Forterra (FRTA) 10-K 25 Feb 21 2020 FY Annual report Financial data

Cover

Cover - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Feb. 22, 2021	Jun. 30, 2020
Cover [Abstract]
Document Type	10-K
Document Annual Report	true
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2020
Document Transition Report	false
Entity File Number	001-37921
Entity Registrant Name	FORTERRA, INC.
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	DE
Entity Tax Identification Number	37-1830464
Entity Address, Address Line One	511 East John Carpenter Freeway
Entity Address, Address Line Two	6th Floor
Entity Address, City or Town	Irving
Entity Address, State or Province	TX
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	75062
City Area Code	469
Local Phone Number	458-7973
Title of 12(b) Security	Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share
Trading Symbol	FRTA
Security Exchange Name	NASDAQ
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Interactive Data Current	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Small Business	true
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
ICFR Auditor Attestation Flag	true
Entity Shell Company	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		66,263,762
Entity Public Float			$ 212,488
Documents Incorporated by Reference	Portions of the registrant’s Definitive Proxy Statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission no later than 120 days after the end of the Registrant’s fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, are incorporated by reference in Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Entity Central Index Key	0001678463
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2020
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Amendment Flag	false

Consolidated Statements of Oper

Consolidated Statements of Operations - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Income Statement [Abstract]
Net sales	$ 1,594,506	$ 1,529,752	$ 1,479,712
Cost of goods sold	1,217,833	1,233,370	1,234,143
Gross profit	376,673	296,382	245,569
Selling, general & administrative expenses	(221,770)	(221,770)	(209,877)
Impairment and exit charges	(2,511)	(3,520)	(4,336)
Other operating income, net	1,409	1,094	9,523
Operating Expenses	(222,872)	(224,196)	(204,690)
Income from operations	153,801	72,186	40,879
Other income (expenses)
Interest expense	(79,890)	(94,970)	(78,337)
Gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt	(12,256)	1,708	0
Earnings from equity method investee	11,291	10,466	10,162
Other income (expense), net	0	0	6,016
Income (loss) before income taxes	72,946	(10,610)	(21,280)
Income tax (expense) benefit	(8,460)	3,279	(3,085)
Net income (loss)	$ 64,486	$ (7,331)	$ (24,365)
Earnings (loss) per share:
Basic (in usd per share)	$ 0.99	$ (0.11)	$ (0.38)
Diluted (in usd per share)	$ 0.94	$ (0.11)	$ (0.38)
Weighted average shares of common stock outstanding:
Basic (in shares)	65,260	64,232	63,904
Diluted (in shares)	68,203	64,232	63,904

Consolidated Statements of Comp

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net income (loss)	$ 64,486	$ (7,331)	$ (24,365)
Unrealized gain on derivative activities, net of tax	0	0	970
Change in other postretirement benefit plans, net of tax	(1,042)	373	0
Foreign currency translation adjustment	1,149	3,304	(5,782)
Comprehensive income (loss)	$ 64,593	$ (3,654)	$ (29,177)

Consolidated Balance Sheets

Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 25,678	$ 34,800
Receivables, net	227,948	205,801
Inventories	222,928	238,483
Prepaid expenses	7,967	11,021
Other current assets	2,022	8,890
Total current assets	486,543	498,995
Non-current assets
Property, plant and equipment, net	451,082	475,575
Operating lease right-of-use assets	54,379	60,253
Goodwill	509,127	508,826
Intangible assets, net	101,409	142,674
Investment in equity method investee	48,285	50,034
Other long-term assets	4,987	3,701
Total assets	1,655,812	1,740,058
Current liabilities
Trade payables	134,144	102,426
Accrued liabilities	115,693	88,839
Deferred revenue	8,220	9,527
Current portion of long-term debt	12,510	12,510
Current portion of tax receivable agreement	8,333	13,145
Total current liabilities	278,900	226,447
Non-current liabilities
Senior term loan	395,468	1,085,793
Senior secured notes	492,043	0
Long-term finance lease liabilities	142,195	137,365
Long-term operating lease liabilities	50,943	54,411
Deferred tax liabilities	9,671	28,929
Other long-term liabilities	36,918	21,906
Long-term tax receivable agreement	55,907	64,240
Total liabilities	1,462,045	1,619,091
Commitments and Contingencies (Note 16)
Equity
Common stock, $0.001 par value. 190,000 shares authorized; 65,981 and 64,741 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively	19	19
Additional paid-in-capital	252,579	244,372
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(6,956)	(7,063)
Retained deficit	(51,875)	(116,361)
Total shareholder's equity	193,767	120,967
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	$ 1,655,812	$ 1,740,058

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Pa

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Common shares, par value (in usd per share)	$ 0.001	$ 0.001
Common shares, authorized (in shares)	190,000,000	190,000,000
Common shares, issued (in shares)	65,981,000	64,741,000
Common shares, outstanding (in shares)	65,981,000	64,741,000

Consolidated Statements of Shar

Consolidated Statements of Shareholders' Equity - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Total	Cumulative effect of accounting changes, net of tax	Common Stock	Additional Paid-in-Capital	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	Retained Deficit	Retained DeficitCumulative effect of accounting changes, net of tax
Beginning Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2017			64,230,888
Beginning Balance at Dec. 31, 2017	$ 132,491		$ 18	$ 230,023	$ (5,098)	$ (92,452)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Share-based compensation expense	6,240			6,240
Stock-based plan activity (in shares)			(25,284)
Stock-based plan activity	(126)			(126)
Net income (loss)	(24,365)					(24,365)
Gains on derivative transactions, net of tax	970				970
Reclassification due to the adoption of ASU 2018-02	0				(830)	830
Foreign currency translation adjustment	(5,782)				(5,782)
Other	(1,206)			(1,206)
Ending Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2018			64,205,604
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2018	108,222	$ 6,957	$ 18	234,931	(10,740)	(115,987)	$ 6,957
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Share-based compensation expense	7,919			7,919
Stock-based plan activity (in shares)			535,063
Stock-based plan activity	1,523		$ 1	1,522
Net income (loss)	(7,331)					(7,331)
Gains on derivative transactions, net of tax	0
Foreign currency translation adjustment	3,304				3,304
Other	$ 373				373
Ending Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2019	64,741,000		64,740,667
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2019	$ 120,967		$ 19	244,372	(7,063)	(116,361)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Share-based compensation expense	9,489			9,489
Stock-based plan activity (in shares)			1,240,120
Stock-based plan activity	(1,282)			(1,282)
Net income (loss)	64,486					64,486
Gains on derivative transactions, net of tax	0
Foreign currency translation adjustment	1,149				1,149
Other	$ (1,042)				(1,042)
Ending Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2020	65,981,000		65,980,787
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2020	$ 193,767		$ 19	$ 252,579	$ (6,956)	$ (51,875)

Consolidated Statements of Cash

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Net income (loss)	$ 64,486	$ (7,331)	$ (24,365)
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation & amortization expense	89,496	97,258	105,423
Gain on business divestiture	0	0	(6,016)
(Gain) / loss on disposal of property, plant and equipment	638	2,045	(4,266)
(Gain) / loss on extinguishment of debt	12,256	(1,708)	0
Amortization of debt discount and issuance costs	6,599	7,962	8,143
Stock-based compensation expense	9,489	7,919	6,240
Impairment of property, plant, and equipment and goodwill	1,206	128	956
Earnings from equity method investee	(11,291)	(10,466)	(10,162)
Distributions from equity method investee	13,039	11,039	13,141
Unrealized (gain) / loss on derivative instruments, net	830	6,401	(1,408)
Unrealized foreign currency (gains) / losses, net	311	45	(527)
Provision (recoveries) for doubtful accounts	(271)	387	(1,224)
Deferred income taxes	(19,258)	(20,067)	(20,768)
Deferred rent	0	0	1,373
Other non-cash items	5,188	1,320	83
Change in assets and liabilities:
Receivables, net	(21,421)	(7,394)	(2,466)
Inventories	15,683	47,491	(45,313)
Other current assets	9,662	514	8,657
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	53,936	2,675	(4,548)
Other assets & liabilities	12,619	8,568	4,243
NET CASH PROVIDED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES	243,197	146,786	27,196
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Purchase of property, plant and equipment, and intangible assets	(34,019)	(53,709)	(50,609)
Proceeds from business divestiture	0	0	618
Proceeds from sale of fixed assets	15,646	11,414	8,429
Settlement of net investment hedges	0	0	(4,990)
Assets and liabilities acquired, business combinations, net	0	0	(4,500)
NET CASH USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES	(18,373)	(42,295)	(51,052)
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Payments of debt issuance costs	(11,416)	0	0
Proceeds from issuance of common stock, net	2,424	1,703	0
Payments on Term Loan	(707,624)	(95,741)	(12,510)
Proceeds from Senior Secured Notes	500,000	0	0
Proceeds from revolver	180,000	54,000	0
Payments on revolver	(180,000)	(54,000)	0
Payments pursuant to tax receivable agreement	(13,145)	(11,390)	(30,407)
Other financing activities	(4,511)	(753)	(534)
NET CASH USED IN FINANCING ACTIVITIES	(234,272)	(106,181)	(43,451)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash	326	697	(1,434)
Net change in cash and cash equivalents	(9,122)	(993)	(68,741)
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period	34,800	35,793	104,534
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period	$ 25,678	$ 34,800	$ 35,793

Organization and description of

Organization and description of the business	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Organization and description of the business	Organization and description of the business General Forterra, Inc. (‘‘Forterra’’ or the ‘‘Company’’) is involved in the manufacturing, sale and distribution of building products 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 an internal reorganization transaction in connection with its initial public offering in 2016 ("IPO"). 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., which is referred to along with its affiliates and associates, but excluding the Company and other companies that it owns as a result of its investment activity, as Lone Star, through its wholly-owned subsidiary LSF9, acquired the business of Forterra Building Products on March 13, 2015, (‘‘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. 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 of its 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, 2020. On October 25, 2016, Forterra sold 18,420,000 shares of common stock in its IPO at a public offering price of $18.00 per share. The Company received net proceeds of $313.3 million in the IPO before offering costs. 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, or 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, Inc. in an internal reorganization under common control transaction (the "Reorganization"). Following the Reorganization, Forterra, Inc. became a wholly owned subsidiary of Forterra US Holdings, LLC, which is indirectly wholly owned by an affiliate of Lone Star. Refinancing Concurrent with the completion of the IPO, Forterra entered into a new asset based revolving credit facility for working capital and general corporate purposes, (the "Revolver"), and a new $1.05 billion senior term loan facility ("Term Loan"). On May 1, 2017, the Company amended the Term Loan to increase the principal outstanding by an additional $200.0 million and to reduce the interest margin applicable to the full balance thereof. The terms of the Term Loan and Revolver are described in greater detail in Note 11, Debt and deferred financing costs. Quikrete Merger Agreement On February 19, 2021, the Company entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with Quikrete Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Parent”), and Jordan Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent (“Merger Sub”). Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of specified conditions, Merger Sub will merge with and into the Company (the “Merger”), with the Company surviving the Merger as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, at the effective time of the Merger (the “Effective Time”), each issued and outstanding share of common stock (the “Common Stock”) of the Company (other than (i) any shares held in the treasury of the Company or owned, directly or indirectly, by Parent, Merger Sub or any wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company immediately prior to the Effective Time, (ii) shares that are subject to any vesting restrictions (“Company Restricted Shares”) granted under the Company’s stock incentive plans (the “Company Stock Plans”) and (iii) any shares owned by stockholders who have properly exercised and perfected appraisal rights under Delaware law) will be automatically canceled and converted into the right to receive $24.00 in cash, without interest (the “Merger Consideration”), subject to deduction for any required withholding tax. At the Effective Time: (1) each restricted stock unit that is solely subject to time-based vesting requirements granted under the Company Stock Plans that is outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time shall fully vest and be converted into the right to receive an amount in cash (without interest and subject to applicable tax withholdings) equal to the product of (i) the Merger Consideration multiplied by (ii) the number of shares of Common Stock subject to such vested restricted stock unit; (2) each restricted stock unit that is subject to performance-based vesting requirements granted under the Company Stock Plans that is outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time shall immediately vest and be converted into the right to receive an amount in cash (without interest and subject to applicable tax withholdings) equal to the product of (i) the Merger Consideration multiplied by (ii) the number of shares subject to such vested restricted stock unit immediately prior to the Effective Time as determined in accordance with the Merger Agreement; (3) each option to purchase shares of Common Stock granted under the Company Stock Plans that is outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time shall fully vest, to the extent not vested previously, and be converted into the right to receive an amount in cash (without interest and subject to applicable tax withholdings) equal to the product of (i) the remainder, if positive, of (A) the Merger Consideration minus (B) the exercise price per share of Common Stock of such option multiplied by (ii) the number of shares of Common Stock subject to such vested option; and (4) each Company Restricted Share that is outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time shall immediately vest in full and be converted into the right to receive an amount in cash (without interest and subject to applicable tax withholdings) equal to the Merger Consideration. Each party’s obligation to consummate the Merger is subject to certain conditions, including, among others: (i) expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended; (ii) the absence of any order issued by any court of competent jurisdiction, other legal restraint or prohibition or any law enacted or deemed applicable by a governmental entity that prohibits or makes illegal the consummation of the Merger; (iii) the passing of twenty (20) days from the date on which the Company mails to the Company’s stockholders the Information Statement (as defined below) in definitive form; (iv) subject to certain qualifications, the accuracy of representations and warranties of the other party set forth in the Merger Agreement; and (v) the performance by the other party in all material respects of its obligations under the Merger Agreement. Parent’s obligation to consummate the Merger is also conditioned on, among other things, the absence of any Material Adverse Effect (as defined in the Merger Agreement). Entry into the Merger Agreement has been unanimously approved by the board of directors of the Company. The Merger Agreement includes customary representations, warranties and covenants of the Company, Parent and Merger Sub. Among other things, the Company has agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts to conduct its business in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and use commercially reasonable efforts to preserve intact its businesses until the Merger is consummated. The Company and Parent have also agreed to use their respective reasonable best efforts to obtain any approvals from governmental authorities for the Merger, including all required antitrust approvals, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, provided that Parent and its affiliates will not be required to take, or agree to take, certain actions with respect to assets, businesses or product lines of Parent or any of its subsidiaries, or the Company or any of its subsidiaries, accounting for more than $80 million of EBITDA (as defined in the Merger Agreement) for the 12 months ended December 31, 2020, measured in accordance with the Merger Agreement. The Merger Agreement contains certain provisions giving each of Parent and the Company rights to terminate the Merger Agreement under certain circumstances, including the right for either Parent or the Company to terminate the Merger Agreement if the Merger has not been consummated on or before November 19, 2021, which date will be automatically extended for up to two additional 60-day periods in specified circumstances as described in the Merger Agreement (such date, as may be so extended pursuant to the Merger Agreement, the “Outside Date”). Upon termination of the Merger Agreement under specified circumstances, the Company will be required to pay Parent a termination fee of $50 million. The Merger Agreement further provides that Parent will be required to pay the Company a reverse termination fee of $85 million under certain circumstances if the Merger Agreement is terminated due to the failure of the parties to obtain required approvals under Antitrust Laws (as defined in the Merger Agreement) prior to the Outside Date or as a result of a Restraint (as defined in the Merger Agreement) arising under applicable Antitrust Laws. If the Merger is consummated, the shares of Common Stock will be delisted from the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC and deregistered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”).

Summary of significant accounti

Summary of significant accounting policies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Summary of significant accounting policies	Summary of significant accounting policies Principles of Consolidation The consolidated financial statements include the accounts and results of operations of Forterra, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries. Intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation. Basis of Presentation The consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (‘‘U.S. GAAP’’). Certain prior year numbers have been reclassified to conform to current year presentations. Business Combinations Assets acquired and liabilities assumed in business combination transactions, as defined by the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 805, Business Combination , are recorded at fair value using the acquisition method of accounting. The Company allocates the purchase price of acquisitions based upon the fair value of each component which may be derived from various observable and unobservable inputs and assumptions. Initial purchase price allocations are preliminary and subject to revision within the measurement period, not to exceed one year from the date of the transaction. The fair value of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets may be based upon the discounted cash flow method that involves inputs that are not observable in the market (Level 3). Goodwill assigned represents the amount of consideration transferred in excess of the fair value assigned to identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed. Use of estimates The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the reporting date, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from these estimates. These estimates are based on management’s best knowledge of current events and actions that the Company may undertake in the future. The more significant estimates made by management relate to fair value estimates for assets and liabilities acquired in business combinations; estimates for accrued liabilities for environmental cleanup, bodily injury and insurance claims; estimates for commitments and contingencies; and estimates for the realizability of deferred tax assets, the tax receivable agreement obligation, inventory reserves, allowance for doubtful accounts and impairment of goodwill and long-lived assets. Certain accounting matters that generally require consideration of forecasted financial information were assessed in light of the impact from the coronavirus disease 2019 ("COVID-19") pandemic. The accounting matters assessed included, but were not limited to, the Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts, inventory reserves, goodwill impairment, impairment of property and equipment and valuation allowances for tax assets. While the assessments resulted in no material impacts to the Company’s consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company believes the full impact of the COVID-19 outbreak remains uncertain and will continue to assess if ongoing developments related to the outbreak may cause future material impacts to its consolidated financial statements. Cash and cash equivalents Cash and cash equivalents include cash on hand and other highly liquid investments having an original maturity of less than three months. Receivables, net Receivables are recorded at net realizable value, which includes allowances for doubtful accounts. The Company reviews the collectability of trade receivables on an ongoing basis. The Company reserves for trade receivables determined to be uncollectible. This determination is based on the delinquency of the account, the financial condition of the customer and the Company’s collection experience. Concentration of credit risk Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk are primarily receivables. The Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers’ financial condition and generally requires no collateral from its customers. The allowances for uncollectible receivables are based upon analysis of economic trends in the construction industry, detailed analysis of the expected collectibility of accounts receivable that are past due and the expected collectibility of overall receivables. The Company had an individual customer within its Water Pipe & Products segment that accounted for approximately 16% and 15% of the Company's total net sales for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and total receivables at December 31, 2020 and 2019 representing 16% and 13% of the Company's total receivables, net, respectively. Credit Losses Trade accounts receivable. The allowance for doubtful accounts is based on the Company’s assessment of the collectability of customer accounts. The Company regularly reviews the allowance by considering factors such as historical experience, credit quality, the age of the accounts receivable balances, and current economic conditions that may affect a customer’s ability to pay. The Company's exposure to credit losses may increase if one or more of its customers are adversely affected by changes in laws or other government recommendations or mandates, economic pressures or uncertainty associated with local or global economic recessions, disruption or other impacts associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, or other customer-specific factors. Although the Company has historically not experienced significant credit losses, it is possible that there could be a material adverse impact from potential adjustments of the carrying amount of trade receivables as customers are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Concentration of Labor Approximately 33% of the Company’s employees are represented by collective bargaining agreements, and 24% of these employees are included in collective bargaining agreements that expire within 12 months. Inventories Inventories are valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value. The Company’s inventories are valued using the average cost and first-in-first-out methods. Inventories include materials, labor and applicable factory overhead costs. The value of inventory is adjusted for damaged, obsolete, excess and slow-moving inventory. Market value of inventory is estimated considering the impact of market trends, an evaluation of economic conditions, and the value of current orders relating to the future sales of each respective component of inventory. Property, plant and equipment, net Property, plant and equipment, which includes amounts recorded under capital lease arrangements, is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation of property, plant and equipment is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. These lives range from 20 to 40 years for buildings, 4 to 20 years for machinery and equipment, and 5 to 10 years for other equipment and lower of lease term or useful life on leasehold improvements. Repair and maintenance costs are expensed as incurred. The Company’s depreciation expense is recorded in cost of goods sold and selling, general and administrative expenses in the statements of operations. The Company capitalizes interest during the active construction of major projects. Capitalized interest is added to the cost of the underlying assets and is depreciated over the useful lives of those assets. There was no interest capitalized for any of the periods presented in the financial statements. Impairment or disposal of long-lived assets The Company evaluates the recoverability of its long-lived assets in accordance with the provisions of ASC 360, Property, Plant and Equipment (“ASC 360”). ASC 360 requires that long-lived assets and certain identifiable intangibles be reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets is measured by comparing the carrying amount of an asset to future undiscounted net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. Such evaluations for impairment are significantly impacted by estimates of future prices for the Company’s products, capital needs, economic trends in the construction sector and other factors. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured at the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds their fair value. Leases The Company has both capital and finance leases. The Company determines if an arrangement is a lease at inception. Leases with an initial term of 12 months or less are not recorded on the balance sheet. Operating leases are included in operating lease right-of-use (“ROU”) assets, accrued liabilities, and long-term operating lease liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets. Finance leases are included in property, plant and equipment, accrued liabilities, and long-term finance lease liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets. ROU assets represent the Company’s right to use an underlying asset for the lease term, and lease liabilities represent the Company's obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. Operating lease ROU assets and liabilities are recognized at commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. As most of the Company’s leases do not provide an implicit rate, the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. The Company uses the implicit rate when readily determinable. The lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise that option. Lease expense for lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The Company has lease agreements with lease and non-lease components, which are generally accounted for separately. For machinery and equipment leases, such as forklifts, the Company accounts for the lease and non-lease components as a single lease component. Minimum rent payments under operating leases are recognized as an expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term, including any rent-free periods. Operating lease expenses for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 were approximately $15.6 million, $16.5 million and $24.3 million, respectively. Goodwill and other intangible assets, net 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”). 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 Company may bypass the qualitative assessment for any reporting unit in any period and proceed directly with the quantitative analysis. 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. The Company evaluates its intangible assets with finite lives for indications of impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the net book value may not be recoverable. Intangible assets with finite lives consist of customer relationships, customer backlogs, and brand names, and are amortized under the consumption method over the estimated useful lives. Factors that could trigger an impairment review include significant under-performance relative to expected historical or projected future operating results, significant changes in the manner of the Company's use of the acquired assets or the strategy for the Company's overall business or significant negative industry or economic trends. If this evaluation indicates that the value of the intangible asset may be impaired, the Company makes an assessment of the recoverability of the net book value of the asset over its remaining useful life. If this assessment indicates that the intangible asset is not recoverable, based on the estimated undiscounted future cash flows of the asset over the remaining amortization period, the Company reduces the net book value of the related intangible asset to fair value and may adjust the remaining amortization period. Investment in equity method investee The Company has an investment in a joint venture accounted for using the equity method. Under the equity method, carrying value is adjusted for the Company's share of the investee's earnings and losses, as well as capital contributions to and distributions from the investee. Distributions in excess of equity method earnings are recognized as a return of investment and recorded as investing cash inflows in the accompanying consolidated statements of cash flows. The Company classifies its share of income and loss related to its investments in its investee as a component of operating income or loss, as the Company's investments in the investee is an extension of the Company's core business operations. The Company evaluates its investment in the equity method investee for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of its investment may have experienced an "other-than-temporary" decline in value. If such conditions exist, the Company compares the estimated fair value of the investment to its carrying value to determine if an impairment is indicated and determines whether the impairment is "other-than-temporary" based on its assessment of all relevant factors, including consideration of the Company's intent and ability to retain its investment. Derivatives and Hedge Accounting The Company has entered into derivative instruments to mitigate interest rate and foreign exchange rate risk. Certain derivative instruments are designated for hedge accounting under ASC 815-20, Derivatives - Hedging . Instruments that meet hedge criteria are formally designated as hedges at the inception of the instrument. The Company’s derivative assets and liabilities are measured at fair value. Fair value related to the cash flows occurring within one year are classified as current and the fair value related to the cash flows occurring beyond one year are classified as non-current in the consolidated balance sheets. For those instruments designated as hedges, the Company recognizes the changes in fair value in other comprehensive income (“OCI”), and recognizes any ineffectiveness immediately in earnings. Valuation of derivative assets and liabilities reflect the value of the instrument including counterparty credit risk. These values also take into account the Company’s own credit standing. Deferred financing costs In conjunction with its debt, the Company had a net balance of $14.8 million in debt discounts and debt issuance costs as of December 31, 2020. These costs are amortized over the life of the applicable debt instrument to interest expense utilizing the effective interest method. The Company wrote-off deferred debt issuance cost of $13.1 million in the year ended December 31, 2020 in connection with the repayment of a portion of the term loan at par with the proceeds from the offering of the senior secured notes. See Note 11, Debt and deferred financing costs. Fair value measurement The Company utilizes valuation techniques that maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs to the extent possible. The Company determines fair value based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability in the principal or most advantageous market. When considering market participant assumptions in fair value measurements, the following fair value hierarchy distinguishes between observable and unobservable inputs, which are categorized in one of the following levels: Level 1 Inputs – Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities accessible to the reporting entity at the measurement date. Level 2 Inputs – Other than quoted prices included in Level 1 inputs that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the asset or liability. Level 3 Inputs – Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability used to measure fair value to the extent that observable inputs are not available, thereby allowing for situations in which there is little, if any, market activity for the asset or liability at measurement date. The Company's other financial instruments consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, trade and other receivables, accounts payable, accrued expenses, derivative financial instruments and long-term debt. The carrying value of the Company’s trade and other receivables, trade payables and accrued expenses approximates fair value due to their highly liquid nature, short-term maturity, or competitive rates assigned to these financial instruments. The Company adjusts the carrying amount of certain non-financial assets to fair value on a non-recurring basis when they are impaired. Foreign currency translation The Company uses the U.S. dollar as its functional currency for operations in the U.S. and Mexico, and the Canadian dollar for operations in Canada. The assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses of the Company’s Canadian operations are translated in accordance with ASC 830, Foreign Currency Matters. Environmental remediation liabilities The Company accrues for costs on an undiscounted basis associated with environmental remediation obligations when such costs are probable and reasonably estimable; if an estimated amount is likely to fall within a range and no amount within that range can be determined to be the better estimate, the minimum amount of the range is recorded. Claims for recoveries from insurance carriers and other third parties are not recorded until it is probable that the recoveries will be realized. Such accruals are adjusted as further information develops or circumstances change. Environmental expenditures that relate to current operations or to conditions caused by past operations are expensed. Expenditures that create future benefits are capitalized. At December 31, 2020 and 2019, the Company had environmental obligations of $1.6 million and $1.6 million, respectively, which are recorded within accrued liabilities and other long-term liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets. Stock-based plans The Company applies the provisions of ASC 718, Compensation - Stock Compensation, in its accounting and reporting for stock-based compensation. ASC 718 requires all stock-based payments to employees, including grants of employee stock options, to be recognized in the income statement based on their fair values. All unvested options outstanding under the Company's option plans have grant prices equal to the market price of the Company's stock on the dates of grant. Compensation cost for restricted stock and restricted stock units is determined based on the fair market value of the Company's stock at the date of grant. Stock-based compensation expense is generally recognized over the required service period, or over a shorter period when employee retirement eligibility is a factor. The Company recognizes forfeitures as they occur. Awards that may be settled in cash or company stock are classified as liabilities and remeasured at fair value at the end of each reporting period until the awards are settled. Income Taxes The Company computes the provision for income taxes using the asset/liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recorded for temporary differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and their reported amounts in the consolidated financial statements using the statutory tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. The Company uses the period cost method for Global Intangible Low-taxed Income (“GILTI”) provisions, and therefore, has not recorded deferred taxes for basis differences expected to reverse in future periods. The Company evaluates the recoverability of its deferred tax assets quarterly to determine if valuation allowances are required or should be adjusted. In assessing the need for a valuation allowance, the Company considers all available evidence for each jurisdiction, including past operating results, future reversal of taxable and deductible temporary differences, estimates of future taxable income, and the feasibility of ongoing tax planning strategies. The measurement of a deferred tax asset is reduced, if necessary, by a valuation allowance if, based on all available evidence, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The Company recognizes a tax benefit for uncertain tax positions only if it believes it is more-likely-than-not that the position will be sustained upon examination based solely on the technical merits of the tax position. The Company evaluates whether a tax position meets the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold using the assumption that the position will be examined by the appropriate taxing authority. The tax benefits recognized in the financial statements from such positions are measured based upon the largest amount that is more than 50% likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement. Penalties and interest related to income tax uncertainties, should they occur, are included in income tax expense in the period in which they are incurred. Revenue recognition The Company's revenue contracts are primarily single performance obligations for the sale of product both to trade customers and distributors. A majority of revenue recognized by the Company is recognized at the time control is transferred to customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for the products. The Company considers several indicators for the transfer of control to its customers, including the significant risks and rewards of ownership of products, the Company's right to payment and the legal title of the products. Based upon the assessment of control indicators, sales to trade customers and distributors are generally recognized when products are delivered to customers. All variable consideration that may affect the total transaction price, including contractual discounts, rebates, returns and credits, is included in net sales. Estimates for variable consideration are based on historical experience, anticipated performance and management's judgment. Generally, the Company's contracts do not contain significant financing. For certain engineering and construction contracts and building contracting arrangements, the Company enters into long-term contracts with customers. Revenue is recognized as the identified performance obligations are satisfied over time using an acceptable input method to measure the progress toward completion of the performance obligation if: the customer receives the benefits as work is performed, the customer controls the asset as it is being produced, or if the product being produced for the customer has no alternative use and the Company has a contractual right to payment. The Company uses its cost incurred to date relative to total estimated costs at completion to measure progress. The Company's contract liabilities consist of billings to customers in excess of revenue recognized which the Company records as deferred revenue. Revenue recognized during the years ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, which was included in contract liabilities at the beginning of each period was not material. Contract assets include revenue recognized in excess of amounts billed, and balances billed but not yet paid by customers under retainage provisions which are classified as a current asset within receivables, net on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. The Company had no material contract assets on the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2020 or December 31, 2019. For the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, revenue recognized in continuing operations using the percentage of completion method amounted to 3%, 2%, and 1% and of total net sales, respectively. The Company records net sales including taxes collected on behalf of its customers. Shipping and handling costs are accounted for as contract fulfillments costs and classified as cost of goods sold. See Note 20, Segment reporting, for the Company's disaggregated revenue disclosures. The Company incurs shipping costs to third parties for the transportation of building products and bills such costs to customers. For the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, the Company recorded freight costs of approximately $122.7 million, $131.8 million and $127.0 million, respectively, on a gross basis within net sales and cost of goods sold in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. The Company generally provides limited warranties related to its products which cover manufacturing in accordance with the specifications identified on the face of its quotation or order acknowledgment and to be free of defects in workmanship or materials. The warranty periods typically extend for a limited duration of one year. The Company estimates and accrues for potential warranty exposure related to products which have been delivered. Cost of goods sold and selling, general and administrative expenses Cost of goods sold includes costs of production, inbound freight charges for raw materials, outbound freight to customers, purchasing and receiving costs, inspection costs and warehousing at plant distribution facilities. Selling, general and administrative costs include expenses for sales, marketing, legal, accounting and finance services, human resources, customer support, treasury and other general corporate services. Recent Accounting Guidance Adopted In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2016-13, Financial Instruments–Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. The standard replaces the incurred loss impairment methodology under current U.S. GAAP with a methodology that reflects expected credit losses and requires the use of a forward-looking expected credit loss model for accounts receivables, loans, and other financial instruments. The Company adopted this ASU on January 1, 2020 using a modified retrospective approach, which did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting. The amendments in the ASU provide optional guidance for a limited time to ease the potential burden in accounting for reference rate reform. The new guidance provides optional expedients and exceptions for applying U.S. GAAP to contracts, hedging relationships and other transactions affected by reference rate reform if certain criteria are met. The amendments apply only to contracts and hedging relationships that reference London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") or another reference rate expected to be discontinued due to reference rate reform. The guidance was effective upon issuance and generally can be applied through December 31, 2022 and has not had any material impact to the Company's consolidated financial statements. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) , which establishes the principles that lessees and lessors shall apply to report information about the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from a lease. Under the new guidance, lessees are required to recognize a right-of-use asset and a lease liability, measured on a discounted basis, at the commencement date for all leases with terms greater than twelve months. Additionally, this guidance required disclosures to help investors and other financial statement users better understand the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases, including qualitative and quantitative requirements. The Company adopted Topic 842 during the first quarter of 2019, using the transition approach that permits application of the new standard at the adoption date instead of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements. To adopt Topic 842, the Company elected the package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance within the new standard, which among other things, allowed the Company to carry forward its historical assessments of (1) whether the existing contracts contained a lease, (2) the lease classification for existing leases, and (3) initial direct cost for existing leases. In addition to the package of practical expedients, the Company has elected the adoption expedients of (1) the exclusion of leases with terms less than 12 months, and (2) the election not to separate non-lease components from lease components for certain classes of underlying leased assets. To adopt Topic 842, the Company recognized a cumulative catch-up adjustment to the opening balance sheet presented January 1, 2019. The adoption of the standard had a material impact on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet but did not have an impact on its consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income (loss) or cash flows. As a result of the adoption, the Company has recorded additional lease assets and lease liabilities of approximately $63.9 million and $65.2 million, respectively, as of January 1, 2019. In addition, the Company recognized the carrying value of deferred gains related to certain sale and operating leaseback of land of $9.3 million, net of tax impact of $2.3 million, to beginning retained deficit as of January 1, 2019, in accordance with ASC 842-10-65-1. In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-02, Income Statement - Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income to allow a reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”) to retained earnings for stranded tax effects resulting from the U.S. tax reform legislation commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“TCJA”). This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The Company early adopted the guidance provided in the ASU during the first quarter of 2018 and reclassified $0.8 million of stranded deferred tax benefits related to its derivative instruments from accumulated other comprehensive loss to retained deficit. Recent Accounting Guidance Not Yet Adopted In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes (Topic 740) . The new guidance simplifies the accounting for income taxes by eliminating certain exceptions related to the approach for intraperiod tax allocation, the methodology for calculating income taxes in an interim period, hybrid taxes, and the recognition of deferred tax liabilities for outside basis differences. It also clarifies and simplifies other aspects of the accounting for income taxes. For public companies, the amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020 and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted in interim or annual periods with any adjustments reflected as of the beginning of the annual period that includes that interim period. Additionally, entities that elect early adoption must adopt all the amendments in the same period. Amendments are to b

Acquisitions and divestitures

Acquisitions and divestitures	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Acquisitions and divestitures	Acquisitions and divestitures The acquisitions described below have been accounted for as business combinations (except as discussed below) as defined by ASC 805. 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 required 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. 2019 transactions On March 1, 2019, the Company acquired certain assets of Texas limited liability companies Houston Buckner Precast, LLC, Buckner Precast, LLC, Montgomery 18905 E. Industrial, LLC, and 1763 Old Denton Road, LLC (altogether "Buckner") for consideration of $11.8 million in cash, inclusive of a working capital adjustment. The acquired Buckner assets did not meet the definition of a business and, as such, the transaction was accounted for as an asset acquisition pursuant to the guidance in subsection 805-50 of ASC 805, Business Combinations . The assets of the Buckner acquisition operate as part of the Company’s Drainage Pipe & Products segment. 2018 transactions Acquisitions On April 2, 2018, the Company acquired substantially all the assets of Watkins Industries, Inc. for aggregate consideration of $4.5 million in cash and accounted for the transaction as a business combination. During the third quarter of 2018, the Company acquired certain assets of Anchor Concrete Products, Ltd. in Kingston, Ontario, for aggregate consideration of $2.5 million in cash and accounted for the transaction as an asset acquisition. Both of these acquisitions operate in the Company's Drainage Pipe & Products segment. Divestitures On January 31, 2018, the Company divested assets relating to the operation of certain Drainage Pipe & Products facilities in Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia to Foley Products Company (“Foley”) in exchange for $9.1 million in cash, land in Texas and a Drainage Pipe & Products facility located in Prentiss, Mississippi. The acquisition side of the exchange transaction was accounted for as a business combination as defined by FASB ASC 805, Business Combinations . In accordance with ASC 805, the purchase price is measured as the acquisition date fair value of the assets transferred by the Company to Foley in the exchange. In the exchange, the Company divested of the net working capital and certain of the real property of its Drainage Pipe & Products plants in Tennessee and Alabama, as well as the net working capital of certain Drainage Pipe & Products plants in Georgia. The purchase price of $37.2 million was the fair value of the divested assets which resulted in the recognition of a gain of $6.0 million, recognized in Other income (expense), net. 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 divested and 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 . The final fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed in the transaction, including $9.1 million in cash, the Prentiss plant, and a parcel of land in Texas, at the acquisition date are as follows (in thousands) : Net working capital $ 10,984 Property, plant and equipment 9,221 Customer relationship intangible 2,100 Non-compete agreement intangible 5,600 Other intangibles 290 Net identifiable assets acquired 28,195 Goodwill 8,996 Consideration transferred $ 37,191 Goodwill recognized is attributable primarily to expected operating efficiencies and expansion opportunities in the business acquired. Goodwill is deductible for tax purposes. Transaction costs For the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, the Company recognized aggregate transaction costs, including legal, accounting, valuation, and advisory fees, specific to the transactions identified above of $24 thousand, $0.2 million and $0.8 million, respectively. These costs are recorded in the consolidated statements of operations within selling, general & administrative expenses.

Receivables, net

Receivables, net	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Receivables [Abstract]
Receivables, net	Receivables, net Receivables consist of the following at December 31, 2020 and 2019 (in thousands) : December 31, 2020 2019 Trade receivables $ 195,997 $ 178,698 Amounts billed, but not yet paid under retainage provisions 4,022 3,093 Other receivables 29,026 26,078 Total receivables $ 229,045 $ 207,869 Less: Allowance for doubtful accounts (1,097) (2,068) Receivables, net $ 227,948 $ 205,801 The Company records provisions for doubtful accounts in selling, general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations. The table below summarizes the Company's allowance for doubtful accounts for the periods presented (in thousands) : Allowance for doubtful accounts Balance at December 31, 2018 $ (2,141) Provision for doubtful accounts (387) Write-offs and adjustments 460 Balance at December 31, 2019 $ (2,068) Recovery on doubtful accounts 451 Write-offs and adjustments 520 Balance at December 31, 2020 $ (1,097)

Inventories

Inventories	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Inventories	Inventories Inventories consist of the following at December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 (in thousands) : December 31, 2020 2019 Finished goods $ 145,872 $ 161,440 Raw materials 76,322 76,237 Work in process 734 806 Total inventories $ 222,928 $ 238,483

Investment in equity method inv

Investment in equity method investee	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract]
Investment in equity method investee	Investment in equity method investee The Company owns 50% of the Common Unit voting shares of Concrete Pipe & Precast LLC ("CP&P") and consequently, has recorded its investment in the Common Unit voting shares in accordance with ASC 323, Investments – Equity Method and Joint Ventures , under the equity method of accounting. The Company's investment in the joint venture as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 was $48.3 million and $50.0 million, respectively, which is included within the Drainage Pipe & Products segment. At December 31, 2020, the difference between the amount at which the Company's investment is carried and the amount of the Company's share of the underlying equity in net assets of CP&P was approximately $13.0 million. The basis difference is primarily attributable to the value of land and equity method goodwill associated with the investment. The following reflects the Company's distribution and earnings in the equity investment (in thousands): Year ended December 31, 2020 2019 2018 Distribution received from CP&P $ (13,039) $ (11,039) (13,141) Share of earnings in CP&P 11,363 10,538 10,234 Amortization of excess fair value of investment (72) (72) (72) Selected financial data for CP&P on a 100% basis is as follows ( in thousands ): Year ended December 31, 2020 2019 2018 Net sales $ 157,499 $ 152,740 $ 140,494 Gross profit 41,245 40,369 37,473 Income from operations 23,172 21,720 20,570 Net income 22,642 20,844 19,804

Property, plant and equipment,

Property, plant and equipment, net	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Property, plant and equipment, net	Property, plant and equipment, net Property, plant and equipment, net consist of the following at December 31, 2020 and 2019 (in thousands) : December 31, 2020 2019 Machinery and equipment $ 410,436 $ 398,127 Land, buildings and improvements 234,251 240,403 Other equipment 12,633 8,660 Construction-in-progress 26,073 29,157 Total property, plant and equipment 683,393 676,347 Less: accumulated depreciation (232,311) (200,772) Property, plant and equipment, net $ 451,082 $ 475,575 Depreciation expense totaled $48.2 million, $49.8 million and $52.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively, which is included in cost of goods sold and selling, general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations. As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, gross assets recorded under finance leases, consisting primarily of land and buildings, were $55.6 million and $53.8 million, respectively, and accumulated depreciation was $5.9 million and $3.8 million, respectively. Impairments

Goodwill and other intangible a

Goodwill and other intangible assets, net	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
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 years ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 (in thousands) : Drainage Pipe & Products Water Pipe & Products Total Balance at December 31, 2018 $ 189,833 $ 318,360 $ 508,193 Foreign currency and other adjustments 633 — 633 Balance at December 31, 2019 190,466 318,360 508,826 Foreign currency and other adjustments 301 — 301 Balance at December 31, 2020 $ 190,767 $ 318,360 $ 509,127 Goodwill is required to be tested for impairment at the reporting unit level. The Company has three reporting units which have goodwill. We perform our annual impairment assessment of goodwill in the fourth quarter of each year, or more frequently if indicators of potential impairment exist. The analysis may include both qualitative and quantitative factors to assess the likelihood of an impairment. In accordance with ASC 350, Intangibles – Goodwill & Other , we first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform the quantitative goodwill impairment test. The more likely than not threshold is defined as having a likelihood of more than 50 percent. If, after assessing the totality and events or circumstances, we determine that it is not more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then performing the quantitative impairment test is unnecessary and our goodwill is considered to be unimpaired. However, if based on our qualitative assessment we conclude that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, we will proceed with performing the quantitative impairment test. Qualitative factors include industry and market considerations, overall financial performance, and other relevant events and factors affecting the reporting unit. Additionally, as part of the qualitative assessment, we may perform a quantitative analysis to support the qualitative factors above by applying sensitivities to assumptions and inputs used in measuring a reporting unit's fair value. For quantitative impairment test, the Company uses a combination of an income approach and a market approach to determine the fair value of the reporting unit. 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. The Company's impairment determinations involve significant assumptions and judgments, as discussed above. Different assumptions regarding any of these inputs could have a significant effect on the various valuations. The Company performed its annual goodwill impairment test as of October 1st of each year. In 2020, the fair value for all of our reporting units substantially exceeded their carrying value, and our annual qualitative assessment did not indicate that a more detailed quantitative test was necessary. In 2019 and 2018, we performed the quantitative impairment test and concluded that the calculated fair value of the reporting units exceeded book value in all circumstances; therefore, no annual impairment charge was recorded in either of these periods. Intangible assets other than goodwill at December 31, 2020 included the following (in thousands) : Weighted average amortization period (in years) Gross carrying amount as of December 31, 2020 Accumulated amortization Net carrying value as of December 31, 2020 Customer relationships 10 $ 235,907 $ (165,404) $ 70,503 Trade names 10 39,390 (24,455) 14,935 Patents 11 23,629 (18,600) 5,029 Customer backlog 0.8 13,211 (13,211) — Non-compete agreements 5 17,172 (12,210) 4,962 Developed technology 17 6,354 (748) 5,606 Other 10 867 (493) 374 Total intangible assets $ 336,530 $ (235,121) $ 101,409 Intangible assets other than goodwill at December 31, 2019 included the following (in thousands) : Weighted average amortization period (in years) Gross carrying amount as of December 31, 2019 Accumulated amortization Net carrying value as of December 31, 2019 Customer relationships 10 $ 235,907 $ (135,038) $ 100,869 Trade names 10 39,390 (19,764) 19,626 Patents 11 23,629 (15,956) 7,673 Customer backlog 0.8 13,209 (13,209) — Non-compete agreements 5 17,090 (9,020) 8,070 Developed technology 17 $ 6,354 $ (374) 5,980 Other 10 867 (411) 456 Total intangible assets $ 336,446 $ (193,772) $ 142,674 Amortization expense totaled $41.3 million, $47.4 million and $52.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2020, December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively, which is included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations. The estimated amortization expense relating to amortizable intangible assets for the next five years is as follows (in thousands) : Year ended Intangible assets subject to amortization 2021 $ 33,228 2022 23,992 2023 17,657 2024 12,742 2025 9,473 Total $ 97,092

Fair value measurement

Fair value measurement	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
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, operating and finance lease liabilities, accrued liabilities and the tax receivable agreement obligation. The carrying value of the Company's trade receivables, other receivables, trade payables, the asset-based revolver and accrued liabilities approximates fair value due to their short-term maturity or other terms related to these financial instruments. 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 estimated carrying amount and fair value of the Company’s financial instruments measured and recorded at fair value on a recurring basis are as follows for the dates indicated (in thousands) : Fair value measurements at December 31, 2020 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 December 31, 2020 Liabilities: Derivative liability $ — $ 572 $ — $ 572 Fair value measurements at December 31, 2019 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 December 31, 2019 Assets: Derivative asset $ — $ 258 $ — $ 258 Liabilities and assets classified as level 2 which are recorded at fair value 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 December 31, 2020 using Carrying Amount December 31, 2020 Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Total Fair Value December 31, 2020 Non-current liabilities Term Loan $407,978 — $415,386 — $415,386 Senior Secured Notes 492,043 — $539,760 — 539,760 Tax receivable agreement payable 64,240 — — 40,586 40,586 Fair value measurements at December 31, 2019 using Carrying Amount December 31, 2019 Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Total Fair Value December 31, 2019 Non-current liabilities Term Loan $1,098,303 — $1,102,295 — $1,102,295 Tax receivable agreement payable 77,385 — — 47,625 47,625 The fair value of debt is valued using a market approach based on the indicative quoted prices for the Company's debt instruments traded in over-the-counter markets and, therefore, is classified as Level 2 within the fair value hierarchy. See Note 11, Debt and deferred financing costs, for a further discussion of Company debt. 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, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures . 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. See Note 16, Commitments and contingencies, for a further discussion of the Company's tax receivable agreement.

Accrued liabilities

Accrued liabilities	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Payables and Accruals [Abstract]
Accrued liabilities	Accrued liabilities Accrued liabilities consist of the following at December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 (in thousands) : December 31, 2020 2019 Accrued payroll and employee benefits $ 49,434 $ 32,815 Short-term capital leases 17,009 16,542 Short-term operating leases 7,448 8,784 Accrued taxes 13,642 5,354 Accrued rebates 11,649 9,895 Warranty 7,069 5,536 Short-term derivative liability 333 — Environmental obligation 63 718 Other miscellaneous accrued liabilities 9,046 9,195 Total accrued liabilities $ 115,693 $ 88,839

Debt and deferred financing cos

Debt and deferred financing costs	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Debt and deferred financing costs	Debt and deferred financing costs The Company’s debt consisted of the following (in thousands) : December 31, December 31, 2020 2019 Term Loan, net of debt issuance costs and original issuance discount of $ 407,978 $ 1,098,303 Senior Secured Notes, net of debt issuance costs and original issuance discount of $7,957 and $0, respectively 492,043 — Total debt $ 900,021 $ 1,098,303 Less: current portion debt (12,510) (12,510) Total long-term debt $ 887,511 $ 1,085,793 As of December 31, 2020, Forterra had no borrowings under its $350 million asset based revolving credit facility under its ABL Credit Agreement dated October 25, 2016 (the “ABL Credit Agreement”) for working capital and general corporate purposes (“Revolver”), $414.9 million outstanding under its senior term loan facility (“Term Loan”) and $500 million senior secured notes due 2025 (the “Notes”). Senior Secured Notes On July 16, 2020, Forterra Finance, LLC and FRTA Finance Corp., both wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Company, completed the issuance of $500 million aggregate principal amount of senior secured notes due in 2025. The Notes have a fixed annual interest rate of 6.50% which will be paid semi-annually on January 15 and July 15 of each year. The Notes will mature on July 15, 2025. The Company used the net proceeds from the offering to repay $492.5 million of the principal amount of the Term Loan at par, plus accrued interest. The Company incurred debt issuance costs of $8.8 million and will amortize them over the term of the Notes under the effective interest method. Obligations under the Notes are guaranteed by the Company and the Company’s existing and future subsidiaries (other than the issuing companies) that guarantee the Term Loan and the obligations of the U.S. borrowers under the Revolver. The Notes and the related guarantees are secured by first-priority liens on the collateral that secures the Term Loan on a first-priority basis (which is generally all assets other than those that secure the Revolver on a first-priority basis as set forth below) and second-priority liens on the collateral that secures the Revolver on a first-priority basis (which is generally inventory, accounts receivable, deposit accounts, securities accounts, certain intercompany loans and related assets), which second-priority liens will be ratable with the liens on such assets securing the obligations under the Term Loan and junior to the liens on such assets securing the Revolver. At any time prior to July 15, 2022, the Company may on any one or more occasions redeem all or part of the Notes at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes redeemed, plus a “make whole premium” as of, and accrued and unpaid interest to the date of redemption, subject to the right of holders of Notes on the relevant record date to receive interest due on an interest payment date occurring on or prior to the redemption date. In addition, at any time prior to July 15, 2022, the Company may on any one or more occasions redeem up to 40% of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes (calculated after giving effect to the issuance of any additional notes) issued under the Indenture at a redemption price equal to 106.500% of the principal amount of Notes redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the date of redemption (subject to the right of holders of Notes on the relevant record date to receive interest due on an interest payment date occurring on or prior to the redemption date), with the net cash proceeds of an equity offering. Furthermore, at any time on or after July 15, 2022, the Company may on any one or more occasions redeem all or part of the Notes at the redemption prices (expressed as percentages of principal amount) set forth below, plus accrued and unpaid interest on the Notes redeemed, to the applicable date of redemption, if redeemed during the 12-month period beginning on July 15 of the years indicated below, subject to the rights of holders of Notes on a relevant record date to receive interest on an interest payment date occurring on or prior to the redemption date: Percentage 2022 103.250 % 2023 101.625 % 2024 and thereafter 100.000 % The Notes contain customary negative covenants, including, among other things, limitations or prohibitions on restricted payments, incurrence of additional indebtedness, liens, mergers, asset sales and transactions with affiliates. In addition, the Indenture contains customary events of default. Senior Term Loan The Term Loan provides for a $1.25 billion senior secured term loan. Subject to the conditions set forth in the term loan agreement, the 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 unlimited amount, provided (x) in the case of any incremental debt that is secured by a lien that is pari passu with the liens securing the Term Loan, the first lien leverage ratio does not exceed 4.10 to 1.00, (y) in the case of incremental debt that is secured by a lien that is junior to the liens securing the Term Loan, the total leverage ratio does not exceed 5.50 to 1.00 and (z) in the case of incremental debt that is unsecured, the total leverage ratio does not exceed 5.75 to 1.00, in each case, determined on a pro forma basis. The 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 adjusted LIBOR (with a floor of 1.0%) or an alternate base rate (the base rate, which is the highest of the then current federal funds rate plus 0.50%, the prime rate most recently announced by the administrative agent under the Term Loan, and the one-month adjusted LIBOR plus 1.00%), in each case plus a margin of 3.00% or 2.00%, respectively. The weighted average interest rates for the Term Loan were 4.1% and 5.2% for the years ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company repurchased $696.0 million of the Term Loan before its maturity at a market value of $695.1 million. Consequently, the Company wrote off a proportionate share of debt issuance costs of $13.1 million and recognized a net loss of $12.2 million which was included in the consolidated statements of operations. Outstanding borrowings under the 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 Term Loan is secured by substantially all of the assets of Forterra, the borrower and the Guarantors; provided that the obligations under the Term Loan are not secured by any liens on more than 65% of the voting stock of foreign subsidiaries or assets of foreign subsidiaries. The 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 Term Loan does not contain any financial covenants. Obligations under the Term Loan may be accelerated upon certain customary events of default (subject to grace periods, as appropriate). Asset Based Revolving Facility On June 17, 2020, the Company entered into a First Amendment (the “Amendment”) to the ABL Credit Agreement. The Amendment, among other things, (i) increased the size of the Revolver from $300 million to $350 million of aggregate commitments, with up to $330 million to be made available to the U.S. Borrowers and up to $20 million to be made available to the Canadian Borrowers (the allocation may be modified periodically at the Company's request), (ii) extended the maturity date of the Revolver to June 17, 2025, subject to earlier maturity if greater than $75.0 million of the Company’s Term Loan remains outstanding 91 days prior to the scheduled maturity of the term loan credit facility or any refinancing thereof, and (iii) modified the interest rates on outstanding borrowings under the Revolver to a rate equal to LIBOR or CDOR plus a margin ranging from 1.75% to 2.25% per annum, or an alternate base rate, Canadian prime rate or Canadian base rate plus a margin ranging from 0.75% to 1.25% per annum, in each case, based upon the average excess availability under the Revolver for the most recently completed calendar quarter and the Company’s total leverage ratio as of the end of the most recent fiscal quarter for which financial statements have been delivered. The Company incurred $2.6 million of fees and expenses in connection with this Amendment and recorded it to “Other Long-term Assets” in its consolidated balance sheet. In addition, the Company wrote off $0.4 million of previously deferred issuance cost related to the banks that are no longer part of the ABL Credit Facility. Subject to the conditions set forth in the ABL Credit Agreement, as amended, the 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 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. As of December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the Revolver had no outstanding borrowings. The weighted average interest rates for the borrowings under the Revolver were 2.00% and 3.72% for the years ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. The Revolver also provides for the issuance of letters of credit of up to an agreed sublimit. The obligations of the borrowers under the 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 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 foreign subsidiaries or assets of foreign subsidiaries. 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 Revolver. Availability under the Revolver, based on draws, outstanding letters of credit of $16.7 million, as well as allowable borrowing base as of December 31, 2020, was $235.6 million. The Revolver and the Term Loan contain 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 Revolver 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 Revolver falls below a threshold set forth in the ABL Credit Agreement, as amended. Obligations under the Revolver and the Term Loan 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). As of December 31, 2020, the Company was in compliance with all applicable covenants under the Revolver, the Term Loan, and the Notes. As of December 31, 2020, scheduled maturities of long-term debt were as follows (in thousands) : Total Term Loan Notes 2021 $ 12,510 $ 12,510 $ — 2022 12,510 12,510 — 2023 389,847 389,847 — 2024 — — — 2025 500,000 — 500,000 $ 914,867 $ 414,867 $ 500,000

Other long-term liabilities

Other long-term liabilities	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Other Liabilities Disclosure [Abstract]
Other long-term liabilities	Other long-term liabilities Other long-term liabilities consist of the following for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 (in thousands) : December 31, 2020 2019 Workers' compensation $ 12,417 $ 12,039 Legal 6,758 4,115 Social Security Deferral 5,521 — Long term bonus incentive plan 5,110 — Employee benefits 3,322 2,945 Environmental remediation liability 1,535 872 Other miscellaneous long-term liabilities 2,255 1,935 $ 36,918 $ 21,906

Derivatives and hedging

Derivatives and hedging	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
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, except as discussed below, cash flows from derivative instruments are included in net cash provided by (used in) operating activities in the consolidated statements of cash flows. On March 30, 2020, Forterra entered into an interest rate swap transaction with a notional value of $400 million to reduce exposure to interest rate fluctuations associated with a portion of the Term Loan. Under the terms of the swap transaction, Forterra agreed to pay a fixed rate of interest of 1.08% and receive floating rate of interest indexed to one-month LIBOR, subject to a minimum of 1.00%, with monthly settlement terms with the swap counterparty. The swap has a 30-month term and expires on September 30, 2022. The interest rate swap is not designated as a cash flow hedge, therefore all changes in the fair value of the instrument are captured as a component of interest expense in the consolidated statements of operations. Accordingly, cash flows from the monthly interest rate swap settlements are included in net cash provided by (used in) operating activities in the consolidated statements of cash flows. At December 31, 2017, the Company had foreign exchange forward contracts, designated as net investment hedges in accordance with ASC 815-20 Derivatives - Hedging , which allowed 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 novated to Forterra by an affiliate concurrent with the Reorganization, directly prior to the IPO and refinancing described in Note 1 and were settled in March 2018 resulting in a cash outlay of $5.0 million. This cash outlay was recorded within the investing activities section of the consolidated statements of cash flows. The net investment hedges were intended to mitigate foreign exchange exposure related to non-U.S. dollar net investments in certain foreign subsidiaries against changes in foreign exchange rates. A quantitative analysis was utilized to assess hedge effectiveness for the hedges. The Company assessed the hedge effectiveness and measured the amount of ineffectiveness for the hedge relationships based on changes in forward exchange rates; any ineffectiveness was recorded immediately in current period earnings. The Company did not have any ineffectiveness related to net investment hedges during the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018. Cumulative changes in fair value of the effective portion of the hedging instruments were recorded in Accumulated other comprehensive income and will be reclassified into earnings upon the sale or complete or substantially complete liquidation of the foreign entity. On 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 had a three-year term and expired on March 31, 2020. The interest rate swaps were not designated as cash flow hedges, therefore all changes in the fair value of these instruments were captured as a component of interest expense in the consolidated statements of operations. Accordingly, cash flows from the monthly interest rate swap settlements were included in net cash provided by (used in) operating activities in the consolidated statements of cash flows. The Company elects to present all derivative assets and derivative liabilities on a net basis on its 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 December 31, 2020 and 2019, 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 balance sheets (in thousands) : December 31, 2020 Derivative Assets Derivative Liabilities Notional Amount Fair Value Notional Amount Fair Value Interest rate swaps $ — $ — $ 400,000 $ 572 Total derivatives, gross — 572 Less: Legally enforceable master netting agreements — — Total derivatives, net $ — $ 572 December 31, 2019 Derivative Assets Derivative Liabilities Notional Amount Fair Value Notional Amount Fair Value Interest rate swaps $ 525,000 $ 258 $ — $ — Total derivatives, gross 258 — Less: Legally enforceable master netting agreements — — Total derivatives, net $ 258 $ — The following table presents the effect of derivative instruments on the consolidated statements of operations (in thousands) : Year ended December 31, Year ended December 31, 2020 2019 Derivatives not designated as hedges Interest rate swaps Loss on derivatives not designated as hedges included in interest expense (830) (6,401)

Leases

Leases	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Leases [Abstract]
Leases	Leases The Company leases land and buildings, office spaces, vehicles, machinery and equipment under various lease agreements. A large portion of the Company’s leases were the result of the sale and leaseback of land and buildings related to certain production facilities. These leases have an initial term of 25 years, followed by one optional renewal term of approximately ten years that may be exercised at the Company’s discretion. See note 15, Sale-Leaseback transaction. These leases, with the exception of certain land leases, were classified as finance leases. The Company’s operating leases are mainly comprised of land and buildings, office spaces, vehicles, machinery and equipment leases, and have remaining terms of one The components of lease expense were as follows (in thousands): Lease cost Classification Year ended December 31, 2020 Year ended December 31, 2019 Operating lease cost Lease expense $ 15,613 $ 16,464 Finance lease cost Amortization of leased assets Depreciation, amortization, and accretion 2,259 2,276 Interest on lease liabilities Interest expense 18,954 18,528 Lease term and discount rate December 31, 2020 December 31, 2019 Weighted-average remaining lease term (years) Operating leases 15.7 years 15.5 years Finance leases 31.7 years 33.1 years Weighted-average discount rate (%) Operating leases 12.6 % 12.6 % Finance leases 12.3 % 12.3 % Supplemental cash flow information related to leases was as follows (in thousands): Year ended December 31, 2020 Year ended December 31, 2019 Cash paid for amounts included in lease liabilities Operating cash flows related to operating leases $ 14,515 $ 14,945 Operating cash flows related to finance leases 16,621 16,090 Financing cash flows related to finance leases 805 583 Leased assets obtained in exchange for new finance lease liabilities 3,456 180 Leased assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities 2,032 4,925 Supplemental balance sheet information related to leases was as follows (in thousands): Classification December 31, 2020 December 31, 2019 Operating leases Right of use assets Operating lease right-of-use assets $ 54,379 $ 60,253 Operating lease liabilities - current portion Accrued liabilities (7,448) (8,784) Operating lease liabilities - long term portion Long-term operating lease liabilities (50,943) (54,411) Finance leases Finance lease assets Property, plant and equipment, net 51,360 49,999 Finance lease liabilities - current portion Accrued liabilities (17,009) (16,542) Finance lease liabilities - long term portion Long-term finance lease liabilities (142,195) (137,365) As of December 31, 2020, maturities of lease liabilities were as follows (in thousands): Operating leases Finance leases Total 2021 $ 11,889 $ 18,024 $ 29,913 2022 10,949 18,239 29,188 2023 10,689 18,366 29,055 2024 9,836 18,599 28,435 2025 9,446 18,803 28,249 Thereafter 100,230 634,968 735,198 Total lease payments 153,039 726,999 880,038 Less: imputed interest (94,648) (567,795) (662,443) Present value of lease liabilities $ 58,391 $ 159,204 $ 217,595
Leases	Leases The Company leases land and buildings, office spaces, vehicles, machinery and equipment under various lease agreements. A large portion of the Company’s leases were the result of the sale and leaseback of land and buildings related to certain production facilities. These leases have an initial term of 25 years, followed by one optional renewal term of approximately ten years that may be exercised at the Company’s discretion. See note 15, Sale-Leaseback transaction. These leases, with the exception of certain land leases, were classified as finance leases. The Company’s operating leases are mainly comprised of land and buildings, office spaces, vehicles, machinery and equipment leases, and have remaining terms of one The components of lease expense were as follows (in thousands): Lease cost Classification Year ended December 31, 2020 Year ended December 31, 2019 Operating lease cost Lease expense $ 15,613 $ 16,464 Finance lease cost Amortization of leased assets Depreciation, amortization, and accretion 2,259 2,276 Interest on lease liabilities Interest expense 18,954 18,528 Lease term and discount rate December 31, 2020 December 31, 2019 Weighted-average remaining lease term (years) Operating leases 15.7 years 15.5 years Finance leases 31.7 years 33.1 years Weighted-average discount rate (%) Operating leases 12.6 % 12.6 % Finance leases 12.3 % 12.3 % Supplemental cash flow information related to leases was as follows (in thousands): Year ended December 31, 2020 Year ended December 31, 2019 Cash paid for amounts included in lease liabilities Operating cash flows related to operating leases $ 14,515 $ 14,945 Operating cash flows related to finance leases 16,621 16,090 Financing cash flows related to finance leases 805 583 Leased assets obtained in exchange for new finance lease liabilities 3,456 180 Leased assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities 2,032 4,925 Supplemental balance sheet information related to leases was as follows (in thousands): Classification December 31, 2020 December 31, 2019 Operating leases Right of use assets Operating lease right-of-use assets $ 54,379 $ 60,253 Operating lease liabilities - current portion Accrued liabilities (7,448) (8,784) Operating lease liabilities - long term portion Long-term operating lease liabilities (50,943) (54,411) Finance leases Finance lease assets Property, plant and equipment, net 51,360 49,999 Finance lease liabilities - current portion Accrued liabilities (17,009) (16,542) Finance lease liabilities - long term portion Long-term finance lease liabilities (142,195) (137,365) As of December 31, 2020, maturities of lease liabilities were as follows (in thousands): Operating leases Finance leases Total 2021 $ 11,889 $ 18,024 $ 29,913 2022 10,949 18,239 29,188 2023 10,689 18,366 29,055 2024 9,836 18,599 28,435 2025 9,446 18,803 28,249 Thereafter 100,230 634,968 735,198 Total lease payments 153,039 726,999 880,038 Less: imputed interest (94,648) (567,795) (662,443) Present value of lease liabilities $ 58,391 $ 159,204 $ 217,595

Sale-leaseback transaction

Sale-leaseback transaction	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Leases [Abstract]
Sale-leaseback transaction	Sale-Leaseback transaction During April 2016, the Company sold 49 US and Canadian properties to Pipe Portfolio Owner (Multi) LP, (the "U.S. Buyer") and FORT-BEN Holdings (ONQC) Ltd., (the "Canadian Buyer") and 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. A deferred gain of $81.5 million related to the sale-leaseback transaction was being amortized over the life of the master leases. In addition, the Company concluded that the leases for land and buildings were operating leases, and the leases for the machinery equipment were capital leases. In October 2016, the Company entered into agreements to replace the original guarantor with Forterra, as the new guarantor, effective immediately following completion of the internal reorganization effected prior to the IPO. Due to the change in guarantor, the sale leaseback qualified for sales recognition and was classified as an operating lease beginning October 2016. On June 5, 2018, the Company entered into exchange agreements and Amended and Restated Master Leases with each of the U.S Buyer and the Canadian Buyer (collectively, the “Exchange Transaction”). Under the exchange agreement between the Company and the U.S. Buyer, the Company exchanged ownership of a ductile iron pipe facility located in Bessemer, Alabama used in its Water Pipe & Products segment (the “Bessemer Facility”) for 21 facilities used in its Drainage Pipe & Products segment and the U.S. concrete and steel pressure pipe facilities previously part of the Water Pipe & Products segment, including a portion of one property used in both segments, all of which were previously included in the sale-leaseback transaction. Under the exchange agreement between the Company and the Canadian Buyer, the Company exchanged ownership of a smaller diameter ductile iron pipe facility located in Bessemer, Alabama used in its Water Pipe & Products segment (the “Mini Mill Facility”) for ownership of three Canadian concrete pressure pipe facilities that were previously included in the sale-leaseback transaction. No cash changed hands in the Exchange Transaction. Under the Amended and Restated Master Leases, the Company leases 26 properties from the U.S. Buyer and 2 properties from an affiliate of the Canadian Buyer, each for an initial term of 25 years, through June 30, 2043, followed by one optional renewal term of nine years, eleven months that may be exercised at the Company’s option. The initial base rent under the U.S. Amended and Restated Master Lease is $17.1 million per annum, payable monthly, and is subject to a 2% annual increase during the initial term. If the Company elects to extend the term of the U.S. Amended and Restated Master Lease, the base rent for the first year of the extension will be the greater of 95% of the fair market rental value of the properties and an amount equal to 102% of the prior year’s base rent, subject to an annual increase based on changes in the Consumer Price Index, but capped at 4%. The U.S. Amended and Restated Master Lease restricts the Company’s use of the U.S. properties to heavy manufacturing, industrial, and other related uses. The Company cannot sublease or assign the properties covered by the U.S. Amended and Restated Master Lease without the prior written consent of the U.S. Landlord and subject to certain other restrictions. The terms of the Canadian Amended and Restated Master Lease are similar to those of the U.S. Amended and Restated Master Lease described above, except that the initial base rent is $1.2 million (CAD) per annum. The Company’s aggregate liability in connection with its representations, warranties, covenants and indemnification and other obligations is $5.0 million under the U.S. Exchange Agreement and $6.4 million (CAD) under the Canadian Exchange Agreement, subject to limited exceptions. The Company accounted for the Exchange Transaction in accordance with the sale-leaseback accounting guidance under ASC 840, Leases . The fair value of the 24 facilities exchanged back was $86.1 million and was accounted for as the proceeds from the sale of the Bessemer and Mini Mill Facilities after adjusting for the transaction cost of $2.7 million. Consequently, a deferred gain of $67.3 million was recorded at June 5, 2018. The carrying value of the deferred gains of $35.0 million, the deferred rent of $3.1 million, and the deferred transaction costs of $2.4 million from the original sale-leaseback transaction were reclassified to reduce the carrying value of the 24 facilities exchanged back. The Amended and Restated Master Leases extended the lease terms for all facilities, which caused the majority of the leases to be classified as capital leases instead of operating leases. Consequently, the Company recognized capital lease obligations as well as the gross value of the capital lease assets of $149.0 million, calculated by discounting minimum future lease payments using its incremental borrowing rate of 12.33%. The carrying value of the deferred gains of $100.0 million, the deferred rent of $3.8 million, and the deferred transaction cost of $5.7 million were reclassified to reduce the carrying value of capital lease assets. During the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company recognized $10.0 million of rent expense in cost of goods sold for operating leases, related to payments made under the sales leaseback transaction. See Note 14 for rent expense relating to the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020.

Commitments and contingencies

Commitments and contingencies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and contingencies	Commitments and contingencies 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 consolidated 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. Earnout Dispute On March 13, 2015, through an indirect wholly owned subsidiary, Lone Star Fund IX (U.S.), L.P. (which is referred to, along with its affiliates and associates, but excluding Forterra and other companies that it owns as a result of its investment activity, as "Lone Star") acquired the building products business of HeidelbergCement AG, ("Heidelberg"), in the United States and Eastern Canada, (the "Acquisition"). The Acquisition purchase agreement included an earnout, which provided for the payment of 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 Heidelberg'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 exceeded the specified target, LSF9 Concrete Holdings Ltd. ("LSF9") and, as a result of the internal reorganization transaction effected prior to the Company's initial public offering ("IPO"), the Company would be required to pay the U.S. affiliate of Heidelberg 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 earnout statement to affiliates of Heidelberg demonstrating that no payment was required. On June 13, 2016, Heidelberg provided notification that it disputed, 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. On October 5, 2016, affiliates of Heidelberg 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, claiming a breach of contract and seeking the $100.0 million and other damages (the "Delaware Action"). On December 8, 2017, the court granted the defendants' Motion to Dismiss the First Amended Complaint in the Delaware Action, finding that the earnout dispute should be heard before a neutral accounting arbitrator as set forth in the purchase agreement and that any claims that were required to be brought as indemnification claims under the purchase agreement were time-barred by the contractual limitations period. Following the dismissal of the Delaware Action, the Company and Heidelberg jointly engaged a neutral accounting expert to act as an arbitrator in the dispute as required by the purchase agreement. After briefing certain preliminary matters for the arbitrator and the production of additional documents, the parties began briefing the issues on the merits for the neutral accounting arbitrator, which was completed in April 2020. A hearing on the dispute was held in June 2020, and a written decision was issued by the neutral accounting arbitrator on September 10, 2020 in which the arbitrator ruled that no earnout payment was owed in the matter. The deadline for Heidelberg to take any action to overturn the ruling was in December 2020, and they took no action, so the Company believes the ruling is final. As of December 31, 2020, no liability for this contingency has been accrued as payment of any earnout is not considered probable. Derivative Action On January 15, 2019, a putative shareholder derivative complaint captioned Lee v. Bradley, et al., was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware, naming as defendants certain of the Company’s current and former directors and officers (the "Lee Action"). The complaint alleges the defendants violated Section 14A of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and related rules by failing to make certain disclosures in the Company's proxy solicitation in advance of the 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, and that defendants breached their fiduciary duties, wasted corporate assets, and committed constructive fraud. The complaint also asserts unjust enrichment claims against certain defendants. The complaint seeks, on behalf of the Company, unspecified damages, an order directing the return of certain payments to the defendants, certain injunctive relief, and reasonable costs and attorneys' fees. After initially staying the case until the court in a prior, unrelated securities class action suit that has now been settled ruled on the motion to dismiss in that case, on December 11, 2019, the court in the Lee Action entered a Stipulation and Order consolidating the Lee Action and another derivative action filed in the same court into a single case (the "Consolidated Lee Action"), and providing a schedule for filing of an amended complaint and motions to dismiss, which has been further extended by agreement of the parties. A mediation of the dispute was held on June 12, 2020 but was not successful in resolving the dispute. Plaintiffs filed an amended complaint in August 2020 and Defendants filed a motion to dismiss the complaint in September 2020, which is now fully briefed and before the court and a decision is expected in the coming months. The Company and other defendants are vigorously defending the Consolidated Lee Action. 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 Consolidated Lee Action. 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 sells/reduces its ownership in the Company or successor entities of LSF9, or through certain cash distribution as defined in the LTIP. Before the payout of any cash the LTIP requires Lone Star 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 December 31, 2020, no such monetization events that meet the required return for an LTIP payment have occurred, and therefore no amounts were accrued in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet. 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. Leases The Company leases certain property and equipment for various periods under non-cancelable operating and finance leases. See Note 14 for future minimum lease payments under such agreements. Tax receivable agreement The Company has a tax receivable agreement (the "TRA") 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 TRA 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 acquisition of USP Holdings, Inc., and (v) certain other tax benefits attributable to payments made under the tax receivable agreement. For purposes of the TRA, 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 all 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. The liabilities recorded by the Company for the tax receivable agreement at December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 were $64.2 million and $77.4 million, respectively. The timing and amount of future tax benefits associated with the TRA are subject to change, and additional payments may be required which could be materially different from the current accrued liability. 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 activity in the consolidated statements of cash flows. For the years ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the Company paid $13.1 million and $11.4 million, respectively on the TRA to Lone Star.

Earnings per share

Earnings per share	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
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 common shares outstanding during the period. Potentially dilutive securities include employee stock options and shares of restricted stock. Diluted EPS reflects the assumed exercise or conversion of all dilutive securities. The restricted shares are considered participating securities for the purposes of the Company's EPS calculation. The calculations of the basic and diluted EPS for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 are presented below (in thousands, except per share data): Year ended December 31, 2020 2019 2018 Net income (loss) $ 64,486 $ (7,331) $ (24,365) Earnings allocated to unvested restricted stock 40 — — Earnings (loss) allocated to common shareholders $ 64,446 $ (7,331) $ (24,365) Common stock: Weighted average basic shares outstanding 65,260 64,232 63,904 Effect of dilutive securities 2,943 — — Weighted average diluted shares outstanding 68,203 64,232 63,904 Basic earnings (loss) per share: Net income (loss) $ 0.99 $ (0.11) $ (0.38) Diluted earnings (loss) per share: Net income (loss) $ 0.94 $ (0.11) $ (0.38) Potential dilutive common shares were anti-dilutive as a result of the Company's net loss for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018. As a result, basic weighted average shares were used in the calculations of basic earnings per share and diluted earnings per share for those periods.

Employee benefit plans

Employee benefit plans	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]
Employee benefit plans	Employee benefit plansDefined Contribution Plans     The Company’s employees are able to participate in a 401K defined contribution plan. The Company contributes funds into this plan subject to certain limits. For the years ended December 31, 2020, December 31, 2019, and December 31, 2018, the Company recorded an expense of $13.0 million, $7.0 million and $6.6 million, respectively.

Stock-based plans

Stock-based plans	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Share-based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]
Stock-based plans	Stock-based plans Stock Incentive Plans The Company's previous equity compensation plan under which it granted stock awards was the Forterra, Inc. 2016 Stock Incentive Plan, (the "2016 Incentive Plan"). The aggregate number of shares of common stock that was initially available for issuance under the 2016 Incentive Plan was 5,000,000 shares. The Company's board of directors has granted employees and independent directors options to purchase shares of common stock, shares of restricted common stock and restricted stock units. The options, restricted stock and restricted stock units awarded to employees are subject to either three-year or four-year vesting periods and the options, restricted stock and restricted stock units awarded to independent directors are subject to a one-year vesting period. The awards of stock options granted under the 2016 Incentive Plan have a term of ten years. In May 2018, the Company's shareholders approved the Forterra, Inc. 2018 Stock Incentive Plan, (the "2018 Incentive Plan"). The 2018 Incentive Plan 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 issuable under the 2018 Incentive Plan is 5,000,000 shares plus any shares subject to outstanding awards under the 2016 Incentive Plan as of the date of the approval of the 2018 Incentive Plan that on or after such date cease for any reason to be subject to such awards (other than by reason of exercise or settlement of the awards to the extent they are exercised for or settled in nonforfeitable shares). In accordance with ASC 718, Compensation-Stock Compensation , the Company recognizes stock-based compensation expense over the requisite service period for the entire award, which is generally the maximum vesting period of the award or over a shorter period when employee retirement eligibility is a factor, in an amount equal to the fair value of share-based payments, which include stock options granted and restricted stock awards to employees and non-employees 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 $9.5 million, $7.9 million and $6.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, 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 years ended December 31, 2020, December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018: 2020 2019 2018 Expected dividends — % — % — % Expected volatility 67.00 % 32.08 % 32.90 % Risk-free interest rate 1.63 % 2.43 % 1.71 % Expected lives in years 6 6 6 Weighted-average fair value of options: Granted at fair value $ 8.90 $ 1.54 $ 2.76 Weighted-average exercise price of options: Granted at fair value $ 14.63 $ 4.29 $ 7.92 The Black-Scholes model requires the use of subjective assumptions including expectations of future dividends and stock price volatility. Expected volatility was calculated using a weighted average of Forterra and a set of Forterra's peer companies based on an analysis of historical and implied volatility measures. 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 options 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 the Company's stock options is presented below: Shares Weighted Average Exercise Price (in thousands) Outstanding, December 31, 2018 3,101,419 $9.19 Granted 2,771,930 $4.29 Exercised (224,266) $7.60 Forfeited (1,975,987) $7.50 Outstanding, December 31, 2019 3,673,096 $6.50 Granted 2,248 $14.63 Exercised (366,814) $6.61 Forfeited (231,360) $7.82 Outstanding, December 31, 2020 3,077,170 $6.39 Options vested or expected to vest at year end 3,077,170 $6.39 Options exercisable at year end 1,764,420 $7.23 As of December 31, 2020, the Company has approximately $1.0 million of unrecognized stock option compensation cost related to unvested stock options, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of approximately 0.9 years. Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Unit Awards Restricted stock are share awards that entitle the holder to receive shares of the Company's common stock which become freely transferable upon vesting. Restricted stock has the same dividend and voting rights as common stock and is considered to be issued and outstanding upon grant. Restricted stock units are share awards denominated in units of the Company's common stock and are subject to a service condition. The restricted stock units do not have the voting rights of common stock, and the shares underlying restricted stock units are not considered issued and outstanding upon grant. The restricted stock and restricted stock unit awards generally vest one During 2020, the Company granted 0.8 million restricted stock units consisting of 0.6 million time-vested restricted stock units and 0.2 million performance-based restricted stock units. During 2019, the Company granted 2.6 million restricted stock units consisting of 1.2 million time-vested restricted stock units and 1.4 million performance-based restricted stock units. The performance-based restricted stock units vest in tranches based on the 20-day volume weighted average price of FRTA common stock based on a grant date market condition. If the performance condition is achieved, one-fourth of the tranche will vest immediately and the remainder of the tranche will be time-vested over one year from the date the performance condition was met. The Company accounts for the time-vested and performance-based restricted stock units as equity awards. The following table summarizes the activity for restricted stock and restricted stock units: Shares Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value (in thousands) Unvested balance at December 31, 2018 744,363 $9.68 Grants 2,562,250 $4.58 Vested shares (508,799) $7.74 Forfeitures (640,172) $6.21 Unvested balance at December 31, 2019 2,157,642 $5.11 Grants 792,090 $8.87 Vested shares (1,201,617) $8.91 Forfeitures (156,237) $7.06 Unvested balance at December 31, 2020 1,591,878 $6.60

Income taxes

Income taxes	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income taxes	Income taxes U.S. Tax Reform On March 27, 2020, the U.S. government enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”), that among other things, increased the net interest expense deduction limit to 50% of adjusted taxable income from 30% for tax years beginning January 1, 2019 and the tax year 2020, and amended Internal Revenue Code ("IRC") Section 168(e)(3)(E) to retroactively include the qualified improvement property inadvertently classified as 39-year property under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“TCJA”) as property to which a 15-year recovery period applies and for which 100% bonus depreciation may be claimed. This enhanced bonus depreciation may be applied retro actively for additions after December 31, 2017. In July of 2020, the Treasury Department released two significant final regulations: (1) final regulations with guidance on applying the limitations on the deductibility of business interest expense under IRC Section 163(j), which was significantly modified by TCJA and then temporarily modified by the CARES Act; and (2) final Section 951A regulations which allowed taxpayers to make an election to exclude certain high-taxed income of its controlled foreign corporations. The favorable impact of the CARES Act and these final regulations was reflected in the 2019 filed tax return, as well as in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized principally for the expected tax consequences of temporary differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and their reported amounts, using currently enacted tax rates. The Company’s income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes was as follows (in thousands) : Year ended December 31, Year ended December 31, Year ended December 31, 2020 2019 2018 U.S. companies $ 61,146 $ (21,557) $ (36,317) Foreign companies 11,800 10,947 15,037 Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes $ 72,946 $ (10,610) $ (21,280) The income tax (expense) benefit was as follows (in thousands) : Year ended December 31, 2020 2019 2018 Current income tax U.S. companies $ (16,203) $ (9,510) $ (13,225) State (6,802) (4,260) (5,779) Foreign companies (4,694) (3,018) (4,849) Total current tax expense (27,699) (16,788) (23,853) Deferred income tax U.S. companies 922 16,180 17,273 State 15,506 4,232 3,306 Foreign companies 2,811 (345) 189 Total deferred tax benefit 19,239 20,067 20,768 Income tax (expense) benefit $ (8,460) $ 3,279 $ (3,085) The rate reconciliation for continuing operations presented below is based on the U.S. federal statutory tax rate of 21% for the years ended December 31, 2020, December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 because the predominant business activity is in the U.S. (in thousands) : Year ended December 31, 2020 2019 2018 Income (loss) from continuing operations $ 72,946 $ (10,610) $ (21,280) Income tax (expense) benefit at statutory rate of 21% $ (15,319) $ 2,228 $ 4,469 State income taxes, net of federal (expense) benefit (3,449) 113 1,494 Tax effect of equity and non-deductible executive compensation (1,682) (1,507) (439) Meals and entertainment and other non-deductible expenses (516) (763) (452) Change in valuation allowance 11,839 1,927 (6,601) Other prior year adjustments 968 1,311 571 Divestiture of assets — — (1,559) Other (301) (30) (568) Total income tax (expense) benefit $ (8,460) $ 3,279 $ (3,085) The income tax expense for the year ended December 31, 2020 is primarily attributable to statutory federal, state and international income tax expense on the continuing operations, the unfavorable impact of non-deductible executive compensation and other non-deductible expenses, partially offset with the release of the valuation allowance on assets now expected to be realized prior to expiration and the favorable effect of the retroactive tax law changes included in the prior year federal and state tax return filings. The income tax benefit for the year ended December 31, 2019 is primarily attributable to the unfavorable impact of the non-deductible expenses, partially offset with the favorable effect of the partial reversal of the federal and state valuation allowances and the effect of the return to provision adjustments. The income tax expense for the year ended December 31, 2018 is primarily attributable to the unfavorable impact of the federal and state valuation allowance increase, inclusion of global intangible low-taxed income, and impact of the disposition of nondeductible goodwill in connection with the Foley exchange described in Note 3, partially offset with the favorable impact of the tax credits and state tax benefit. The Company evaluates the recoverability of its deferred tax assets quarterly to determine if valuation allowances are required or should be adjusted. The Company assesses whether valuation allowances should be established against deferred tax assets based on consideration of all available evidence, both positive and negative, using a “more likely than not” criteria. The analysis used in determining the valuation allowance involves considerable judgment and assumptions. During the year ended December 31, 2020, after consideration of all evidence, including the analysis of the reversal pattern of the taxable and deductible temporary differences in the future, as well as the positive factors of the recent business performance, the Company released $11.8 million of the federal, state and international valuation allowance. Deferred income taxes are provided for the effects of temporary differences between the tax basis of an asset or liability and its reported amount in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. These temporary differences result in taxable or deductible amounts in future years. The net deferred tax asset (liability) balances were comprised of the following components as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 (in thousands) : December 31, 2020 December 31, 2019 Deferred tax assets: Inventory $ 6,670 $ 6,891 Reserves 7,419 4,112 Accrued liabilities 8,034 4,656 Net operating losses 3,909 2,964 Capitalized transaction costs 3,513 3,599 Finance leases 53,794 55,063 Interest expense limitation 160 6,566 Tax receivable agreement 1,618 1,655 Other assets 3,609 4,687 Total deferred tax assets 88,726 90,193 Valuation allowance (1,675) (13,555) Total deferred tax assets, net $ 87,051 $ 76,638 Deferred tax liabilities: Fixed assets $ (53,386) $ (53,156) Lease assets (23,742) (25,378) Intangible assets (13,931) (20,221) Other liabilities (5,663) (6,812) Total deferred tax liabilities $ (96,722) $ (105,567) Net deferred tax asset (liability) $ (9,671) $ (28,929) As of December 31, 2020, the Company had tax loss carryforwards as follows (in thousands) : Amount Expiration Date Federal net operating losses $ — — State net operating losses $ 28,338 2022-2040 Foreign net operating losses $ 9,436 2031-2040 Uncertain tax positions The Company is subject to audit examinations at federal, state, local, and foreign levels by tax authorities in those jurisdictions who may challenge the treatment or reporting of any tax return item. The tax matters challenged by the tax authorities are typically complex; therefore, the ultimate outcomes of these challenges are subject to uncertainty. The Company’s U.S. federal income tax audit for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017 was finalized during the year with no changes identified for either period, respectively. State income tax returns are generally subject to examination for a period of three to five years after filing of the respective return.

Segment reporting

Segment reporting	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
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 Company's Chief Executive Officer is its CODM. 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. During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company moved its concrete and steel pressure pipe business from the Water Pipe & Products segment to the Drainage Pipe & Products segment to better align with how the CODM manages the businesses. The prior years have been restated to conform with the re-segmentation, which resulted in an immaterial impact to the prior periods' segment information. 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 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”) as a basis for making the decisions to allocate resources and assess performance. The following tables set forth the disaggregation of revenue earned from contracts with customers based on the Company's reportable segments as well as other financial information attributable to the Company's reportable segments for the periods presented (in thousands) : Year ended Year ended December 31, Year ended December 31, 2020 2019 2018 Net sales: Drainage Pipe & Products $ 887,420 $ 913,033 $ 839,689 Water Pipe & Products 707,086 616,719 640,023 Corporate and Other — — — Total $ 1,594,506 $ 1,529,752 $ 1,479,712 Depreciation and amortization: Drainage Pipe & Products $ 33,420 $ 38,260 $ 42,866 Water Pipe & Products 53,885 57,547 61,546 Corporate and Other 2,191 1,451 1,011 Total $ 89,496 $ 97,258 $ 105,423 Segment EBITDA and reconciliation to income (loss) before income taxes: Drainage Pipe & Products $ 187,547 $ 173,006 $ 160,295 Water Pipe & Products 145,451 82,831 60,987 Corporate and Other (90,666) (74,219) (58,802) Less: Interest expense (79,890) (94,970) (78,337) Depreciation and amortization (89,496) (97,258) (105,423) Loss before income taxes $ 72,946 $ (10,610) $ (21,280) Capital expenditures: Drainage Pipe & Products $ 17,066 $ 23,096 Water Pipe & Products 19,500 14,246 Corporate and Other 1,039 2,531 Total $ 37,605 $ 39,873 Total assets: Drainage Pipe & Products $ 819,046 $ 857,880 Water Pipe & Products 795,292 824,035 Corporate and Other 41,474 58,143 Total $ 1,655,812 $ 1,740,058 In addition, the Company also has an investment in an equity method investee included in the Drainage Pipe & Products segment for which earnings from equity method investee were $11.3 million, $10.5 million and $10.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively, and with the following balances (in thousands) : December 31, 2020 2019 Investment in equity method investee $ 48,285 $ 50,034 Disaggregated revenue by geographic location is provided in the tables below. The Company has operations in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The economic characteristics of the Company's customers does not significantly vary across geographic locations or product lines. 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: December 31, 2020 2019 United States $ 409,338 $ 422,486 Canada 33,250 43,754 Mexico 8,494 9,335 $ 451,082 $ 475,575 Net Sales: Year ended December 31, Year ended December 31, Year ended December 31, 2020 2019 2018 United States $ 1,513,925 $ 1,448,492 $ 1,389,115 Canada 71,906 73,270 80,868 Mexico 8,675 7,990 9,729 $ 1,594,506 $ 1,529,752 $ 1,479,712

Related party transactions

Related party transactions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]
Related party transactions	Related party transactions CP&P The Company sold certain goods and services to its joint venture, CP&P, including spare parts for repairs, and property rentals. For the year ended December 31, 2020, Forterra sold $1.4 million of product to CP&P and purchased goods and services from CP&P for an amount of $1.0 million. For the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company sold $0.4 million of product to CP&P and received $0.5 million in exchange for purchased goods and services from CP&P. For the year ended December 31, 2018, Forterra sold $0.1 million of product to CP&P and purchased $0.2 million of goods and services from CP&P. Master Builders Solutions US, LLC During the year ended December 31, 2020, Forterra sold $0.1 million of product to Master Builders Solutions US, LLC, an affiliate of Lone Star, and purchased goods from Master Builders Solutions US, LLC for an amount of $0.9 million. 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 in Note 16, Commitments and contingencies. Bricks Joint Venture

Quarterly financial data (unaud

Quarterly financial data (unaudited)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
Quarterly financial data (unaudited)	Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited) The following is a summary of the quarterly results of operations: Year ended December 31, 2020: (in thousands, except per share amounts) First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter Net sales $ 330,876 $ 426,186 $ 457,557 $ 379,887 Cost of goods sold 272,134 320,607 331,284 293,808 Gross profit 58,742 105,579 126,273 86,079 Income (loss) from continuing operations before taxes (13,988) 34,570 38,751 13,613 Net income (loss) (14,066) 27,115 28,827 22,610 Basic earnings (loss) per share: Net income (loss) $ (0.22) $ 0.42 $ 0.44 $ 0.34 Diluted earnings (loss) per share: Net income (loss) $ (0.22) $ 0.40 $ 0.42 $ 0.33 Year ended December 31, 2019: (in thousands, except per share amounts) First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter Net sales $ 291,858 $ 410,219 $ 464,526 $ 363,149 Cost of goods sold 250,053 324,405 362,362 296,550 Gross profit 41,805 85,814 102,164 66,599 Income (loss) from continuing operations before taxes (32,336) 3,835 28,327 (10,436) Net income (loss) (25,039) 2,954 22,430 (7,676) Basic earnings (loss) per share: Net income (loss) $ (0.39) $ 0.05 $ 0.35 $ (0.12) Diluted earnings (loss) per share: Net income (loss) $ (0.39) $ 0.05 $ 0.34 $ (0.12)

Supplemental cash flow disclosu

Supplemental cash flow disclosures	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Supplemental Cash Flow Elements [Abstract]
Supplemental cash flow disclosures	Supplemental Cash Flow Disclosures (in thousands) Year ended Year ended Year ended 2020 2019 2018 SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURES: Cash interest paid $ 53,175 $ 77,086 $ 69,381 Income taxes paid, net of refunds received 16,472 12,343 11,068 SUPPLEMENTAL NON-CASH INVESTING AND FINANCING DISCLOSURES: Assets and liabilities acquired in non-cash exchange — — 18,140 Capital lease obligation resulting from the sale-leaseback exchange transaction — — (148,962) Fair value changes of derivatives recorded in OCI, net of tax — — 970

Summary of significant accoun_2

Summary of significant accounting policies (Policies)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Principles of consolidation	Principles of Consolidation    The consolidated financial statements include the accounts and results of operations of Forterra, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries. Intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.
Basis of presentation	Basis of Presentation The consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (‘‘U.S. GAAP’’). Certain prior year numbers have been reclassified to conform to current year presentations.
Business combinations	Business Combinations Assets acquired and liabilities assumed in business combination transactions, as defined by the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 805, Business Combination , are recorded at fair value using the acquisition method of accounting. The Company allocates the purchase price of acquisitions based upon the fair value of each component which may be derived from various observable and unobservable inputs and assumptions. Initial purchase price allocations are preliminary and subject to revision within the measurement period, not to exceed one year from the date of the transaction. The fair value of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets may be based upon the discounted cash flow method that involves inputs that are not observable in the market (Level 3). Goodwill assigned represents the amount of consideration transferred in excess of the fair value assigned to identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed.
Use of estimates	Use of estimates The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the reporting date, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from these estimates. These estimates are based on management’s best knowledge of current events and actions that the Company may undertake in the future. The more significant estimates made by management relate to fair value estimates for assets and liabilities acquired in business combinations; estimates for accrued liabilities for environmental cleanup, bodily injury and insurance claims; estimates for commitments and contingencies; and estimates for the realizability of deferred tax assets, the tax receivable agreement obligation, inventory reserves, allowance for doubtful accounts and impairment of goodwill and long-lived assets.
Cash and cash equivalents	Cash and cash equivalents Cash and cash equivalents include cash on hand and other highly liquid investments having an original maturity of less than three months.
Receivables, net	Receivables, net Receivables are recorded at net realizable value, which includes allowances for doubtful accounts. The Company reviews the collectability of trade receivables on an ongoing basis. The Company reserves for trade receivables determined to be uncollectible. This determination is based on the delinquency of the account, the financial condition of the customer and the Company’s collection experience.
Concentration of credit risk	Concentration of credit risk Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk are primarily receivables. The Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers’ financial condition and generally requires no collateral from its customers. The allowances for uncollectible receivables are based upon analysis of economic trends in the construction industry, detailed analysis of the expected collectibility of accounts receivable that are past due and the expected collectibility of overall receivables.
Credit Losses	Credit Losses Trade accounts receivable. The allowance for doubtful accounts is based on the Company’s assessment of the collectability of customer accounts. The Company regularly reviews the allowance by considering factors such as historical experience, credit quality, the age of the accounts receivable balances, and current economic conditions that may affect a customer’s ability to pay.
Inventories	Inventories Inventories are valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value. The Company’s inventories are valued using the average cost and first-in-first-out methods. Inventories include materials, labor and applicable factory overhead costs. The value of inventory is adjusted for damaged, obsolete, excess and slow-moving inventory. Market value of inventory is estimated considering the impact of market trends, an evaluation of economic conditions, and the value of current orders relating to the future sales of each respective component of inventory.
Property, plant and equipment, net	Property, plant and equipment, net Property, plant and equipment, which includes amounts recorded under capital lease arrangements, is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation of property, plant and equipment is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. These lives range from 20 to 40 years for buildings, 4 to 20 years for machinery and equipment, and 5 to 10 years for other equipment and lower of lease term or useful life on leasehold improvements. Repair and maintenance costs are expensed as incurred. The Company’s depreciation expense is recorded in cost of goods sold and selling, general and administrative expenses in the statements of operations. The Company capitalizes interest during the active construction of major projects. Capitalized interest is added to the cost of the underlying assets and is depreciated over the useful lives of those assets. There was no interest capitalized for any of the periods presented in the financial statements.
Impairment or disposal of long-lived assets	Impairment or disposal of long-lived assets The Company evaluates the recoverability of its long-lived assets in accordance with the provisions of ASC 360, Property, Plant and Equipment (“ASC 360”). ASC 360 requires that long-lived assets and certain identifiable intangibles be reviewed for impairment
Leases	Leases The Company has both capital and finance leases. The Company determines if an arrangement is a lease at inception. Leases with an initial term of 12 months or less are not recorded on the balance sheet. Operating leases are included in operating lease right-of-use (“ROU”) assets, accrued liabilities, and long-term operating lease liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets. Finance leases are included in property, plant and equipment, accrued liabilities, and long-term finance lease liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets. ROU assets represent the Company’s right to use an underlying asset for the lease term, and lease liabilities represent the Company's obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. Operating lease ROU assets and liabilities are recognized at commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. As most of the Company’s leases do not provide an implicit rate, the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. The Company uses the implicit rate when readily determinable. The lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise that option. Lease expense for lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The Company has lease agreements with lease and non-lease components, which are generally accounted for separately. For machinery and equipment leases, such as forklifts, the Company accounts for the lease and non-lease components as a single lease component.
Goodwill and other intangible assets, net	Goodwill and other intangible assets, net 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”). 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 Company may bypass the qualitative assessment for any reporting unit in any period and proceed directly with the quantitative analysis. 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. The Company evaluates its intangible assets with finite lives for indications of impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the net book value may not be recoverable. Intangible assets with finite lives consist of customer relationships, customer backlogs, and brand names, and are amortized under the consumption method over the estimated useful lives. Factors that could trigger an impairment review include significant under-performance relative to expected historical or projected future operating results, significant changes in the manner of the Company's use of the acquired assets or the strategy for the Company's overall business or significant negative industry or economic trends. If this evaluation indicates that the value of the intangible asset may be impaired, the Company makes an assessment of the recoverability of the net book value of the asset over its remaining useful life. If this assessment indicates that the intangible asset is not recoverable, based on the estimated undiscounted future cash flows of the asset over the remaining amortization period, the Company reduces the net book value of the related intangible asset to fair value and may adjust the remaining amortization period.
Investment in equity method investee	Investment in equity method investee The Company has an investment in a joint venture accounted for using the equity method. Under the equity method, carrying value is adjusted for the Company's share of the investee's earnings and losses, as well as capital contributions to and distributions from the investee. Distributions in excess of equity method earnings are recognized as a return of investment and recorded as investing cash inflows in the accompanying consolidated statements of cash flows. The Company classifies its share of income and loss related to its investments in its investee as a component of operating income or loss, as the Company's investments in the investee is an extension of the Company's core business operations. The Company evaluates its investment in the equity method investee for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of its investment may have experienced an "other-than-temporary" decline in value. If such conditions exist, the Company compares the estimated fair value of the investment to its carrying value to determine if an impairment is indicated and determines whether the impairment is "other-than-temporary" based on its assessment of all relevant factors, including consideration of the Company's intent and ability to retain its investment.
Derivatives and hedge accounting	Derivatives and Hedge Accounting The Company has entered into derivative instruments to mitigate interest rate and foreign exchange rate risk. Certain derivative instruments are designated for hedge accounting under ASC 815-20, Derivatives - Hedging . Instruments that meet hedge criteria are formally designated as hedges at the inception of the instrument. The Company’s derivative assets and liabilities are measured at fair value. Fair value related to the cash flows occurring within one year are classified as current and the fair value related to the cash flows occurring beyond one year are classified as non-current in the consolidated balance sheets. For those instruments designated as hedges, the Company recognizes the changes in fair value in other comprehensive income (“OCI”), and recognizes any ineffectiveness immediately in earnings.
Deferred financing costs	Deferred financing costs    In conjunction with its debt, the Company had a net balance of $14.8 million in debt discounts and debt issuance costs as of December 31, 2020. These costs are amortized over the life of the applicable debt instrument to interest expense utilizing the effective interest method.
Fair value measurement	Fair value measurement The Company utilizes valuation techniques that maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs to the extent possible. The Company determines fair value based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability in the principal or most advantageous market. When considering market participant assumptions in fair value measurements, the following fair value hierarchy distinguishes between observable and unobservable inputs, which are categorized in one of the following levels: Level 1 Inputs – Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities accessible to the reporting entity at the measurement date. Level 2 Inputs – Other than quoted prices included in Level 1 inputs that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the asset or liability. Level 3 Inputs – Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability used to measure fair value to the extent that observable inputs are not available, thereby allowing for situations in which there is little, if any, market activity for the asset or liability at measurement date. The Company's other financial instruments consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, trade and other receivables, accounts payable, accrued expenses, derivative financial instruments and long-term debt. The carrying value of the Company’s trade and other receivables, trade payables and accrued expenses approximates fair value due to their highly liquid nature, short-term maturity, or competitive rates assigned to these financial instruments. The Company adjusts the carrying amount of certain non-financial assets to fair value on a non-recurring basis when they are impaired.
Foreign currency translation	Foreign currency translation The Company uses the U.S. dollar as its functional currency for operations in the U.S. and Mexico, and the Canadian dollar for operations in Canada. The assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses of the Company’s Canadian operations are translated in accordance with ASC 830, Foreign Currency Matters.
Environmental remediation liabilities	Environmental remediation liabilities    The Company accrues for costs on an undiscounted basis associated with environmental remediation obligations when such costs are probable and reasonably estimable; if an estimated amount is likely to fall within a range and no amount within that range can be determined to be the better estimate, the minimum amount of the range is recorded. Claims for recoveries from insurance carriers and other third parties are not recorded until it is probable that the recoveries will be realized. Such accruals are adjusted as further information develops or circumstances change.     Environmental expenditures that relate to current operations or to conditions caused by past operations are expensed. Expenditures that create future benefits are capitalized.
Stock-based plans	Stock-based plans The Company applies the provisions of ASC 718, Compensation - Stock Compensation, in its accounting and reporting for stock-based compensation. ASC 718 requires all stock-based payments to employees, including grants of employee stock options, to be recognized in the income statement based on their fair values. All unvested options outstanding under the Company's option plans have grant prices equal to the market price of the Company's stock on the dates of grant. Compensation cost for restricted stock and restricted stock units is determined based on the fair market value of the Company's stock at the date of grant. Stock-based compensation expense is generally recognized over the required service period, or over a shorter period when employee retirement eligibility is a factor. The Company recognizes forfeitures as they occur. Awards that may be settled in cash or company stock are classified as liabilities and remeasured at fair value at the end of each reporting period until the awards are settled.
Income taxes	Income Taxes The Company computes the provision for income taxes using the asset/liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recorded for temporary differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and their reported amounts in the consolidated financial statements using the statutory tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. The Company uses the period cost method for Global Intangible Low-taxed Income (“GILTI”) provisions, and therefore, has not recorded deferred taxes for basis differences expected to reverse in future periods. The Company evaluates the recoverability of its deferred tax assets quarterly to determine if valuation allowances are required or should be adjusted. In assessing the need for a valuation allowance, the Company considers all available evidence for each jurisdiction, including past operating results, future reversal of taxable and deductible temporary differences, estimates of future taxable income, and the feasibility of ongoing tax planning strategies. The measurement of a deferred tax asset is reduced, if necessary, by a valuation allowance if, based on all available evidence, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The Company recognizes a tax benefit for uncertain tax positions only if it believes it is more-likely-than-not that the position will be sustained upon examination based solely on the technical merits of the tax position. The Company evaluates whether a tax position meets the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold using the assumption that the position will be examined by the appropriate taxing authority. The tax benefits recognized in the financial statements from such positions are measured based upon the largest amount that is more than 50% likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement. Penalties and interest related to income tax uncertainties, should they occur, are included in income tax expense in the period in which they are incurred.
Revenue recognition	Revenue recognition The Company's revenue contracts are primarily single performance obligations for the sale of product both to trade customers and distributors. A majority of revenue recognized by the Company is recognized at the time control is transferred to customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for the products. The Company considers several indicators for the transfer of control to its customers, including the significant risks and rewards of ownership of products, the Company's right to payment and the legal title of the products. Based upon the assessment of control indicators, sales to trade customers and distributors are generally recognized when products are delivered to customers. All variable consideration that may affect the total transaction price, including contractual discounts, rebates, returns and credits, is included in net sales. Estimates for variable consideration are based on historical experience, anticipated performance and management's judgment. Generally, the Company's contracts do not contain significant financing. For certain engineering and construction contracts and building contracting arrangements, the Company enters into long-term contracts with customers. Revenue is recognized as the identified performance obligations are satisfied over time using an acceptable input method to measure the progress toward completion of the performance obligation if: the customer receives the benefits as work is performed, the customer controls the asset as it is being produced, or if the product being produced for the customer has no alternative use and the Company has a contractual right to payment. The Company uses its cost incurred to date relative to total estimated costs at completion to measure progress. The Company's contract liabilities consist of billings to customers in excess of revenue recognized which the Company records as deferred revenue. Revenue recognized during the years ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, which was included in contract liabilities at the beginning of each period was not material. Contract assets include revenue recognized in excess of amounts billed, and balances billed but not yet paid by customers under retainage provisions which are classified as a current asset within receivables, net on the Company's consolidated balance sheet. The Company had no material contract assets on the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2020 or December 31, 2019. For the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, revenue recognized in continuing operations using the percentage of completion method amounted to 3%, 2%, and 1% and of total net sales, respectively. The Company records net sales including taxes collected on behalf of its customers. Shipping and handling costs are accounted for as contract fulfillments costs and classified as cost of goods sold. See Note 20, Segment reporting, for the Company's disaggregated revenue disclosures. The Company incurs shipping costs to third parties for the transportation of building products and bills such costs to customers. For the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, the Company recorded freight costs of approximately $122.7 million, $131.8 million and $127.0 million, respectively, on a gross basis within net sales and cost of goods sold in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. The Company generally provides limited warranties related to its products which cover manufacturing in accordance with the specifications identified on the face of its quotation or order acknowledgment and to be free of defects in workmanship or materials. The warranty periods typically extend for a limited duration of one year. The Company estimates and accrues for potential warranty exposure related to products which have been delivered.
Costs of goods sold and selling, general and administrative expenses	Cost of goods sold and selling, general and administrative expenses Cost of goods sold includes costs of production, inbound freight charges for raw materials, outbound freight to customers, purchasing and receiving costs, inspection costs and warehousing at plant distribution facilities. Selling, general and administrative costs include expenses for sales, marketing, legal, accounting and finance services, human resources, customer support, treasury and other general corporate services.
Recent accounting guidance adopted and not yet adopted	Recent Accounting Guidance Adopted In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2016-13, Financial Instruments–Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. The standard replaces the incurred loss impairment methodology under current U.S. GAAP with a methodology that reflects expected credit losses and requires the use of a forward-looking expected credit loss model for accounts receivables, loans, and other financial instruments. The Company adopted this ASU on January 1, 2020 using a modified retrospective approach, which did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting. The amendments in the ASU provide optional guidance for a limited time to ease the potential burden in accounting for reference rate reform. The new guidance provides optional expedients and exceptions for applying U.S. GAAP to contracts, hedging relationships and other transactions affected by reference rate reform if certain criteria are met. The amendments apply only to contracts and hedging relationships that reference London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") or another reference rate expected to be discontinued due to reference rate reform. The guidance was effective upon issuance and generally can be applied through December 31, 2022 and has not had any material impact to the Company's consolidated financial statements. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) , which establishes the principles that lessees and lessors shall apply to report information about the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from a lease. Under the new guidance, lessees are required to recognize a right-of-use asset and a lease liability, measured on a discounted basis, at the commencement date for all leases with terms greater than twelve months. Additionally, this guidance required disclosures to help investors and other financial statement users better understand the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases, including qualitative and quantitative requirements. The Company adopted Topic 842 during the first quarter of 2019, using the transition approach that permits application of the new standard at the adoption date instead of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements. To adopt Topic 842, the Company elected the package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance within the new standard, which among other things, allowed the Company to carry forward its historical assessments of (1) whether the existing contracts contained a lease, (2) the lease classification for existing leases, and (3) initial direct cost for existing leases. In addition to the package of practical expedients, the Company has elected the adoption expedients of (1) the exclusion of leases with terms less than 12 months, and (2) the election not to separate non-lease components from lease components for certain classes of underlying leased assets. To adopt Topic 842, the Company recognized a cumulative catch-up adjustment to the opening balance sheet presented January 1, 2019. The adoption of the standard had a material impact on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet but did not have an impact on its consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income (loss) or cash flows. As a result of the adoption, the Company has recorded additional lease assets and lease liabilities of approximately $63.9 million and $65.2 million, respectively, as of January 1, 2019. In addition, the Company recognized the carrying value of deferred gains related to certain sale and operating leaseback of land of $9.3 million, net of tax impact of $2.3 million, to beginning retained deficit as of January 1, 2019, in accordance with ASC 842-10-65-1. In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-02, Income Statement - Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income to allow a reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”) to retained earnings for stranded tax effects resulting from the U.S. tax reform legislation commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“TCJA”). This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The Company early adopted the guidance provided in the ASU during the first quarter of 2018 and reclassified $0.8 million of stranded deferred tax benefits related to its derivative instruments from accumulated other comprehensive loss to retained deficit. Recent Accounting Guidance Not Yet Adopted In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes (Topic 740) . The new guidance simplifies the accounting for income taxes by eliminating certain exceptions related to the approach for intraperiod tax allocation, the methodology for calculating income taxes in an interim period, hybrid taxes, and the recognition of deferred tax liabilities for outside basis differences. It also clarifies and simplifies other aspects of the accounting for income taxes. For public companies, the amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020 and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted in interim or annual periods with any adjustments reflected as of the beginning of the annual period that includes that interim period. Additionally, entities that elect early adoption must adopt all the amendments in the same period. Amendments are to be applied prospectively, except for certain amendments that are to be applied either retrospectively or with a modified retrospective approach through a cumulative effect adjustment recorded to retained earnings. The effects of this standard on the Company's consolidated financial statements are not expected to be material.

Acquisitions and divestitures (

Acquisitions and divestitures (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Schedule of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in business acquisition	The final fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed in the transaction, including $9.1 million in cash, the Prentiss plant, and a parcel of land in Texas, at the acquisition date are as follows (in thousands) : Net working capital $ 10,984 Property, plant and equipment 9,221 Customer relationship intangible 2,100 Non-compete agreement intangible 5,600 Other intangibles 290 Net identifiable assets acquired 28,195 Goodwill 8,996 Consideration transferred $ 37,191

Receivables, net (Tables)

Receivables, net (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Receivables [Abstract]
Schedule of receivables and allowance for doubtful accounts	Receivables consist of the following at December 31, 2020 and 2019 (in thousands) : December 31, 2020 2019 Trade receivables $ 195,997 $ 178,698 Amounts billed, but not yet paid under retainage provisions 4,022 3,093 Other receivables 29,026 26,078 Total receivables $ 229,045 $ 207,869 Less: Allowance for doubtful accounts (1,097) (2,068) Receivables, net $ 227,948 $ 205,801 (in thousands) : Allowance for doubtful accounts Balance at December 31, 2018 $ (2,141) Provision for doubtful accounts (387) Write-offs and adjustments 460 Balance at December 31, 2019 $ (2,068) Recovery on doubtful accounts 451 Write-offs and adjustments 520 Balance at December 31, 2020 $ (1,097)

Inventories (Tables)

Inventories (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of inventories	Inventories consist of the following at December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 (in thousands) : December 31, 2020 2019 Finished goods $ 145,872 $ 161,440 Raw materials 76,322 76,237 Work in process 734 806 Total inventories $ 222,928 $ 238,483

Investment in equity method i_2

Investment in equity method investee (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract]
Schedule of Company's distribution and earnings in equity investment	The following reflects the Company's distribution and earnings in the equity investment (in thousands): Year ended December 31, 2020 2019 2018 Distribution received from CP&P $ (13,039) $ (11,039) (13,141) Share of earnings in CP&P 11,363 10,538 10,234 Amortization of excess fair value of investment (72) (72) (72) Selected financial data for CP&P on a 100% basis is as follows ( in thousands ): Year ended December 31, 2020 2019 2018 Net sales $ 157,499 $ 152,740 $ 140,494 Gross profit 41,245 40,369 37,473 Income from operations 23,172 21,720 20,570 Net income 22,642 20,844 19,804

Property, plant and equipment_2

Property, plant and equipment, net (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Schedule of property, plant and equipment, net	Property, plant and equipment, net consist of the following at December 31, 2020 and 2019 (in thousands) : December 31, 2020 2019 Machinery and equipment $ 410,436 $ 398,127 Land, buildings and improvements 234,251 240,403 Other equipment 12,633 8,660 Construction-in-progress 26,073 29,157 Total property, plant and equipment 683,393 676,347 Less: accumulated depreciation (232,311) (200,772) Property, plant and equipment, net $ 451,082 $ 475,575

Goodwill and other intangible_2

Goodwill and other intangible assets, net (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of goodwill by segment	The following table summarizes the changes in goodwill by operating segment for the years ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 (in thousands) : Drainage Pipe & Products Water Pipe & Products Total Balance at December 31, 2018 $ 189,833 $ 318,360 $ 508,193 Foreign currency and other adjustments 633 — 633 Balance at December 31, 2019 190,466 318,360 508,826 Foreign currency and other adjustments 301 — 301 Balance at December 31, 2020 $ 190,767 $ 318,360 $ 509,127
Schedule of intangible assets	Intangible assets other than goodwill at December 31, 2020 included the following (in thousands) : Weighted average amortization period (in years) Gross carrying amount as of December 31, 2020 Accumulated amortization Net carrying value as of December 31, 2020 Customer relationships 10 $ 235,907 $ (165,404) $ 70,503 Trade names 10 39,390 (24,455) 14,935 Patents 11 23,629 (18,600) 5,029 Customer backlog 0.8 13,211 (13,211) — Non-compete agreements 5 17,172 (12,210) 4,962 Developed technology 17 6,354 (748) 5,606 Other 10 867 (493) 374 Total intangible assets $ 336,530 $ (235,121) $ 101,409 Intangible assets other than goodwill at December 31, 2019 included the following (in thousands) : Weighted average amortization period (in years) Gross carrying amount as of December 31, 2019 Accumulated amortization Net carrying value as of December 31, 2019 Customer relationships 10 $ 235,907 $ (135,038) $ 100,869 Trade names 10 39,390 (19,764) 19,626 Patents 11 23,629 (15,956) 7,673 Customer backlog 0.8 13,209 (13,209) — Non-compete agreements 5 17,090 (9,020) 8,070 Developed technology 17 $ 6,354 $ (374) 5,980 Other 10 867 (411) 456 Total intangible assets $ 336,446 $ (193,772) $ 142,674
Schedule of estimated amortization expense of intangible assets	The estimated amortization expense relating to amortizable intangible assets for the next five years is as follows (in thousands) : Year ended Intangible assets subject to amortization 2021 $ 33,228 2022 23,992 2023 17,657 2024 12,742 2025 9,473 Total $ 97,092

Fair value measurement (Tables)

Fair value measurement (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Schedule of fair value measurements on recurring basis	The estimated carrying amount and fair value of the Company’s financial instruments measured and recorded at fair value on a recurring basis are as follows for the dates indicated (in thousands) : Fair value measurements at December 31, 2020 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 December 31, 2020 Liabilities: Derivative liability $ — $ 572 $ — $ 572 Fair value measurements at December 31, 2019 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 December 31, 2019 Assets: Derivative asset $ — $ 258 $ — $ 258
Schedule 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 December 31, 2020 using Carrying Amount December 31, 2020 Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Total Fair Value December 31, 2020 Non-current liabilities Term Loan $407,978 — $415,386 — $415,386 Senior Secured Notes 492,043 — $539,760 — 539,760 Tax receivable agreement payable 64,240 — — 40,586 40,586 Fair value measurements at December 31, 2019 using Carrying Amount December 31, 2019 Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Total Fair Value December 31, 2019 Non-current liabilities Term Loan $1,098,303 — $1,102,295 — $1,102,295 Tax receivable agreement payable 77,385 — — 47,625 47,625

Accrued liabilities (Tables)

Accrued liabilities (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Payables and Accruals [Abstract]
Schedule of accrued liabilities	Accrued liabilities consist of the following at December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 (in thousands) : December 31, 2020 2019 Accrued payroll and employee benefits $ 49,434 $ 32,815 Short-term capital leases 17,009 16,542 Short-term operating leases 7,448 8,784 Accrued taxes 13,642 5,354 Accrued rebates 11,649 9,895 Warranty 7,069 5,536 Short-term derivative liability 333 — Environmental obligation 63 718 Other miscellaneous accrued liabilities 9,046 9,195 Total accrued liabilities $ 115,693 $ 88,839

Debt and deferred financing c_2

Debt and deferred financing costs (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Long-term Debt	The Company’s debt consisted of the following (in thousands) : December 31, December 31, 2020 2019 Term Loan, net of debt issuance costs and original issuance discount of $ 407,978 $ 1,098,303 Senior Secured Notes, net of debt issuance costs and original issuance discount of $7,957 and $0, respectively 492,043 — Total debt $ 900,021 $ 1,098,303 Less: current portion debt (12,510) (12,510) Total long-term debt $ 887,511 $ 1,085,793
Schedule of Debt Redemption Price Percentage	Furthermore, at any time on or after July 15, 2022, the Company may on any one or more occasions redeem all or part of the Notes at the redemption prices (expressed as percentages of principal amount) set forth below, plus accrued and unpaid interest on the Notes redeemed, to the applicable date of redemption, if redeemed during the 12-month period beginning on July 15 of the years indicated below, subject to the rights of holders of Notes on a relevant record date to receive interest on an interest payment date occurring on or prior to the redemption date: Percentage 2022 103.250 % 2023 101.625 % 2024 and thereafter 100.000 %
Schedule of Minimum Future Principal Payments	As of December 31, 2020, scheduled maturities of long-term debt were as follows (in thousands) : Total Term Loan Notes 2021 $ 12,510 $ 12,510 $ — 2022 12,510 12,510 — 2023 389,847 389,847 — 2024 — — — 2025 500,000 — 500,000 $ 914,867 $ 414,867 $ 500,000

Other long-term liabilities (Ta

Other long-term liabilities (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Other Liabilities Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Other Noncurrent Liabilities	Other long-term liabilities consist of the following for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 (in thousands) : December 31, 2020 2019 Workers' compensation $ 12,417 $ 12,039 Legal 6,758 4,115 Social Security Deferral 5,521 — Long term bonus incentive plan 5,110 — Employee benefits 3,322 2,945 Environmental remediation liability 1,535 872 Other miscellaneous long-term liabilities 2,255 1,935 $ 36,918 $ 21,906

Derivatives and hedging (Tables

Derivatives and hedging (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of 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 balance sheets (in thousands) : December 31, 2020 Derivative Assets Derivative Liabilities Notional Amount Fair Value Notional Amount Fair Value Interest rate swaps $ — $ — $ 400,000 $ 572 Total derivatives, gross — 572 Less: Legally enforceable master netting agreements — — Total derivatives, net $ — $ 572 December 31, 2019 Derivative Assets Derivative Liabilities Notional Amount Fair Value Notional Amount Fair Value Interest rate swaps $ 525,000 $ 258 $ — $ — Total derivatives, gross 258 — Less: Legally enforceable master netting agreements — — Total derivatives, net $ 258 $ —
Schedule of Gain (Losses) Recognized in Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income	The following table presents the effect of derivative instruments on the consolidated statements of operations (in thousands) : Year ended December 31, Year ended December 31, 2020 2019 Derivatives not designated as hedges Interest rate swaps Loss on derivatives not designated as hedges included in interest expense (830) (6,401)

Leases (Tables)

Leases (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Leases [Abstract]
Schedule of components of expense, discount rate and supplemental cash flow information related to leases	The components of lease expense were as follows (in thousands): Lease cost Classification Year ended December 31, 2020 Year ended December 31, 2019 Operating lease cost Lease expense $ 15,613 $ 16,464 Finance lease cost Amortization of leased assets Depreciation, amortization, and accretion 2,259 2,276 Interest on lease liabilities Interest expense 18,954 18,528 Lease term and discount rate December 31, 2020 December 31, 2019 Weighted-average remaining lease term (years) Operating leases 15.7 years 15.5 years Finance leases 31.7 years 33.1 years Weighted-average discount rate (%) Operating leases 12.6 % 12.6 % Finance leases 12.3 % 12.3 % Supplemental cash flow information related to leases was as follows (in thousands): Year ended December 31, 2020 Year ended December 31, 2019 Cash paid for amounts included in lease liabilities Operating cash flows related to operating leases $ 14,515 $ 14,945 Operating cash flows related to finance leases 16,621 16,090 Financing cash flows related to finance leases 805 583 Leased assets obtained in exchange for new finance lease liabilities 3,456 180 Leased assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities 2,032 4,925
Schedule of supplemental balance sheet information related to leases	Supplemental balance sheet information related to leases was as follows (in thousands): Classification December 31, 2020 December 31, 2019 Operating leases Right of use assets Operating lease right-of-use assets $ 54,379 $ 60,253 Operating lease liabilities - current portion Accrued liabilities (7,448) (8,784) Operating lease liabilities - long term portion Long-term operating lease liabilities (50,943) (54,411) Finance leases Finance lease assets Property, plant and equipment, net 51,360 49,999 Finance lease liabilities - current portion Accrued liabilities (17,009) (16,542) Finance lease liabilities - long term portion Long-term finance lease liabilities (142,195) (137,365)
Schedule of maturity of operating lease liabilities	As of December 31, 2020, maturities of lease liabilities were as follows (in thousands): Operating leases Finance leases Total 2021 $ 11,889 $ 18,024 $ 29,913 2022 10,949 18,239 29,188 2023 10,689 18,366 29,055 2024 9,836 18,599 28,435 2025 9,446 18,803 28,249 Thereafter 100,230 634,968 735,198 Total lease payments 153,039 726,999 880,038 Less: imputed interest (94,648) (567,795) (662,443) Present value of lease liabilities $ 58,391 $ 159,204 $ 217,595
Schedule of maturity of finance lease liabilities	As of December 31, 2020, maturities of lease liabilities were as follows (in thousands): Operating leases Finance leases Total 2021 $ 11,889 $ 18,024 $ 29,913 2022 10,949 18,239 29,188 2023 10,689 18,366 29,055 2024 9,836 18,599 28,435 2025 9,446 18,803 28,249 Thereafter 100,230 634,968 735,198 Total lease payments 153,039 726,999 880,038 Less: imputed interest (94,648) (567,795) (662,443) Present value of lease liabilities $ 58,391 $ 159,204 $ 217,595

Earnings per share (Tables)

Earnings per share (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Schedule of Calculation of Basic and Dilutive Earnings Per Share	The calculations of the basic and diluted EPS for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 are presented below (in thousands, except per share data): Year ended December 31, 2020 2019 2018 Net income (loss) $ 64,486 $ (7,331) $ (24,365) Earnings allocated to unvested restricted stock 40 — — Earnings (loss) allocated to common shareholders $ 64,446 $ (7,331) $ (24,365) Common stock: Weighted average basic shares outstanding 65,260 64,232 63,904 Effect of dilutive securities 2,943 — — Weighted average diluted shares outstanding 68,203 64,232 63,904 Basic earnings (loss) per share: Net income (loss) $ 0.99 $ (0.11) $ (0.38) Diluted earnings (loss) per share: Net income (loss) $ 0.94 $ (0.11) $ (0.38)

Stock-based plans (Tables)

Stock-based plans (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Share-based Payment Arrangement [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 years ended December 31, 2020, December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018: 2020 2019 2018 Expected dividends — % — % — % Expected volatility 67.00 % 32.08 % 32.90 % Risk-free interest rate 1.63 % 2.43 % 1.71 % Expected lives in years 6 6 6 Weighted-average fair value of options: Granted at fair value $ 8.90 $ 1.54 $ 2.76 Weighted-average exercise price of options: Granted at fair value $ 14.63 $ 4.29 $ 7.92
Schedule of Stock Options Outstanding, Vested and Expected to Vest	A summary of the status of the Company's stock options is presented below: Shares Weighted Average Exercise Price (in thousands) Outstanding, December 31, 2018 3,101,419 $9.19 Granted 2,771,930 $4.29 Exercised (224,266) $7.60 Forfeited (1,975,987) $7.50 Outstanding, December 31, 2019 3,673,096 $6.50 Granted 2,248 $14.63 Exercised (366,814) $6.61 Forfeited (231,360) $7.82 Outstanding, December 31, 2020 3,077,170 $6.39 Options vested or expected to vest at year end 3,077,170 $6.39 Options exercisable at year end 1,764,420 $7.23
Schedule of Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Unit Awards Activity	The following table summarizes the activity for restricted stock and restricted stock units: Shares Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value (in thousands) Unvested balance at December 31, 2018 744,363 $9.68 Grants 2,562,250 $4.58 Vested shares (508,799) $7.74 Forfeitures (640,172) $6.21 Unvested balance at December 31, 2019 2,157,642 $5.11 Grants 792,090 $8.87 Vested shares (1,201,617) $8.91 Forfeitures (156,237) $7.06 Unvested balance at December 31, 2020 1,591,878 $6.60

Income taxes (Tables)

Income taxes (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Income (Loss) From Continuing Operations before Income Tax, Domestic and Foreign	The Company’s income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes was as follows (in thousands) : Year ended December 31, Year ended December 31, Year ended December 31, 2020 2019 2018 U.S. companies $ 61,146 $ (21,557) $ (36,317) Foreign companies 11,800 10,947 15,037 Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes $ 72,946 $ (10,610) $ (21,280)
Schedule of Components of Income Tax (Expense) Benefit	The income tax (expense) benefit was as follows (in thousands) : Year ended December 31, 2020 2019 2018 Current income tax U.S. companies $ (16,203) $ (9,510) $ (13,225) State (6,802) (4,260) (5,779) Foreign companies (4,694) (3,018) (4,849) Total current tax expense (27,699) (16,788) (23,853) Deferred income tax U.S. companies 922 16,180 17,273 State 15,506 4,232 3,306 Foreign companies 2,811 (345) 189 Total deferred tax benefit 19,239 20,067 20,768 Income tax (expense) benefit $ (8,460) $ 3,279 $ (3,085)
Schedule of Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation	The rate reconciliation for continuing operations presented below is based on the U.S. federal statutory tax rate of 21% for the years ended December 31, 2020, December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 because the predominant business activity is in the U.S. (in thousands) : Year ended December 31, 2020 2019 2018 Income (loss) from continuing operations $ 72,946 $ (10,610) $ (21,280) Income tax (expense) benefit at statutory rate of 21% $ (15,319) $ 2,228 $ 4,469 State income taxes, net of federal (expense) benefit (3,449) 113 1,494 Tax effect of equity and non-deductible executive compensation (1,682) (1,507) (439) Meals and entertainment and other non-deductible expenses (516) (763) (452) Change in valuation allowance 11,839 1,927 (6,601) Other prior year adjustments 968 1,311 571 Divestiture of assets — — (1,559) Other (301) (30) (568) Total income tax (expense) benefit $ (8,460) $ 3,279 $ (3,085)
Schedule of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities	The net deferred tax asset (liability) balances were comprised of the following components as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 (in thousands) : December 31, 2020 December 31, 2019 Deferred tax assets: Inventory $ 6,670 $ 6,891 Reserves 7,419 4,112 Accrued liabilities 8,034 4,656 Net operating losses 3,909 2,964 Capitalized transaction costs 3,513 3,599 Finance leases 53,794 55,063 Interest expense limitation 160 6,566 Tax receivable agreement 1,618 1,655 Other assets 3,609 4,687 Total deferred tax assets 88,726 90,193 Valuation allowance (1,675) (13,555) Total deferred tax assets, net $ 87,051 $ 76,638 Deferred tax liabilities: Fixed assets $ (53,386) $ (53,156) Lease assets (23,742) (25,378) Intangible assets (13,931) (20,221) Other liabilities (5,663) (6,812) Total deferred tax liabilities $ (96,722) $ (105,567) Net deferred tax asset (liability) $ (9,671) $ (28,929)
Schedule of Operating Loss Carryforwards	As of December 31, 2020, the Company had tax loss carryforwards as follows (in thousands) : Amount Expiration Date Federal net operating losses $ — — State net operating losses $ 28,338 2022-2040 Foreign net operating losses $ 9,436 2031-2040

Segment reporting (Tables)

Segment reporting (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Schedule of Segment Reporting Information, by Segment	The following tables set forth the disaggregation of revenue earned from contracts with customers based on the Company's reportable segments as well as other financial information attributable to the Company's reportable segments for the periods presented (in thousands) : Year ended Year ended December 31, Year ended December 31, 2020 2019 2018 Net sales: Drainage Pipe & Products $ 887,420 $ 913,033 $ 839,689 Water Pipe & Products 707,086 616,719 640,023 Corporate and Other — — — Total $ 1,594,506 $ 1,529,752 $ 1,479,712 Depreciation and amortization: Drainage Pipe & Products $ 33,420 $ 38,260 $ 42,866 Water Pipe & Products 53,885 57,547 61,546 Corporate and Other 2,191 1,451 1,011 Total $ 89,496 $ 97,258 $ 105,423 Segment EBITDA and reconciliation to income (loss) before income taxes: Drainage Pipe & Products $ 187,547 $ 173,006 $ 160,295 Water Pipe & Products 145,451 82,831 60,987 Corporate and Other (90,666) (74,219) (58,802) Less: Interest expense (79,890) (94,970) (78,337) Depreciation and amortization (89,496) (97,258) (105,423) Loss before income taxes $ 72,946 $ (10,610) $ (21,280) Capital expenditures: Drainage Pipe & Products $ 17,066 $ 23,096 Water Pipe & Products 19,500 14,246 Corporate and Other 1,039 2,531 Total $ 37,605 $ 39,873 Total assets: Drainage Pipe & Products $ 819,046 $ 857,880 Water Pipe & Products 795,292 824,035 Corporate and Other 41,474 58,143 Total $ 1,655,812 $ 1,740,058 In addition, the Company also has an investment in an equity method investee included in the Drainage Pipe & Products segment for which earnings from equity method investee were $11.3 million, $10.5 million and $10.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively, and with the following balances (in thousands) : December 31, 2020 2019 Investment in equity method investee $ 48,285 $ 50,034
Schedule of Long-lived Assets by Geographic Areas	Property, plant, and equipment, net: December 31, 2020 2019 United States $ 409,338 $ 422,486 Canada 33,250 43,754 Mexico 8,494 9,335 $ 451,082 $ 475,575
Schedule of Revenue from External Customers by Geographic Areas	Net Sales: Year ended December 31, Year ended December 31, Year ended December 31, 2020 2019 2018 United States $ 1,513,925 $ 1,448,492 $ 1,389,115 Canada 71,906 73,270 80,868 Mexico 8,675 7,990 9,729 $ 1,594,506 $ 1,529,752 $ 1,479,712

Quarterly financial data (una_2

Quarterly financial data (unaudited) (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
Summary of Quarterly Results of Operations (Unaudited)	The following is a summary of the quarterly results of operations: Year ended December 31, 2020: (in thousands, except per share amounts) First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter Net sales $ 330,876 $ 426,186 $ 457,557 $ 379,887 Cost of goods sold 272,134 320,607 331,284 293,808 Gross profit 58,742 105,579 126,273 86,079 Income (loss) from continuing operations before taxes (13,988) 34,570 38,751 13,613 Net income (loss) (14,066) 27,115 28,827 22,610 Basic earnings (loss) per share: Net income (loss) $ (0.22) $ 0.42 $ 0.44 $ 0.34 Diluted earnings (loss) per share: Net income (loss) $ (0.22) $ 0.40 $ 0.42 $ 0.33 Year ended December 31, 2019: (in thousands, except per share amounts) First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter Net sales $ 291,858 $ 410,219 $ 464,526 $ 363,149 Cost of goods sold 250,053 324,405 362,362 296,550 Gross profit 41,805 85,814 102,164 66,599 Income (loss) from continuing operations before taxes (32,336) 3,835 28,327 (10,436) Net income (loss) (25,039) 2,954 22,430 (7,676) Basic earnings (loss) per share: Net income (loss) $ (0.39) $ 0.05 $ 0.35 $ (0.12) Diluted earnings (loss) per share: Net income (loss) $ (0.39) $ 0.05 $ 0.34 $ (0.12)

Supplemental cash flow disclo_2

Supplemental cash flow disclosures (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Supplemental Cash Flow Elements [Abstract]
Schedule of Cash Flow Supplemental Disclosures	(in thousands) Year ended Year ended Year ended 2020 2019 2018 SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURES: Cash interest paid $ 53,175 $ 77,086 $ 69,381 Income taxes paid, net of refunds received 16,472 12,343 11,068 SUPPLEMENTAL NON-CASH INVESTING AND FINANCING DISCLOSURES: Assets and liabilities acquired in non-cash exchange — — 18,140 Capital lease obligation resulting from the sale-leaseback exchange transaction — — (148,962) Fair value changes of derivatives recorded in OCI, net of tax — — 970

Organization and description _2

Organization and description of the business (Details) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	May 01, 2017USD ($)	Oct. 25, 2016USD ($)$ / sharesshares	Oct. 06, 2016$ / sharesshares	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)$ / sharesshares	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)$ / sharesshares	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)	Oct. 05, 2016$ / sharesshares
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Common shares, authorized (in shares) | shares			190,000,000	190,000,000	190,000,000		1,000
Common shares, par value (in usd per share) | $ / shares			$ 0.001	$ 0.001	$ 0.001		$ 0.01
Stock split (in shares)			41,619.472
Common shares, outstanding (in shares) | shares			41,619,472	65,981,000	64,741,000
Preferred stock, authorized (in shares) | shares			10,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued (in shares) | shares				0
Preferred stock, shares outstanding (in shares) | shares				0
Net proceeds from initial public offering (IPO) | $				$ 2,424	$ 1,703	$ 0
Debt obligations | $				900,021	1,098,303
Proceeds from debt | $				500,000	0	$ 0
Senior Notes | Term Loan
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Debt obligations | $		$ 1,050,000		$ 407,978	$ 1,098,303
Line of Credit | Term Loan
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Proceeds from debt | $	$ 200,000
IPO
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Number of shares issued in initial public offering (IPO) (in shares) | shares		18,420,000
Initial public offering price (IPO) (in usd per share) | $ / shares		$ 18
Net proceeds from initial public offering (IPO) | $		$ 313,300

Organization and description _3

Organization and description of the business - Quikrete Merger Agreement (Details) - Subsequent Event - Quikrete Merger Agreement $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	Feb. 19, 2021USD ($)extension$ / shares
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Cash price per share (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 24
Period to on which date the Company will mail the Information Statement to stockholders	20 days
EBITDA amount (more than)	$ 80
Number of extension periods | extension	2
Extension period	60 days
Termination fee payable to Parent	$ 50
Reverse termination fee payable from the Parent to the Company	$ 85

Summary of significant accoun_3

Summary of significant accounting policies (Details) - USD ($)	Jan. 01, 2019	Dec. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2020	Mar. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Collective-bargaining arrangement, expiration period											12 months
Interest costs capitalized											$ 0	$ 0	$ 0
Operating lease expense											15,600,000	16,500,000
Operating lease rent expense													$ 24,300,000
Net debt discounts and issuance costs		$ 14,800,000									14,800,000
Accrued environmental obligation		1,600,000				$ 1,600,000					$ 1,600,000	$ 1,600,000
Revenues as a percent of net sales, recognized in continuing operations using the percentage of completion method, percent											3.00%	2.00%	1.00%
Freight costs		293,808,000	$ 331,284,000	$ 320,607,000	$ 272,134,000	296,550,000	$ 362,362,000	$ 324,405,000	$ 250,053,000		$ 1,217,833,000	$ 1,233,370,000	$ 1,234,143,000
Warranty period											1 year
Net lease assets	$ 63,900,000
Net lease liabilities	65,200,000
Cumulative effect of adoption of new accounting principle, net of tax		193,767,000				120,967,000					$ 193,767,000	120,967,000	108,222,000	$ 132,491,000
Reclassification due to the adoption of ASU 2018-02										$ 800,000			0
Term Loan | Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Net debt discounts and issuance costs		6,889,000				25,055,000					6,889,000	25,055,000
Write-off of debt discount and issuance costs											$ 13,100,000
ASU 2016-02 Leases (Topic 842)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Cumulative effect of adoption of new accounting principle, net of tax	9,300,000												6,957,000
Tax impact of cumulative effect of new accounting principle	$ 2,300,000
Buildings | Minimum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Useful life of property, plant and equipment											20 years
Buildings | Maximum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Useful life of property, plant and equipment											40 years
Machinery and equipment | Minimum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Useful life of property, plant and equipment											4 years
Machinery and equipment | Maximum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Useful life of property, plant and equipment											20 years
Other equipment | Minimum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Useful life of property, plant and equipment											5 years
Other equipment | Maximum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Useful life of property, plant and equipment											10 years
Cargo and Freight
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Freight costs											$ 122,700,000	131,800,000	127,000,000
Retained Earnings
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Cumulative effect of adoption of new accounting principle, net of tax		$ (51,875,000)				$ (116,361,000)					$ (51,875,000)	$ (116,361,000)	(115,987,000)	$ (92,452,000)
Reclassification due to the adoption of ASU 2018-02													830,000
Retained Earnings | ASU 2016-02 Leases (Topic 842)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Cumulative effect of adoption of new accounting principle, net of tax													$ 6,957,000
Customer Concentration Risk | Water Pipe & Products | Customer One | Net Sales
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Concentration risk, percentage											16.00%	15.00%
Customer Concentration Risk | Water Pipe & Products | Customer One | Total Receivables
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Concentration risk, percentage											16.00%	13.00%
Unionized Employees Concentration Risk | Workforce Subject to Collective Bargaining Arrangements
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Concentration risk, percentage											33.00%
Unionized Employees Concentration Risk | Workforce Subject to Collective Bargaining Arrangements Expiring within One Year
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Concentration risk, percentage											24.00%

Acquisitions and divestitures -

Acquisitions and divestitures - Narrative (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 01, 2019	Apr. 02, 2018	Jan. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Foley | Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Consideration received on sale of disposal group			$ 9,100
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquisition transaction costs					$ 24	$ 200	$ 800
Other Income (Expense) | Foley | Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Pre-tax gain on sale of disposal group recognized in other income (expense), net			6,000
Foley
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total purchase price			$ 37,200
Buckner | TEXAS
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Cash consideration paid for assets acquired	$ 11,800
Watkins Industries Inc.
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Cash consideration paid for assets acquired		$ 4,500
Anchor Concrete Products, Ltd.
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Cash consideration paid for assets acquired				$ 2,500

Acquisitions and divestitures_2

Acquisitions and divestitures - Fair Value of Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed in Acquisition (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Jan. 31, 2018
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Goodwill	$ 509,127	$ 508,826	$ 508,193
Foley
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Net working capital				$ 10,984
Property, plant and equipment				9,221
Net identifiable assets acquired				28,195
Goodwill				8,996
Consideration transferred				37,191
Foley | Customer relationships
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible assets				2,100
Foley | Non-compete agreements
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible assets				5,600
Foley | Other
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible assets				$ 290

Receivables, net (Details)

Receivables, net (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total receivables	$ 229,045	$ 207,869
Less: Allowance for doubtful accounts	(1,097)	(2,068)
Receivables, net	227,948	205,801
Trade receivables
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total receivables	195,997	178,698
Amounts billed, but not yet paid under retainage provisions
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total receivables	4,022	3,093
Other receivables
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total receivables	$ 29,026	$ 26,078

Receivables, net - Allowance Fo

Receivables, net - Allowance For Accounts Receivable Activity (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Accounts Receivable, Allowance for Credit Loss [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	$ (2,068)	$ (2,141)
Provision for doubtful accounts	271	(387)	$ 1,224
Write-offs and adjustments	520	460
Recovery on doubtful accounts	451
Ending Balance	$ (1,097)	$ (2,068)	$ (2,141)

Inventories (Details)

Inventories (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Finished goods	$ 145,872	$ 161,440
Raw materials	76,322	76,237
Work in process	734	806
Total inventories	$ 222,928	$ 238,483

Investment in equity method i_3

Investment in equity method investee - Narrative (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Investment in equity method investee	$ 48,285	$ 50,034
Drainage Pipe & Products
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Investment in equity method investee	$ 48,285	50,034
CP&P
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Ownership percentage	50.00%
CP&P | Drainage Pipe & Products
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Investment in equity method investee	$ 48,300	$ 50,000
Equity method investment, difference between carrying amount and underlying equity in net assets	$ 13,000

Investment in equity method i_4

Investment in equity method investee - Company's Distribution and Earnings in Equity Investment (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Distribution received from CP&P	$ (13,039)	$ (11,039)	$ (13,141)
Share of earnings in CP&P	11,291	10,466	10,162
CP&P
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Distribution received from CP&P	(13,039)	(11,039)	(13,141)
Share of earnings in CP&P	11,363	10,538	10,234
Amortization of excess fair value of investment	$ (72)	$ (72)	$ (72)

Investment in equity method i_5

Investment in equity method investee Selected Financial Data from the Investee (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2020	Mar. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Net sales	$ 379,887	$ 457,557	$ 426,186	$ 330,876	$ 363,149	$ 464,526	$ 410,219	$ 291,858	$ 1,594,506	$ 1,529,752	$ 1,479,712
Gross profit	86,079	126,273	105,579	58,742	66,599	102,164	85,814	41,805	376,673	296,382	245,569
Income from operations									153,801	72,186	40,879
Net income (loss)	$ 22,610	$ 28,827	$ 27,115	$ (14,066)	$ (7,676)	$ 22,430	$ 2,954	$ (25,039)	64,486	(7,331)	(24,365)
Equity Method Investment, Nonconsolidated Investee
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Net sales									157,499	152,740	140,494
Gross profit									41,245	40,369	37,473
Income from operations									23,172	21,720	20,570
Net income (loss)									$ 22,642	$ 20,844	$ 19,804

Property, plant and equipment_3

Property, plant and equipment, net (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Total property, plant and equipment	$ 683,393	$ 676,347
Less: accumulated depreciation	(232,311)	(200,772)
Property, plant and equipment, net	451,082	475,575
Machinery and equipment
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Total property, plant and equipment	410,436	398,127
Land, buildings and improvements
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Total property, plant and equipment	234,251	240,403
Other equipment
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Total property, plant and equipment	12,633	8,660
Construction-in-progress
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Total property, plant and equipment	$ 26,073	$ 29,157

Property, plant and equipment_4

Property, plant and equipment, net - Narrative (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Depreciation expense	$ 48.2	$ 49.8	$ 52.9
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Impairment of property, plant and equipment to be disposed of	1.2	0.1	$ 1
Land and Building
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Assets under finance lease	55.6	53.8
Accumulated amortization of finance leases	$ 5.9	$ 3.8

Goodwill and other intangible_3

Goodwill and other intangible assets, net - Goodwill Roll Forward (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	$ 508,826	$ 508,193
Foreign currency and other adjustments	301	633
Ending Balance	509,127	508,826
Drainage Pipe & Products
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	190,466	189,833
Foreign currency and other adjustments	301	633
Ending Balance	190,767	190,466
Water Pipe & Products
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	318,360	318,360
Foreign currency and other adjustments	0	0
Ending Balance	$ 318,360	$ 318,360

Goodwill and other intangible_4

Goodwill and other intangible assets, net - Narrative (Details)	Oct. 01, 2019USD ($)	Oct. 01, 2018USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)reporting_unit	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Number of reporting units with goodwill | reporting_unit			3
Goodwill impairment charge	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0
Amortization expense of intangible assets			$ 41,300,000	$ 47,400,000	$ 52,500,000

Goodwill and other intangible_5

Goodwill and other intangible assets, net - Intangible Assets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross carrying amount	$ 336,530	$ 336,446
Accumulated amortization	(235,121)	(193,772)
Net carrying value	$ 101,409	$ 142,674
Customer relationships
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted average amortization period (in years)	10 years	10 years
Gross carrying amount	$ 235,907	$ 235,907
Accumulated amortization	(165,404)	(135,038)
Net carrying value	$ 70,503	$ 100,869
Trade names
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted average amortization period (in years)	10 years	10 years
Gross carrying amount	$ 39,390	$ 39,390
Accumulated amortization	(24,455)	(19,764)
Net carrying value	$ 14,935	$ 19,626
Patents
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted average amortization period (in years)	11 years	11 years
Gross carrying amount	$ 23,629	$ 23,629
Accumulated amortization	(18,600)	(15,956)
Net carrying value	$ 5,029	$ 7,673
Customer backlog
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted average amortization period (in years)	9 months 18 days	9 months 18 days
Gross carrying amount	$ 13,211	$ 13,209
Accumulated amortization	(13,211)	(13,209)
Net carrying value	$ 0	$ 0
Non-compete agreements
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted average amortization period (in years)	5 years	5 years
Gross carrying amount	$ 17,172	$ 17,090
Accumulated amortization	(12,210)	(9,020)
Net carrying value	$ 4,962	$ 8,070
Developed technology
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted average amortization period (in years)	17 years	17 years
Gross carrying amount	$ 6,354	$ 6,354
Accumulated amortization	(748)	(374)
Net carrying value	$ 5,606	$ 5,980
Other
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted average amortization period (in years)	10 years	10 years
Gross carrying amount	$ 867	$ 867
Accumulated amortization	(493)	(411)
Net carrying value	$ 374	$ 456

Goodwill and other intangible_6

Goodwill and other intangible assets, net - Estimated Amortization Expense of Intangible Assets (Details) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
2021	$ 33,228
2022	23,992
2023	17,657
2024	12,742
2025	9,473
Total	$ 97,092

Fair value measurement - Assets

Fair value measurement - Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative liability	$ 572	$ 0
Derivative asset	0	258
Recurring
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative liability	572
Derivative asset		258
Recurring | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative liability	0
Derivative asset		0
Recurring | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative liability	572
Derivative asset		258
Recurring | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative liability	$ 0
Derivative asset		$ 0

Fair value measurement - Carryi

Fair value measurement - Carrying and Fair Value Measurements (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Carrying Amount
Non-current liabilities
Tax receivable agreement payable	$ 64,240	$ 77,385
Carrying Amount | Senior Notes | Term Loan
Non-current liabilities
Notes payable	407,978	1,098,303
Carrying Amount | Senior Notes | Senior Secured Notes
Non-current liabilities
Notes payable	492,043
Fair Value
Non-current liabilities
Tax receivable agreement payable	40,586	47,625
Fair Value | Senior Notes | Term Loan
Non-current liabilities
Notes payable	415,386	1,102,295
Fair Value | Senior Notes | Senior Secured Notes
Non-current liabilities
Notes payable	539,760
Fair Value | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)
Non-current liabilities
Tax receivable agreement payable	0	0
Fair Value | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) | Senior Notes | Term Loan
Non-current liabilities
Notes payable	0	0
Fair Value | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) | Senior Notes | Senior Secured Notes
Non-current liabilities
Notes payable	0
Fair Value | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)
Non-current liabilities
Tax receivable agreement payable	0	0
Fair Value | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | Senior Notes | Term Loan
Non-current liabilities
Notes payable	415,386	1,102,295
Fair Value | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | Senior Notes | Senior Secured Notes
Non-current liabilities
Notes payable	539,760
Fair Value | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
Non-current liabilities
Tax receivable agreement payable	40,586	47,625
Fair Value | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) | Senior Notes | Term Loan
Non-current liabilities
Notes payable	0	$ 0
Fair Value | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) | Senior Notes | Senior Secured Notes
Non-current liabilities
Notes payable	$ 0

Accrued liabilities (Details)

Accrued liabilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Payables and Accruals [Abstract]
Accrued payroll and employee benefits	$ 49,434	$ 32,815
Short-term capital leases	17,009	16,542
Short-term operating leases	7,448	8,784
Accrued taxes	13,642	5,354
Accrued rebates	11,649	9,895
Warranty	7,069	5,536
Short-term derivative liability	333	0
Environmental obligation	63	718
Other miscellaneous accrued liabilities	9,046	9,195
Accrued liabilities	$ 115,693	$ 88,839

Debt and deferred financing c_3

Debt and deferred financing costs - Schedule of Debt (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Oct. 25, 2016
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt issuance costs and original issuance discount	$ 14,800
Total debt	900,021	$ 1,098,303
Less: current portion debt	(12,510)	(12,510)
Total long-term debt	887,511	1,085,793
Senior Notes | Term Loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt issuance costs and original issuance discount	6,889	25,055
Total debt	407,978	1,098,303	$ 1,050,000
Senior Notes | Senior Secured Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt issuance costs and original issuance discount	7,957	0
Total debt	$ 492,043	$ 0

Debt and deferred financing c_4

Debt and deferred financing costs - Narrative (Details)	Jul. 16, 2020USD ($)	Jun. 17, 2020USD ($)	Oct. 25, 2016USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of term loan				$ 707,624,000	$ 95,741,000	$ 12,510,000
Loss on early extinguishment of debt				12,256,000	(1,708,000)	$ 0
Term Loan | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Margin rate			3.00%
Revolving Line of Credit | Revolving Credit Facility | 2016 Revolver
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Revolver, outstanding borrowings				$ 0	$ 0
Line of credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity		$ 350,000,000	$ 300,000,000
Line of credit facility, accordion feature, increase limit		50,000,000
Weighted average interest rate				2.00%	3.72%
Write-off of debt discount and issuance costs		$ 400,000
Debt instrument, collateral covenant, percentage of voting stock, maximum		65.00%
Amount of debt outstanding subject to earlier maturity		$ 75,000,000
Period of debt outstanding subject to earlier maturity		91 days
Debt fees and expenses		$ 2,600,000
Line of credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity, accordion feature, increase limit		$ 100,000,000
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%
Letters of credit outstanding				$ 16,700,000
Allowable borrowing base				$ 235,600,000
Fixed charge coverage ratio		1
Revolving Line of Credit | Revolving Credit Facility | 2016 Revolver | Minimum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Facility fee				0.20%
Revolving Line of Credit | Revolving Credit Facility | 2016 Revolver | Maximum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Facility fee				0.325%
Revolving Line of Credit | Revolving Credit Facility | 2016 Revolver | United States
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity		$ 330,000,000
Revolving Line of Credit | Revolving Credit Facility | 2016 Revolver | Canada
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity		$ 20,000,000
Revolving Line of Credit | Revolving Credit Facility | 2016 Revolver | LIBOR or CDOR | Minimum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Margin rate		1.75%
Revolving Line of Credit | Revolving Credit Facility | 2016 Revolver | LIBOR or CDOR | Maximum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Margin rate		2.25%
Revolving Line of Credit | Revolving Credit Facility | 2016 Revolver | Base Rate, Canadian Prime Rate or Canadian Base Rate | Minimum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Margin rate		0.75%
Revolving Line of Credit | Revolving Credit Facility | 2016 Revolver | Base Rate, Canadian Prime Rate or Canadian Base Rate | Maximum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Margin rate		1.25%
Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt outstanding				$ 914,867,000
Senior Notes | Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt outstanding				500,000,000
Debt redemption period	12 months
Senior Notes | Notes | Make whole premium
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt redemption price percentage	100.00%
Senior Notes | Notes | After giving effect to the issuance of any additional Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt redemption price percentage	40.00%
Senior Notes | Notes | Subject to the right of holders of the Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt redemption price percentage	106.50%
Senior Notes | Notes | 2022
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt redemption price percentage	103.25%
Senior Notes | Notes | 2023
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt redemption price percentage	101.625%
Senior Notes | Notes | 2024 and thereafter
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt redemption price percentage	100.00%
Senior Notes | Notes | Wholly-owned Subsidiaries | Forterra Finance, LLC and FRTA Finance Corp.
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt aggregate principal amount	$ 500,000,000			500,000,000
Debt interest rate	6.50%
Senior Notes | Term Loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt outstanding				$ 414,867,000
Repayments of term loan	$ 492,500,000
Debt issuance costs	$ 8,800,000
Debt instrument, amortization percentage			0.25%
Weighted average interest rate				4.10%	5.20%
Repayment of term loan				$ 696,000,000
Value of repurchased face amount of term loan				695,100,000
Write-off of debt discount and issuance costs				13,100,000
Loss on early extinguishment of debt				$ 12,200,000
Senior Notes | Term Loan | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate, floor percentage			1.00%
Senior Notes | Term Loan | Federal Funds Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate, floor percentage			0.50%
Senior Notes | Term Loan | Adjusted LIBOR
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate, floor percentage			1.00%
Senior Notes | Term Loan | Base Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Margin rate			2.00%
Senior Notes | Term Loan | LIBOR or CDOR | Canada
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, collateral covenant, percentage of voting stock, maximum			65.00%
Senior Notes | Senior Secured Term Loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt aggregate principal amount			$ 1,250,000,000
Line of credit facility, accordion feature, increase limit			$ 285,000,000
Consolidated EBITDA ratio			1
First lien leverage ratio			4.10
Total leverage ratio			5.50
Total leverage ration for unsecured debt			5.75

Debt and deferred financing c_5

Debt and deferred financing costs - Future Minimum Principal Payments (Details) - Senior Notes $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
2021	$ 12,510
2022	12,510
2023	389,847
2024	0
2025	500,000
Total	914,867
Term Loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
2021	12,510
2022	12,510
2023	389,847
2024	0
2025	0
Total	414,867
Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
2021	0
2022	0
2023	0
2024	0
2025	500,000
Total	$ 500,000

Other long-term liabilities (De

Other long-term liabilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Other Liabilities Disclosure [Abstract]
Workers' compensation	$ 12,417	$ 12,039
Legal	6,758	4,115
Social Security Deferral	5,521	0
Long term bonus incentive plan	5,110	0
Employee benefits	3,322	2,945
Environmental remediation liability	1,535	872
Other miscellaneous long-term liabilities	2,255	1,935
Other long-term liabilities	$ 36,918	$ 21,906

Derivatives and hedging - Narra

Derivatives and hedging - Narrative (Details) - USD ($)	Mar. 30, 2020	Feb. 09, 2017	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Derivative [Line Items]
Cash outlay of net investment hedges				$ 0	$ 0	$ 4,990,000
Net Investment Hedging
Derivative [Line Items]
Ineffectiveness related to net investment hedges				0	0
Interest rate swaps
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative liability, notional amount				400,000,000	0
Derivative asset, notional Amount				$ 0	$ 525,000,000
Interest rate swaps | Not Designated as Hedging Instrument
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative liability, notional amount	$ 400,000,000
Derivative fixed interest rate		1.52%
Derivative term of contract	30 months	3 years
Derivative asset, notional Amount		$ 525,000,000
Interest rate swaps | Not Designated as Hedging Instrument | LIBOR
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative fixed interest rate	1.08%
Derivative floor interest rate	1.00%
Foreign exchange forward contracts | Designated as Hedging Instrument
Derivative [Line Items]
Cash outlay of net investment hedges			$ 5,000,000

Derivatives and hedging - Fair

Derivatives and hedging - Fair Values of Derivative Assets and Liabilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Derivative Assets
Derivative assets fair value	$ 0	$ 258
Derivative assets, legally enforceable master netting arrangements	0	0
Derivative assets, net	0	258
Derivative Liabilities
Derivative liability, fair value, gross liability	572	0
Derivative liability, collateral, right to reclaim cash	0	0
Derivative liability, net	572	0
Interest rate swaps
Derivative Assets
Derivative notional amount	0	525,000
Derivative assets fair value	0	258
Derivative Liabilities
Derivative liability, notional amount	400,000	0
Derivative liability, fair value, gross liability	$ 572	$ 0

Derivatives and hedging - Effec

Derivatives and hedging - Effect on Statements of Operations (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Not Designated as Hedging Instrument | Interest rate swaps | Interest Expense
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Loss on derivatives not designated as hedges included in interest expense	$ (830)	$ (6,401)

Leases - Narrative (Details)

Leases - Narrative (Details)	Dec. 31, 2020renewal_option
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Initial term of finance leases	25 years
Number of renewal options of finance leases	1
Renewal term of finance leases	10 years
Minimum
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Initial term of operating leases	1 year
Maximum
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Initial term of operating leases	25 years
Renewal term of operating leases	10 years

Leases - Components of Lease Ex

Leases - Components of Lease Expense (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Leases [Abstract]
Operating lease cost	$ 15,613	$ 16,464
Finance lease cost
Amortization of leased assets	2,259	2,276
Interest on lease liabilities	$ 18,954	$ 18,528

Leases - Lease Term and Discoun

Leases - Lease Term and Discount Rate (Details)	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Leases [Abstract]
Operating leases	15 years 8 months 12 days	15 years 6 months
Finance leases	31 years 8 months 12 days	33 years 1 month 6 days
Operating leases	12.60%	12.60%
Finance leases	12.30%	12.30%

Leases - Supplemental Cash Flow

Leases - Supplemental Cash Flow Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Cash paid for amounts included in lease liabilities
Operating cash flows related to operating leases	$ 14,515	$ 14,945
Operating cash flows related to finance leases	16,621	16,090
Financing cash flows related to finance leases	805	583
Leased assets obtained in exchange for new finance lease liabilities	3,456	180
Leased assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities	$ 2,032	$ 4,925

Leases - Supplemental Balance S

Leases - Supplemental Balance Sheet Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Operating leases
Right of use assets	$ 54,379	$ 60,253
Operating lease liabilities - current portion	(7,448)	(8,784)
Operating lease liabilities - long term portion	$ (50,943)	$ (54,411)
Operating Lease, Liability, Current, Statement of Financial Position [Extensible List]	us-gaap:AccruedLiabilitiesCurrent	us-gaap:AccruedLiabilitiesCurrent
Finance leases
Finance lease assets	$ 51,360	$ 49,999
Finance lease liabilities - current portion	(17,009)	(16,542)
Finance lease liabilities - long term portion	$ (142,195)	$ (137,365)
Finance Lease, Right-of-Use Asset, Statement of Financial Position [Extensible List]	us-gaap:PropertyPlantAndEquipmentAndFinanceLeaseRightOfUseAssetAfterAccumulatedDepreciationAndAmortizatio	us-gaap:PropertyPlantAndEquipmentAndFinanceLeaseRightOfUseAssetAfterAccumulatedDepreciationAndAmortization
Finance Lease, Liability, Current, Statement of Financial Position [Extensible List]	us-gaap:AccruedLiabilitiesCurrent	us-gaap:AccruedLiabilitiesCurrent

Leases - Maturities of Lease Li

Leases - Maturities of Lease Liabilities (Details) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)
Operating leases
2021	$ 11,889
2022	10,949
2023	10,689
2024	9,836
2025	9,446
Thereafter	100,230
Total lease payments	153,039
Less: imputed interest	(94,648)
Present value of lease liabilities	58,391
Finance leases
2021	18,024
2022	18,239
2023	18,366
2024	18,599
2025	18,803
Thereafter	634,968
Total lease payments	726,999
Less: imputed interest	(567,795)
Present value of lease liabilities	159,204
Total
2021	29,913
2022	29,188
2023	29,055
2024	28,435
2025	28,249
Thereafter	735,198
Total lease payments	880,038
Less: imputed interest	(662,443)
Present value of lease liabilities	$ 217,595

Sale-leaseback transaction (Det

Sale-leaseback transaction (Details) $ in Millions, $ in Millions	Jun. 05, 2018USD ($)property	Jun. 05, 2018CAD ($)	Apr. 30, 2016USD ($)property	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)	Jun. 05, 2018CAD ($)property
Cost of Good Sold
Sale Leaseback Transaction [Line Items]
Sale leaseback transaction, rent expense				$ 10
2016 Sale-leaseback Transaction
Sale Leaseback Transaction [Line Items]
Number of properties sold | property			49
Sale leaseback transaction, lease term			20 years
Number of renewal options			1
Sale leaseback transaction, lease renewal term			9 years 11 months
Deferred gain, total			$ 81.5
Carrying value of deferred gains	$ 35
Deferred rent reclassified to reduce carrying value of assets	3.1
Deferred costs reclassified to reduce carrying value of assets	2.4
Exchange Transaction
Sale Leaseback Transaction [Line Items]
Deferred gain, total	$ 67.3
Number of properties under lease agreements | property	24				24
Fair value of assets exchanged back	$ 86.1
Sale leaseback transaction, transaction costs	2.7
Carrying value of deferred gains	100
Deferred rent reclassified to reduce carrying value of assets	3.8
Deferred costs reclassified to reduce carrying value of assets	5.7
Capital lease obligations	$ 149
Exchange Transaction | United States
Sale Leaseback Transaction [Line Items]
Number of renewal options	1				1
Number of properties under lease agreements | property	26				26
Term of contract	25 years	25 years
Lease renewal term	9 years 11 months	9 years 11 months
Annual rental payments	$ 17.1
Exchange Transaction | United States | Minimum
Sale Leaseback Transaction [Line Items]
Sale leaseback transaction, rent escalation percentage	2.00%	2.00%
Rent escalation, percentage of fair market value of properties for first year after extension	95.00%	95.00%
Rent escalation, percentage of prior year's base rent for first year after extension	102.00%	102.00%
Exchange Transaction | United States | Maximum
Sale Leaseback Transaction [Line Items]
Sale leaseback transaction, rent escalation percentage	4.00%	4.00%
Exchange Transaction | Canada
Sale Leaseback Transaction [Line Items]
Number of renewal options	1				1
Number of properties under lease agreements | property	2				2
Term of contract	25 years	25 years
Lease renewal term	9 years 11 months	9 years 11 months
Annual rental payments		$ 1.2
Exchange Transaction | Obligations Under Leaseback Transactions | Canada
Sale Leaseback Transaction [Line Items]
Aggregate contingent liability for obligations under leaseback transaction	$ 5				$ 6.4
Exchange Transaction | Capital Lease Obligations | Valuation Technique, Discounted Cash Flow | Measurement Input, Discount Rate | United States
Sale Leaseback Transaction [Line Items]
Debt instrument measurement input	0.1233				0.1233
Exchange Transaction | Drainage Pipe & Products
Sale Leaseback Transaction [Line Items]
Number of properties exchanged | property	21				21
Exchange Transaction | Drainage Pipe & Products and Water Pipe & Products
Sale Leaseback Transaction [Line Items]
Number of properties exchanged | property	1				1
Exchange Transaction | Water Pipe & Products | Canada
Sale Leaseback Transaction [Line Items]
Number of properties exchanged | property	3				3

Commitments and contingencies (

Commitments and contingencies (Details) - USD ($)	Oct. 06, 2016	Oct. 05, 2016	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Mar. 13, 2015
LTIP
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Amount accrued for long-term incentive plan			$ 0
Payments for long-term incentive plan			0
Lone Star | Affiliated Entities
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Certain covered tax benefits paid by related party, percentage	85.00%
Accrued liabilities related to tax receivable agreement			64,200,000	$ 77,400,000
Payments of tax receivable agreement liability			13,100,000	$ 11,400,000
Earnout Dispute | Pending Litigation
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Loss contingency, damages sought		$ 100,000,000
Loss contingency liability			$ 0
HeidelbergCement Hanson Building Products
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Business acquisition, possible maximum earn out					$ 100,000,000

Earnings per share - Calculatio

Earnings per share - Calculation of Basic and Diluted EPS (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2020	Mar. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Net income (loss)	$ 22,610	$ 28,827	$ 27,115	$ (14,066)	$ (7,676)	$ 22,430	$ 2,954	$ (25,039)	$ 64,486	$ (7,331)	$ (24,365)
Earnings allocated to unvested restricted stock									40	0	0
Earnings (loss) allocated to common shareholders									$ 64,446	$ (7,331)	$ (24,365)
Common stock:
Weighted average basic shares outstanding (in shares)									65,260	64,232	63,904
Effect of dilutive securities - stock options (in shares)									2,943	0	0
Weighted average diluted shares outstanding (in shares)									68,203	64,232	63,904
Earnings (loss) per share:
Basic (in usd per share)	$ 0.34	$ 0.44	$ 0.42	$ (0.22)	$ (0.12)	$ 0.35	$ 0.05	$ (0.39)	$ 0.99	$ (0.11)	$ (0.38)
Diluted earnings (loss) per share:
Diluted (in usd per share)	$ 0.33	$ 0.42	$ 0.40	$ (0.22)	$ (0.12)	$ 0.34	$ 0.05	$ (0.39)	$ 0.94	$ (0.11)	$ (0.38)

Earnings per share - Narrative

Earnings per share - Narrative (Details) - shares	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Stock options and restricted shares
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of diluted earnings per share (in shares)	213,413	2,192,048	2,749,348

Employee benefit plans (Details

Employee benefit plans (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]
Defined contribution plan, cost recognized	$ 13	$ 7	$ 6.6

Stock-based plans - Narrative (

Stock-based plans - Narrative (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Oct. 06, 2016	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	May 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2016
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense		$ 9.5	$ 7.9	$ 6.2
Unrecognized compensation expense on stock options		$ 1
Stock options
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Period for recognition of nonvested awards		10 months 24 days
Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Period for recognition of nonvested awards		1 year 4 months 24 days
Number of awards granted (in shares)		792,090	2,562,250
Unrecognized compensation expense on restricted stocks		$ 6
Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units | Minimum
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based incentive plan award vesting period		1 year
Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units | Maximum
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based incentive plan award vesting period		4 years
Restricted Stock Units
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of awards granted (in shares)		800,000	2,600,000
Time-vested Restricted Stock Units
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of awards granted (in shares)		600,000	1,200,000
Performance-based Restricted Stock Units
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of awards granted (in shares)		200,000	1,400,000
Day volume weighted average price trading period		20 days
Performance-based Restricted Stock Units | Vesting immediately
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Award vesting percentage		25.00%
Performance-based Restricted Stock Units | Vesting one year after performance conditions are met
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based incentive plan award vesting period		1 year
Award vesting percentage		75.00%
2016 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 Incentive Plan | Options, Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units | Employees | Three year vesting
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based incentive plan award vesting period	3 years
2016 Incentive Plan | Options, Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units | Employees | Four year vesting
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based incentive plan award vesting period	4 years
2016 Incentive Plan | Options, Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units | Independent Directors
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based incentive plan award vesting period	1 year
2016 Incentive Plan | Stock options
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Term of share-based incentive plan	10 years
2018 Incentive Plan
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of shares authorized for issuance (in shares)					5,000,000

Stock-based plans - Weighted Av

Stock-based plans - Weighted Average Assumptions in Estimating Fair Value of Options (Details) - $ / shares	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Share-based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]
Expected dividends	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Expected volatility	67.00%	32.08%	32.90%
Risk-free interest rate	1.63%	2.43%	1.71%
Expected lives in years	6 years	6 years	6 years
Weighted-average fair value of options:
Granted at fair value (in usd per share)	$ 8.90	$ 1.54	$ 2.76
Weighted Average Exercise Price
Granted at fair value (in usd per share)	$ 14.63	$ 4.29	$ 7.92

Stock-based plans - Stock Optio

Stock-based plans - Stock Options Activity (Details) - $ / shares	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Shares
Outstanding, beginning of year (in shares)	3,673,096	3,101,419
Granted (in shares)	2,248	2,771,930
Exercised (in shares)	(366,814)	(224,266)
Forfeited (in shares)	(231,360)	(1,975,987)
Outstanding, end of year (in shares)	3,077,170	3,673,096	3,101,419
Options vested or expected to vest at year end (in shares)	3,077,170
Options exercisable at year end (in shares)	1,764,420
Weighted Average Exercise Price
Outstanding, beginning of year (in usd per share)	$ 6.50	$ 9.19
Granted (in usd per share)	14.63	4.29	$ 7.92
Exercise (in usd per share)	6.61	7.60
Forfeited (in usd per share)	7.82	7.50
Outstanding, end of year (in usd per share)	6.39	$ 6.50	$ 9.19
Options vested or expected to vest at year end (in usd per share)	6.39
Options exercisable at year end (in usd per share)	$ 7.23

Stock-based plans - Restricted

Stock-based plans - Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Unit Awards Activity (Details) - Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units - $ / shares	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Shares
Unvested balance, beginning of year (in shares)	2,157,642	744,363
Grants (in shares)	792,090	2,562,250
Vested (in shares)	(1,201,617)	(508,799)
Forfeitures (in shares)	(156,237)	(640,172)
Unvested balance, end of year (in shares)	1,591,878	2,157,642
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Unvested balance, beginning of year (in usd per share)	$ 5.11	$ 9.68
Grants (in usd per share)	8.87	4.58
Vested (in usd per share)	8.91	7.74
Forfeitures (in usd per share)	7.06	6.21
Unvested balance, end of year (in usd per share)	$ 6.60	$ 5.11

Income taxes - Income (loss) fr

Income taxes - Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2020	Mar. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
U.S. companies									$ 61,146	$ (21,557)	$ (36,317)
Foreign companies									11,800	10,947	15,037
Income (loss) before income taxes	$ 13,613	$ 38,751	$ 34,570	$ (13,988)	$ (10,436)	$ 28,327	$ 3,835	$ (32,336)	$ 72,946	$ (10,610)	$ (21,280)

Income taxes - Income tax (expe

Income taxes - Income tax (expense) benefit from continuing operations (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Current income tax
U.S. companies	$ (16,203)	$ (9,510)	$ (13,225)
State	(6,802)	(4,260)	(5,779)
Foreign companies	(4,694)	(3,018)	(4,849)
Total current tax (expense) benefit	(27,699)	(16,788)	(23,853)
Deferred income tax
U.S. companies	922	16,180	17,273
State	15,506	4,232	3,306
Foreign companies	2,811	(345)	189
Total deferred tax (expense) benefit	19,239	20,067	20,768
Total income tax (expense) benefit	$ (8,460)	$ 3,279	$ (3,085)

Income taxes - Narrative (Detai

Income taxes - Narrative (Details) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Release of allowance for deferred tax assets	$ 11,800,000
Liability for uncertain tax positions	$ 0	$ 0

Income taxes - Tax rate reconci

Income taxes - Tax rate reconciliation from continuing operations (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2020	Mar. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
U.S. Federal statutory tax rate									21.00%	21.00%	21.00%
Income (loss) from continuing operations	$ 13,613	$ 38,751	$ 34,570	$ (13,988)	$ (10,436)	$ 28,327	$ 3,835	$ (32,336)	$ 72,946	$ (10,610)	$ (21,280)
Income tax (expense) benefit at statutory rate of 21%									(15,319)	2,228	4,469
State income taxes, net of federal (expense) benefit									(3,449)	113	1,494
Tax effect of equity and non-deductible executive compensation									(1,682)	(1,507)	(439)
Meals and entertainment and other non-deductible expenses									(516)	(763)	(452)
Change in valuation allowance									11,839	1,927	(6,601)
Other prior year adjustments									968	1,311	571
Divestiture of assets									0	0	(1,559)
Other									(301)	(30)	(568)
Total income tax (expense) benefit									$ (8,460)	$ 3,279	$ (3,085)

Income taxes - Deferred tax ass

Income taxes - Deferred tax assets (liabilities) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Deferred tax assets:
Inventory	$ 6,670	$ 6,891
Reserves	7,419	4,112
Accrued liabilities	8,034	4,656
Net operating losses	3,909	2,964
Capitalized transaction costs	3,513	3,599
Finance leases	53,794	55,063
Interest expense limitation	160	6,566
Tax receivable agreement	1,618	1,655
Other assets	3,609	4,687
Total deferred tax assets	88,726	90,193
Valuation allowance	(1,675)	(13,555)
Total deferred tax assets, net	87,051	76,638
Deferred tax liabilities:
Fixed assets	(53,386)	(53,156)
Lease assets	(23,742)	(25,378)
Intangible assets	(13,931)	(20,221)
Other liabilities	(5,663)	(6,812)
Total deferred tax liabilities	(96,722)	(105,567)
Net deferred tax asset (liability)	$ (9,671)	$ (28,929)

Income taxes - Net operating lo

Income taxes - Net operating losses (Details) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)
Federal net operating losses
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Amount	$ 0
State net operating losses
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Amount	28,338
Foreign net operating losses
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Amount	$ 9,436

Segment reporting (Details)

Segment reporting (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2020USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2020USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2019USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2019USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2019USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)geographic_area	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of geographic areas | geographic_area									3
Net sales	$ 379,887	$ 457,557	$ 426,186	$ 330,876	$ 363,149	$ 464,526	$ 410,219	$ 291,858	$ 1,594,506	$ 1,529,752	$ 1,479,712
Depreciation and amortization									89,496	97,258	105,423
Interest expense									(79,890)	(94,970)	(78,337)
Income (loss) before income taxes	13,613	$ 38,751	$ 34,570	$ (13,988)	(10,436)	$ 28,327	$ 3,835	$ (32,336)	72,946	(10,610)	(21,280)
Capital expenditures									37,605	39,873
Total assets	1,655,812				1,740,058				1,655,812	1,740,058
Earnings from equity method investee									11,291	10,466	10,162
Investment in equity method investee	48,285				50,034				48,285	50,034
Property, plant and equipment, net	451,082				475,575				451,082	475,575
United States
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales									1,513,925	1,448,492	1,389,115
Property, plant and equipment, net	409,338				422,486				409,338	422,486
Canada
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales									71,906	73,270	80,868
Property, plant and equipment, net	33,250				43,754				33,250	43,754
Mexico
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales									8,675	7,990	9,729
Property, plant and equipment, net	8,494				9,335				8,494	9,335
Drainage Pipe & Products
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Earnings from equity method investee									11,300	10,500	10,200
Investment in equity method investee	48,285				50,034				48,285	50,034
Operating segments | Drainage Pipe & Products
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales									887,420	913,033	839,689
Depreciation and amortization									33,420	38,260	42,866
EBITDA									187,547	173,006	160,295
Capital expenditures									17,066	23,096
Total assets	819,046				857,880				819,046	857,880
Operating segments | Water Pipe & Products
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales									707,086	616,719	640,023
Depreciation and amortization									53,885	57,547	61,546
EBITDA									145,451	82,831	60,987
Capital expenditures									19,500	14,246
Total assets	795,292				824,035				795,292	824,035
Corporate and Other
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales									0	0	0
Depreciation and amortization									2,191	1,451	1,011
EBITDA									(90,666)	(74,219)	$ (58,802)
Capital expenditures									1,039	2,531
Total assets	$ 41,474				$ 58,143				$ 41,474	$ 58,143

Related party transactions (Det

Related party transactions (Details) - Affiliated Entities - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Oct. 06, 2016	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Lone Star
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Certain covered tax benefits paid by related party, percentage	85.00%
CP&P
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Sales to related party		$ 1,400	$ 400	$ 100
Purchases from related party		1,000	$ 500	200
Master Builders Solutions US, LLC
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Sales to related party		100
Purchases from related party		$ 900
Bricks Joint Venture | Transition Service Agreement
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Proceeds from affiliates, collection of transition service agreement				$ 10

Quarterly financial data (una_3

Quarterly financial data (unaudited) (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2020	Mar. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
Net sales	$ 379,887	$ 457,557	$ 426,186	$ 330,876	$ 363,149	$ 464,526	$ 410,219	$ 291,858	$ 1,594,506	$ 1,529,752	$ 1,479,712
Cost of goods sold	293,808	331,284	320,607	272,134	296,550	362,362	324,405	250,053	1,217,833	1,233,370	1,234,143
Gross profit	86,079	126,273	105,579	58,742	66,599	102,164	85,814	41,805	376,673	296,382	245,569
Income (loss) from continuing operations before taxes	13,613	38,751	34,570	(13,988)	(10,436)	28,327	3,835	(32,336)	72,946	(10,610)	(21,280)
Net income (loss)	$ 22,610	$ 28,827	$ 27,115	$ (14,066)	$ (7,676)	$ 22,430	$ 2,954	$ (25,039)	$ 64,486	$ (7,331)	$ (24,365)
Basic earnings (loss) per share:
Basic (in usd per share)	$ 0.34	$ 0.44	$ 0.42	$ (0.22)	$ (0.12)	$ 0.35	$ 0.05	$ (0.39)	$ 0.99	$ (0.11)	$ (0.38)
Diluted earnings (loss) per share:
Net income (loss) (in usd per share)	$ 0.33	$ 0.42	$ 0.40	$ (0.22)	$ (0.12)	$ 0.34	$ 0.05	$ (0.39)	$ 0.94	$ (0.11)	$ (0.38)

Supplemental cash flow disclo_3

Supplemental cash flow disclosures (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURES (in thousands):
Cash interest paid	$ 53,175	$ 77,086	$ 69,381
Income taxes paid, net of refunds received	16,472	12,343	11,068
SUPPLEMENTAL NON-CASH INVESTING AND FINANCING DISCLOSURES:
Assets and liabilities acquired in non-cash exchange	0	0	18,140
Capital lease obligation resulting from the sale-leaseback exchange transaction	0	0	(148,962)
Fair value changes of derivatives recorded in OCI, net of tax	$ 0	$ 0	$ 970