,205
Depreciation and amortization	11,703		10,057		34,847	29,608
Interest expense	110		3,451		329	6,723
EBITDA	47,342		51,502		98,832	126,536
Capital expenditures	4,696		6,351		19,161	12,621
Assets	809,353		753,044		809,353	753,044
Operating segments | Water Pipe & Products
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	195,987		225,645		588,999	455,286
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	(21,294)		24,478		(21,195)	43,821
Depreciation and amortization	17,136		18,351		52,046	34,853
Interest expense	14		805		30	1,577
EBITDA	(4,144)		43,634		30,881	80,251
Capital expenditures	2,774		6,632		10,935	10,035
Assets	970,716		1,103,245		970,716	1,103,245
Corporate and Other
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	39		1		45	2,530
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	(34,191)		(49,950)		(113,127)	(128,560)
Depreciation and amortization	319		82		570	457
Interest expense	15,458		27,500		45,843	65,585
EBITDA	(18,414)		(22,368)		(66,714)	(62,518)
Capital expenditures	68		0		1,041	624
Assets	$ 66,546		$ 56,875		$ 66,546	$ 56,875

Related party transactions (Det

Related party transactions (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Oct. 25, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2016
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Due from affiliates, current						$ 100
Other operating income, net pursuant to transition service agreement		$ 2,008	$ 1,946	$ 5,251	$ 5,290
Successor | Affiliated Entities | Lone Star
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Payment of certain covered tax benefits buy the Company, percentage	85.00%
Successor | Affiliated Entities | Management Services Agreement | Hudson Advisors | Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Related party fees			$ 1,000		$ 4,100
Successor | Affiliated Entities | Transition Service Agreement | Bricks Joint Venture
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Other operating income, net pursuant to transition service agreement		200		1,800
Net payable to affiliates						$ 8,400
Net receivable from affiliates		$ 1,900		$ 1,900

Discontinued operations and d75

Discontinued operations and divestitures - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	2 Months Ended	3 Months Ended				9 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Jul. 31, 2017	Oct. 17, 2016	Aug. 23, 2016
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Long-lived asset impairment					$ 7,500	$ 10,551	$ 0
Water Pipe & Products
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Long-lived asset impairment						7,500
US Concrete and Steel Pressure | Water Pipe & Products | Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Cash consideration on sale of disposal group								$ 23,200
Net working capital								3,800
Property, plant and equipment								1,800
Loss on sale of disposal group		$ 31,600				30,900
Long-lived asset impairment			$ 7,500			7,500
US Concrete and Steel Pressure | Water Pipe & Products | Disposal Group, Held-for-sale, Not Discontinued Operations
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Long-lived asset impairment			$ 7,500
Pre-tax (loss) income on disposal group held for sale		$ (34,100)		$ (7,500)		(49,400)	$ 600
US Concrete and Steel Pressure | Other Expense, Net | Water Pipe & Products | Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Loss on sale of disposal group						$ 31,600
US Concrete and Steel Pressure | Customer relationships | Water Pipe & Products | Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible assets								$ 800
Forterra Building Products | Bricks Joint Venture | Affiliated Entities
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Equity method investment, ownership percentage										50.00%
Short-term loan									$ 11,900
Repayment of debt	$ 11,900

Discontinued operations and d76

Discontinued operations and divestitures - Components of Loss From Discontinued Operations (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Income from discontinued operations, net of tax	$ 0	$ 4,000	$ 0	$ 7,069
Discontinued Operations, Disposed of by Means Other than Sale | Bricks Disposition
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Revenues		39,012		110,436
Operating costs and expenses		(32,875)		(97,029)
Depreciation and amortization		(2,139)		(6,131)
Operating income		3,998		7,276
Other income		3		1
Income tax expense		(1)		(208)
Income from discontinued operations, net of tax		$ 4,000		$ 7,069