WestRock (WRK) 10-Q 5 Feb 21 2021 Q1 Quarterly report Financial data

Document and Entity Information

Document and Entity Information - shares	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Jan. 22, 2021
Cover [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2020
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2021
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Trading Symbol	WRK
Entity Registrant Name	WestRock Company
Entity Central Index Key	0001732845
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--09-30
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Shell Company	false
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		263,516,869
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Title of 12(b) Security	Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share
Entity File Number	001-38736
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	DE
Entity Tax Identification Number	37-1880617
Entity Interactive Data Current	Yes
Security Exchange Name	NYSE
Entity Address, Address Line One	1000 Abernathy Road NE
Entity Address, City or Town	Atlanta
Entity Address, State or Province	GA
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	30328
City Area Code	770
Local Phone Number	448-2193
Document Quarterly Report	true
Document Transition Report	false

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMEN

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME - USD ($) shares in Millions, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Income Statement [Abstract]
Net sales	$ 4,401.5	$ 4,423.7
Cost of goods sold	3,648.6	3,614.7
Gross profit	752.9	809
Selling, general and administrative, excluding intangible amortization	417.8	425.7
Selling, general and administrative intangible amortization	91.9	101.8
Loss (gain) on disposal of assets	2.5	(1.3)
Restructuring and other costs	7.7	30.1
Operating profit	233	252.7
Interest expense, net	(93.8)	(93.5)
Loss on extinguishment of debt	(1.1)
Pension and other postretirement non-service income	34.9	26.7
Other income (expense), net	20.8	(3.7)
Equity in income of unconsolidated entities	9	3.8
Income before income taxes	202.8	186
Income tax expense	(50.3)	(46.5)
Consolidated net income	152.5	139.5
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	(0.5)	(1)
Net income attributable to common stockholders	$ 152	$ 138.5
Basic earnings per share attributable to common stockholders	$ 0.58	$ 0.54
Diluted earnings per share attributable to common stockholders	$ 0.57	$ 0.53
Basic weighted average shares outstanding	262.7	258.2
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding	264.8	259.9

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEM_2

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Statement Of Income And Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Consolidated net income	$ 152.5	$ 139.5
Other comprehensive income, net of tax:
Foreign currency translation gain	196.9	100.4
Derivatives:
Deferred loss on cash flow hedges	(0.1)	(0.5)
Reclassification adjustment of net loss (gain) on cash flow hedges included in earnings	1.5	(1.3)
Defined benefit pension and other postretirement benefit plans:
Amortization and settlement recognition of net actuarial loss, included in pension cost	5.6	8.7
Amortization and settlement recognition of prior service cost, included in pension cost	1.1	0.5
Other comprehensive income, net of tax	205	107.8
Comprehensive income	357.5	247.3
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests	(0.9)	(1.1)
Comprehensive income attributable to common stockholders	$ 356.6	$ 246.2

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS - USD ($) $ in Millions		Dec. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		$ 253.8	$ 251.1
Accounts receivable (net of allowances of $68.9 and $66.3)		2,023.4	2,142.7
Inventories		2,084.6	2,023.4
Other current assets		492.6	520.5
Assets held for sale		9.4	7
Total current assets		4,863.8	4,944.7
Property, plant and equipment, net		10,784.3	10,778.9
Goodwill		5,997	5,962.2
Intangibles, net		3,598.1	3,667.2
Restricted assets held by special purpose entities		1,265.8	1,267.5
Prepaid pension asset		404.7	368.7
Other assets		1,922.7	1,790.5
Total Assets		28,836.4	28,779.7
Current liabilities:
Current portion of debt		168.7	222.9
Accounts payable		1,672.2	1,674.2
Accrued compensation and benefits		453.6	386.7
Other current liabilities		754.6	645.1
Total current liabilities		3,049.1	2,928.9
Long-term debt due after one year		8,771.1	9,207.7
Pension liabilities, net of current portion		305.3	305.2
Postretirement benefit liabilities, net of current portion		150	145.4
Non-recourse liabilities held by special purpose entities		1,134.2	1,136.5
Deferred income taxes		2,910.8	2,916.9
Other long-term liabilities		1,534.1	1,490.3
Commitments and contingencies (Note 13)
Redeemable noncontrolling interests		1.7	1.3
Equity:
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value; 30.0 million shares authorized; no shares outstanding		0	0
Common Stock, $0.01 par value; 600.0 million shares authorized; 263.3 million and 260.4 million shares outstanding at December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020, respectively		2.6	2.6
Capital in excess of par value		10,949.4	10,916.3
Retained earnings		1,126.3	1,031.6
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	[1]	(1,115.3)	(1,319.9)
Total stockholders’ equity		10,963	10,630.6
Noncontrolling interests		17.1	16.9
Total equity		10,980.1	10,647.5
Total Liabilities and Equity		$ 28,836.4	$ 28,779.7
[1]	All amounts are net of tax and noncontrolling interests.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANC_2

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020
Statement Of Financial Position [Abstract]
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivable, Current	$ 68.9	$ 66.3
Preferred Stock, Par or Stated Value Per Share	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Preferred Stock, Shares Authorized	30,000,000	30,000,000
Preferred Stock, Shares Outstanding	0	0
Common Stock, Par or Stated Value Per Share	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common Stock, Shares Authorized	600,000,000	600,000,000
Common Stock, Shares, Outstanding	263,300,000	260,400,000

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEM_3

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EQUITY - USD ($) shares in Millions, $ in Millions		Total		Common Stock [Member]	Capital in Excess of Par Value [Member]	Retained Earnings [Member]	Retained Earnings [Member]Adoption of Accounting Standards [Member]	AOCI Attributable to Parent	AOCI Attributable to ParentAdoption of Accounting Standards [Member]	Noncontrolling Interests [Member]	[1]
Beginning balance at Sep. 30, 2019				257.8
Beginning balance at Sep. 30, 2019				$ 2.6	$ 10,739.4	$ 1,997.1		$ (1,069.2)		$ 14.3
Adoption of accounting standards	[2]						$ 73.5		$ (73.4)
Net income		$ (1)								1
Adoption of new standard and reclassification of stranded tax effects resulting from Tax Reform	[3]	(73.4)
Net income attributable to common stockholders						138.5
Dividends declared (per share - $0.20, $0.465)	[4]					(121.6)
Compensation expense under share-based plans					13.5
Issuance of common stock, net of stock received for minimum tax withholdings				0.6
Ending balance at Dec. 31, 2019				258.4
Issuance of common stock, net of stock received for minimum tax withholdings					17.1
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax		107.7	[3]					107.7
Ending balance at Dec. 31, 2019		11,840.5		$ 2.6	10,770	2,087.5		(1,034.9)		15.3
Total Stockholders’ equity at Dec. 31, 2019		$ 11,825.2
Beginning balance at Sep. 30, 2020		260.4		260.4
Total Stockholders' equity at Sep. 30, 2020		$ 10,630.6
Beginning balance at Sep. 30, 2020		10,647.5		$ 2.6	10,916.3	1,031.6		(1,319.9)		16.9
Adoption of accounting standards	[2]						$ (3.8)
Shares issued under restricted stock plan				2.3
Net income		$ (0.5)								0.2
Net income attributable to common stockholders						152
Dividends declared (per share - $0.20, $0.465)	[4]					(53.5)
Compensation expense under share-based plans					19.9
Issuance of common stock, net of stock received for minimum tax withholdings				0.6
Ending balance at Dec. 31, 2020		263.3		263.3
Issuance of common stock, net of stock received for minimum tax withholdings					13.2
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax		$ 204.6	[3]					204.6
Ending balance at Dec. 31, 2020		10,980.1		$ 2.6	$ 10,949.4	$ 1,126.3		$ (1,115.3)		$ 17.1
Total Stockholders’ equity at Dec. 31, 2020		$ 10,963
[1]	Excludes amounts related to contingently redeemable noncontrolling interests, which are separately classified outside of permanent equity on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.
[2]	For fiscal 2021, the amount relates to the adoption of ASU 2016-13 (as hereinafter defined). For fiscal 2020, the amount relates primarily to the adoption of ASU 2018-02, “ Income Statement – Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income ” .
[3]	All amounts are net of tax and noncontrolling interests.
[4]	Includes cash dividends paid and dividend equivalent units on certain restricted stock awards.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEM_4

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EQUITY (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Statement Of Stockholders Equity [Abstract]
Cash dividends paid per share	$ 0.20	$ 0.465

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEM_5

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Operating activities:
Consolidated net income	$ 152.5	$ 139.5
Adjustments to reconcile consolidated net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation, depletion and amortization	364.5	381.2
Cost of real estate sold		16.1
Deferred income tax (benefit) expense	(19.6)	3.1
Share-based compensation expense	20	13.8
401(k) match in common stock	24.9
Pension and other postretirement funding more than expense (income)	(28)	(23.7)
Gain on sale of investment	(14.7)
Other impairment adjustments		2.2
Loss (gain) on disposal of plant and equipment and other, net	2.6	(0.9)
Other, net	(31.5)	(13.2)
Change in operating assets and liabilities, net of acquisitions and divestitures:
Accounts receivable	150.2	153.9
Inventories	(44.3)	(83.9)
Other assets	(19.3)	(71.1)
Accounts payable	(5.4)	(47.5)
Income taxes	50.6	(2.8)
Accrued liabilities and other	116.9	(35.5)
Net cash provided by operating activities	719.4	431.2
Investing activities:
Capital expenditures	(170.7)	(374.8)
Investment in unconsolidated entities	(0.1)	(0.3)
Proceeds from sale of investment	23.3
Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment	2	7.9
Proceeds from property, plant and equipment insurance settlement		1.4
Other, net	5.1	4.9
Net cash used for investing activities	(140.4)	(360.9)
Financing activities:
Additions to revolving credit facilities	180
Repayments of revolving credit facilities	(10)	(20)
Additions to debt	10.8	101.4
Repayments of debt	(704.5)	(4)
Additions to commercial paper, net		10.9
Other debt additions (repayments), net	21.6	(36.3)
Issuances of common stock, net of related minimum tax withholdings	(12.4)	15.5
Cash dividends paid to stockholders	(52.6)	(120)
Cash distributions paid to noncontrolling interests	(0.4)	(0.3)
Other, net	(16.6)	(8.5)
Net cash used for financing activities	(584.1)	(61.3)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	7.8	(4.2)
Increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	2.7	4.8
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period	251.1	151.6
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period	253.8	156.4
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
Income taxes, net of refunds	18.8	45.1
Interest, net of amounts capitalized	$ 42	$ 53.1

Basis of Presentation and Signi

Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies	Note 1. Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies Basis of Presentation Our independent registered public accounting firm has not audited the accompanying interim financial statements. We derived the condensed consolidated balance sheet at September 30, 2020 from the audited consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020 (the “ Fiscal 2020 Form 10-K We have condensed or omitted certain notes and other information from the interim financial statements presented in this report. Therefore, these interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Fiscal 2020 Form 10-K. The results for the three months ended December 31, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for the full year. Reclassifications and Adjustments Certain amounts in prior periods have been reclassified to conform with the current year presentation. COVID-19 Pandemic The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (“ COVID-19 At December 31, 2020, we evaluated the then current economic environment, including our current assessment of the impact of COVID-19, and there were no indicators of impairment of our long-lived assets, including goodwill, that required a quantitative test to be performed. Our estimates involve numerous assumptions about the future growth and potential volatility in revenues and costs, capital expenditures, industry and global economic factors, interest rate environment and future business strategy. Accordingly, our accounting estimates may materially change from period to period due to changing market factors, including those driven by COVID-19. We will continue to monitor future events, changes in circumstances and the potential impact thereof, including performing interim goodwill impairment assessments, as warranted. If actual results are not consistent with our assumptions and estimates, we may be exposed to impairment losses that could be material. See “ Note 1. Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies — Goodwill and Long-Lived Assets ” in the Fiscal 2020 Form 10-K for additional information regarding the results of, and our methods and assumptions applied to perform, our goodwill impairment testing in fiscal 2020. Ransomware Incident On January 25, 2021, we announced that on January 23, 2021, we detected a ransomware incident impacting certain of our operational and information technology systems. Promptly upon our detection of the incident, we initiated response and containment protocols. These actions included taking preventative measures, including shutting down certain systems out of an abundance of caution, as well as taking steps to supplement existing security monitoring, scanning and protective measures. Our security teams, supplemented by leading cyber defense firms, are working to remediate this incident. We have notified law enforcement and contacted our customers to apprise them of the situation. S ee “ Note 16. Subsequent Events ” f . Significant Accounting Policies See “ Note 1. Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Recent Accounting Developments New Accounting Standards — Recently Adopted In November 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“ FASB ASU Collaborative Arrangements (Topic 808): Clarifying the Interaction Between Topic 808 and Topic 606 ASC Collaborative arrangements ASC Revenues from Contracts with Customers ASC 606 In October 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-17 “ Consolidation: Targeted Improvements to Related Party Guidance for Variable Interest Entities GAAP In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15 “ Intangibles – Goodwill and Other – Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That Is a Service Contract In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-14 “ Compensation – Retirement Benefits – Defined Benefit Plans – General (Subtopic 715-20): Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Defined Benefit Plans In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13 “ Financial Instruments – Credit Losses: Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (Topic 326) ASU 2016-13 and replaces the incurred loss model with a model that reflects expected credit losses Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses, Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging, and Topic 825, Financial Instruments ” (“ ASU 2019-04 ”), which addresses issues related to accrued interest receivable balances, recoveries, variable interest rates and prepayments, among other things. In May 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-05 “Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Targeted Transition Relief” (“ ASU 2019-05 ”), which provides targeted transition relief allowing entities to make an irrevocable one-time election upon adoption of the new credit losses standard to measure financial assets previously measured at amortized cost (except held-to-maturity securities) using the fair value option. In November 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-11 “ Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses ” (“ ASU 2019-11 ”), which makes certain narrow-scope amendments to Topic 326, including allowing entities to exclude accrued interest amounts from various required disclosures under Topic 326. In February 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-02 “ Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326) and Leases (Topic 842) ” (“ ASU 2020-02 ”), which adds and amends paragraphs in the Accounting Standards Codification to reflect the issuance of SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 119 primarily related to the new credit losses standard. The provisions of ASU 2019-04, ASU 2019-05, ASU 2019-11 and ASU 2020-02 related to Topic 326 are effective concurrent with the adoption of ASU 2016-13. We adopted ASU 2016-13 and its subsequent revisions using the modified retrospective transition approach on October 1, 2020. The adoption of ASU 2016-13 and its subsequent revisions resulted in us recognizing a cumulative effect adjustment of $ 3.8 million (net of tax) decrease to opening balance of retained earnings related to our allowance for doubtful accounts primarily for our trade accounts receivables balance. New Accounting Standards — Recently Issued 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” LIBOR In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12 “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes”

Revenue Recognition

Revenue Recognition	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Revenue From Contract With Customer [Abstract]
Revenue Recognition	Note 2. Revenue Recognition Disaggregated Revenue ASC 606 are attributed to geographical markets based on our selling location. In fiscal 2020, we completed our real estate monetization, therefore, we will not have any Land and Development sales in fiscal 2021 Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 (In millions) Corrugated Packaging Consumer Packaging Intersegment Sales Total Primary Geographical Markets North America $ 2,770.2 $ 1,254.0 $ (57.9 ) $ 3,966.3 South America 81.0 22.2 — 103.2 Europe 0.9 249.3 (0.1 ) 250.1 Asia Pacific 12.4 69.6 (0.1 ) 81.9 Total $ 2,864.5 $ 1,595.1 $ (58.1 ) $ 4,401.5 Three Months Ended December 31, 2019 (In millions) Corrugated Packaging Consumer Packaging Land and Development Intersegment Sales Total Primary Geographical Markets North America $ 2,788.9 $ 1,198.8 $ 18.9 $ (41.5 ) $ 3,965.1 South America 107.6 20.0 — — 127.6 Europe 1.8 244.6 — — 246.4 Asia Pacific 11.2 73.5 — (0.1 ) 84.6 Total $ 2,909.5 $ 1,536.9 $ 18.9 $ (41.6 ) $ 4,423.7 Revenue Contract Balances Contract assets are rights to consideration in exchange for goods that we have transferred to a customer when that right is conditional on something other than the passage of time. Contract assets are reduced when the control of the goods passes to the customer. Contract liabilities represent obligations to transfer goods or services to a customer for which we have received consideration. Contract liabilities are reduced once control of the goods is transferred to the customer. The opening and closing balances of our contract assets and contract liabilities are as follows. Contract assets and contract liabilities are reported within Other current assets and Other current liabilities, respectively, on the condensed consolidated balance sheet. (In millions) Contract Assets (Short-Term) Contract Liabilities (Short-Term) Beginning balance - October 1, 2020 $ 185.8 $ 12.0 Ending balance - December 31, 2020 193.2 22.4 Increase / (Decrease) $ 7.4 $ 10.4

Restructuring and Other Costs

Restructuring and Other Costs	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Restructuring And Other Costs [Abstract]
Restructuring and Other Costs	Note 3. Restructuring and Other Costs Summary of Restructuring and Other Initiatives We recorded pre-tax restructuring and other costs of $7.7 million for the three months ended December 31, 2020 and $30.1 million for the three months ended December 31, 2019. These amounts are not comparable since the timing and scope of the individual actions associated with each restructuring, acquisition, integration or divestiture can vary. We present our restructuring and other costs in more detail below. The following table summarizes our Restructuring and other costs (in millions): Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Restructuring $ 6.6 $ 24.7 Other 1.1 5.4 Restructuring and other costs $ 7.7 $ 30.1 Restructuring Our restructuring charges are primarily associated with restructuring portions of our operations (i.e. partial or complete plant closures), employee costs due to merger and acquisition-related workforce reductions and voluntary retirement programs in fiscal 2019 and 2020. A partial plant closure may consist of shutting down a machine and/or a workforce reduction. When we close a facility, if necessary, we recognize a write-down to reduce the carrying value of related property, plant and equipment and lease right-of-use assets (“ ROU Although specific circumstances vary, our strategy has generally been to consolidate our sales and operations into large well-equipped plants that operate at high utilization rates and take advantage of available capacity created by operational excellence initiatives and/or further optimize our system following mergers and acquisitions or a changing business environment. Therefore, we generally transfer a substantial portion of each closed plant’s assets and production to our other plants. We believe these actions have allowed us to more effectively manage our business. In our former Land and Development segment, the restructuring charges primarily consisted of severance and other employee costs associated with the wind-down of operations and lease costs. While restructuring costs are not charged to our segments and, therefore, do not reduce segment income, we highlight the segment to which the charges relate. The following table presents a summary of restructuring charges related to active restructuring initiatives that we incurred during the three months ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, the cumulative recorded amount since we started the initiatives and our estimate of the total we expect to incur (in millions): Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Cumulative Total Expected Corrugated Packaging Net property, plant and equipment costs $ — $ 2.2 $ 94.4 $ 94.4 Severance and other employee costs (0.7 ) 7.1 52.6 52.6 Equipment and inventory relocation costs — 0.4 8.7 9.2 Facility carrying costs 0.8 0.6 21.8 23.6 Other costs 0.1 0.2 3.6 3.6 Restructuring total $ 0.2 $ 10.5 $ 181.1 $ 183.4 Consumer Packaging Net property, plant and equipment costs $ 0.2 $ 0.5 $ 35.3 $ 35.3 Severance and other employee costs 3.5 5.7 40.9 40.9 Equipment and inventory relocation costs 0.2 0.1 3.7 3.7 Facility carrying costs — — 1.0 1.3 Other costs 0.8 0.2 19.6 19.6 Restructuring total $ 4.7 $ 6.5 $ 100.5 $ 100.8 Land and Development Net property, plant and equipment costs $ — $ — $ 1.8 $ 1.8 Severance and other employee costs — — 13.8 13.8 Other costs — — 5.0 5.0 Restructuring total $ — $ — $ 20.6 $ 20.6 Corporate Severance and other employee costs $ 1.6 7.7 $ 61.0 $ 61.0 Other costs 0.1 — 9.1 9.1 Restructuring total $ 1.7 $ 7.7 $ 70.1 $ 70.1 Total Net property, plant and equipment costs $ 0.2 $ 2.7 $ 131.5 $ 131.5 Severance and other employee costs 4.4 20.5 168.3 168.3 Equipment and inventory relocation costs 0.2 0.5 12.4 12.9 Facility carrying costs 0.8 0.6 22.8 24.9 Other costs 1.0 0.4 37.3 37.3 Restructuring total $ 6.6 $ 24.7 $ 372.3 $ 374.9 We have defined “ Net property, plant and equipment costs Note 3 Other Costs Our other costs consist of acquisition, integration and divestiture costs. We incur costs when we acquire or divest businesses. Acquisition costs include costs associated with transactions, whether consummated or not, such as advisory, legal, accounting, valuation and other professional or consulting fees, as well as potential litigation costs associated with those activities. We incur integration costs pre- and post-acquisition that reflect work being performed to facilitate merger and acquisition integration, such as work associated with information systems and other projects, including spending to support future acquisitions, and primarily consist of professional services and labor. Divestiture costs consist primarily of similar professional fees. We consider acquisition, integration and divestiture costs to be corporate costs regardless of the segment or segments involved in the transaction. The following table presents our acquisition and integration costs (in millions): Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Acquisition costs $ 0.2 $ 0.1 Integration costs 0.9 5.3 Other total $ 1.1 $ 5.4 The following table summarizes the changes in the restructuring accrual, which is primarily composed of accrued severance and other employee costs, and a reconciliation of the restructuring accrual charges to the line item “ Restructuring and other costs Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Accrual at beginning of fiscal year $ 17.2 $ 32.3 Additional accruals 5.4 19.1 Payments (7.0 ) (18.4 ) Adjustment to accruals (1.1 ) 1.2 Foreign currency rate changes 0.1 0.1 Accrual at December 31 $ 14.6 $ 34.3 Reconciliation of accruals and charges to restructuring and other costs (in millions): Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Additional accruals and adjustments to accruals (see table above) $ 4.3 $ 20.3 Acquisition costs 0.2 0.1 Integration costs 0.9 5.3 Net property, plant and equipment costs 0.2 2.7 Severance and other employee costs 0.1 (0.3 ) Equipment and inventory relocation costs 0.2 0.5 Facility carrying costs 0.8 0.6 Other costs 1.0 0.9 Total restructuring and other costs $ 7.7 $ 30.1

Retirement Plans

Retirement Plans	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Retirement Plans [Abstract]
Retirement Plans	Note 4. Retirement Plans We have defined benefit pension plans and other postretirement benefit plans for certain U.S. and non-U.S. employees. Certain plans were frozen for salaried and non-union hourly employees at various times in the past, and nearly all of our remaining salaried and non-union hourly employees accruing benefits ceased accruing benefits as of December 31, 2020. In addition, we participate in several multiemployer pension plans (“ MEPP MEPPs Note 5. Retirement Plans Note 5. Retirement Plans — Multiemployer Plans MEPP In the normal course of business, we evaluate our potential exposure to MEPPs, including with respect to potential withdrawal liabilities. During fiscal 2018, we submitted formal notification to withdraw from the Pace Industry Union-Management Pension Fund (“ PIUMPF Central States At December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020, we had recorded withdrawal liabilities of $251.8 million and $252.0 million, respectively, including liabilities associated with PIUMPF. Pension and Postretirement Income / Expense The following table presents a summary of the components of net pension income (in millions): Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Service cost $ 13.5 $ 13.1 Interest cost 46.4 49.9 Expected return on plan assets (91.7 ) (90.8 ) Amortization of net actuarial loss 7.9 11.9 Amortization of prior service cost 2.0 1.4 Company defined benefit plan income (21.9 ) (14.5 ) Multiemployer and other plans 0.4 0.3 Net pension income $ (21.5 ) $ (14.2 ) The non-service elements of our pension and postretirement costs set forth in this Note 4. Retirement Plans We maintain other postretirement benefit plans that provide certain health care and life insurance benefits for certain salaried and hourly employees who meet specified age and service requirements as defined by the plans. The following table presents a summary of the components of the net postretirement cost (in millions): Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Service cost $ 0.3 $ 0.4 Interest cost 1.4 1.8 Amortization of net actuarial gain (0.3 ) (0.2 ) Amortization of prior service credit (0.6 ) (0.7 ) Net postretirement cost $ 0.8 $ 1.3 Employer Contributions During the three months ended December 31, 2020, we made contributions to our qualified and supplemental defined benefit pension plans of $5.6 million and $8.5 million, respectively. During the three months ended December 31, 2020, we funded an aggregate of $1.3 million and $2.0 million, respectively, to our other postretirement benefit plans.

Income Taxes

Income Taxes	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	Note 5. Income Taxes The effective tax rate for the three months ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 was 24.8% and 25.0%, respectively. The effective tax rate for both periods was higher than the statutory federal rate primarily due to (i) the inclusion of state taxes, (ii) income derived from certain foreign jurisdictions subject to higher tax rates and (iii) the exclusion of tax benefits related to losses recorded by certain foreign operations, partially offset by research and development tax credits.

Segment Information

Segment Information	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Segment Information	Note 6. We report our financial results of operations in the following two reportable segments: Corrugated Packaging, which consists of our containerboard mills, corrugated packaging and distribution operations, as well as our merchandising displays and recycling procurement operations; and Consumer Packaging, which consists of our consumer mills, food and beverage and partition operations. Prior to the completion of our monetization program in fiscal 2020, we had a third reportable segment, Land and Development, which previously sold real estate, primarily in the Charleston, SC region. Certain income and expenses are not allocated to our segments and, thus, the information that management uses to make operating decisions and assess performance does not reflect such amounts. Items not allocated are reported as non-allocated expenses or in other line items in the table below after segment income. The following tables show selected operating data for our segments (in millions): Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Net sales (aggregate): Corrugated Packaging $ 2,864.5 $ 2,909.5 Consumer Packaging 1,595.1 1,536.9 Land and Development — 18.9 Total $ 4,459.6 $ 4,465.3 Less net sales (intersegment): Corrugated Packaging $ 22.0 $ 18.3 Consumer Packaging 36.1 23.3 Total $ 58.1 $ 41.6 Net sales (unaffiliated customers): Corrugated Packaging $ 2,842.5 $ 2,891.2 Consumer Packaging 1,559.0 1,513.6 Land and Development — 18.9 Total $ 4,401.5 $ 4,423.7 Segment income: Corrugated Packaging $ 215.0 $ 283.4 Consumer Packaging 92.5 46.2 Land and Development — 1.4 Segment income 307.5 331.0 Gain on sale of certain closed facilities 0.9 0.5 Restructuring and other costs (7.7 ) (30.1 ) Non-allocated expenses (23.8 ) (18.2 ) Interest expense, net (93.8 ) (93.5 ) Loss on extinguishment of debt (1.1 ) — Other income (expense), net 20.8 (3.7 ) Income before income taxes $ 202.8 $ 186.0 Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Depreciation and amortization: Corrugated Packaging $ 232.3 $ 244.3 Consumer Packaging 131.0 135.3 Corporate 1.2 1.6 Total $ 364.5 $ 381.2 In October 2018, our containerboard and pulp mill located in Panama City, FL sustained extensive damage from Hurricane Michael. In fiscal 2019, we received the majority of our insurance proceeds. In the three months ended December 31, 2019, we received the remaining Hurricane Michael-related insurance proceeds of $32.3 million, of which $29.5 million was recorded as a reduction of cost of goods sold in our Corrugated Packaging segment. The remaining The insurance proceeds consisted of $11.7 million of business interruption recoveries and $20.6 million for direct costs and property damage. Our condensed consolidated statement of cash flows for the three months ended December 31, 2019 included $30.9 million in net cash provided by operating activities and $1.4 million of cash proceeds included in net cash used for investing activities related to Hurricane Michael.

Interest Expense, Net

Interest Expense, Net	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Interest Income Expense Net [Abstract]
Interest Expense, Net	Note 7. The components of interest expense, net are as follows (in millions): Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Interest expense $ (105.5 ) $ (119.2 ) Interest income 11.7 25.7 Interest expense, net $ (93.8 ) $ (93.5 )

Inventories

Inventories	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Inventories	Note 8. Inventories We value substantially all of our U.S. inventories at the lower of cost or market, with cost determined on a last-in first-out (“ LIFO FIFO The components of inventories were as follows (in millions): December 31, 2020 September 30, 2020 Finished goods and work in process $ 864.5 $ 844.2 Raw materials 807.8 772.7 Spare parts and supplies 513.2 500.3 Inventories at FIFO cost 2,185.5 2,117.2 LIFO reserve (100.9 ) (93.8 ) Net inventories $ 2,084.6 $ 2,023.4

Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, Plant and Equipment	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Property Plant And Equipment [Abstract]
Property, Plant and Equipment	Note 9. Property, Plant and Equipment The components of property, plant and equipment were as follows (in millions): December 31, 2020 September 30, 2020 Property, plant and equipment at cost: Land and buildings $ 2,565.7 $ 2,524.7 Machinery and equipment 15,394.9 15,147.3 Forestlands and mineral rights 121.4 110.8 Transportation equipment 29.2 29.1 Leasehold improvements 105.1 103.6 18,216.3 17,915.5 Less: accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization (7,432.0 ) (7,136.6 ) Property, plant and equipment, net $ 10,784.3 $ 10,778.9

Fair Value

Fair Value	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value	Note 10. Fair Value Assets and Liabilities Measured or Disclosed at Fair Value We estimate fair values in accordance with ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurement Note 12. Fair Value “ Note 11. Debt ”. Note 5. Retirement Plans Financial Instruments Not Recognized at Fair Value Financial instruments not recognized at fair value on a recurring or nonrecurring basis include cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, certain other current assets, short-term debt, accounts payable, certain other current liabilities and long-term debt. With the exception of long-term debt, the carrying amounts of these financial instruments approximate their fair values due to their short maturities. Fair Value of Nonfinancial Assets and Nonfinancial Liabilities We measure certain nonfinancial assets and nonfinancial liabilities at fair value on a nonrecurring basis. These assets and liabilities include equity method investments when they are deemed to be other-than-temporarily impaired, investments for which the fair value measurement alternative is elected, assets acquired and liabilities assumed when they are deemed to be other-than-temporarily impaired, assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a merger or an acquisition or in a nonmonetary exchange, property, plant and equipment, ROU assets related to operating leases, goodwill and other and intangible assets that are written down to fair value when they are held for sale or determined to be impaired. See “ Note 3. Restructuring and Other Costs ” for impairments associated with restructuring activities presented as “net property, plant and equipment costs”. Accounts Receivable Sales Agreements We are a party to an accounts receivable sales agreement to sell to a third party financial institution all of the short-term receivables generated from certain customer trade accounts. On September 17, 2020, we amended the then existing agreement and increased the purchase limit to $700.0 million. The terms of the amended agreement limit the balance of receivables sold to the amount available to fund such receivables sold, thereby eliminating the receivable for proceeds from the financial institution at any transfer date. Effective with the amended agreement, the facility is committed and has a term of 364 days. Transfers under the agreement meet the requirements to be accounted for as sales in accordance with guidance in ASC 860, “ Transfers and Servicing ”. We also have a similar facility that we entered into on December 4, 2020 that has a $ 88.5 million purchase limit, is uncommitted and has a term of one year. The customers from these facilities are not included in the Receivables Securitization Facility that is discussed in “ Note 11. Debt ”. The following table presents a summary of these accounts receivable sales agreements for the three months ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 (in millions): Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Receivable from financial institution at beginning of fiscal year $ — $ — Receivables sold to the financial institution and derecognized 680.7 615.2 Receivables collected by financial institution (644.5 ) (606.7 ) Cash paid to financial institution (36.2 ) (8.5 ) Receivable $ — $ — Receivables sold under these were approximately $625.6 million and $589.4 million as of December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020, respectively. Cash proceeds related to the receivables sold are included in cash from operating activities in the condensed consolidated statement of cash flows in the accounts receivable line item. While the expense recorded in connection with the sale of receivables may vary based on current rates and levels of receivables sold, the expense recorded in connection with the sale of receivables was $3.0 million and $4.3 million for the three months ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively, and is recorded in “other income (expense), net” in the condensed consolidated statements of income. Although the sales are made without recourse, we maintain continuing involvement with the sold receivables as we provide collections services related to the transferred assets. The associated servicing liability is not material given the high quality of the customers underlying the receivables and the anticipated short collection period.

Debt

Debt	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Debt [Abstract]
Debt	Note 11. Debt See “ Note 13. Debt The following table shows the carrying value of the individual components of our debt (in millions): December 31, 2020 September 30, 2020 Public bonds due fiscal 2022 $ 399.5 $ 399.3 Public bonds due fiscal 2023 to 2028 3,774.7 3,773.6 Public bonds due fiscal 2029 to 2033 2,775.8 2,778.9 Public bonds due fiscal 2037 to 2047 178.5 178.6 Term loan facilities 848.7 1,547.6 Revolving credit and swing facilities 433.5 250.0 Finance lease obligations 272.3 274.8 Vendor financing and commercial card programs 98.1 89.8 International and other debt 158.7 138.0 Total debt 8,939.8 9,430.6 Less: current portion of debt 168.7 222.9 Long-term debt due after one year $ 8,771.1 $ 9,207.7 A portion of the debt classified as long-term may be paid down earlier than scheduled at our discretion without penalty. Certain customary restrictive covenants govern our maximum availability under our credit facilities. We test and report our compliance with these covenants as required and were in compliance with all of our covenants at December 31, 2020. The estimated fair value of our debt was approximately $10.0 billion as of December 31, 2020 and $10.4 billion at September 30, 2020. The fair value of our long-term debt is categorized as level 2 within the fair value hierarchy and is primarily either based on quoted prices for those or similar instruments, or approximate their carrying amount as the variable interest rates reprice frequently at observable current market rates. Revolving Credit Facility On November 21, 2019, we amended our $2.0 billion unsecured revolving credit facility entered into on July 1, 2015 (the “ Revolving Credit Facility Term Loans At September 30, 2020, there was $648.9 million outstanding on the five-year On June 7, 2019, we entered into a $300.0 million credit agreement providing for a five-year On September 27, 2019, one of our wholly-owned subsidiaries, WestRock Southeast, LLC, entered into a credit agreement (the “ Farm Loan Credit Agreement seven-year Farm Loan Credit Facility WestRock RKT, LLC (“ RKT ”) WestRock MWV, LLC’s (“ MWV ”, the “ Guarantor Subsidiaries ”) Receivables Securitization Facility On March 27, 2020, we amended our $700.0 million receivables securitization agreement that matures May 2, 2022 (the “ Receivables Securitization Facility European Revolving Credit Facility On November 21, 2019, we amended our existing €500.0 million revolving credit facility with an incremental €100.0 million accordion feature with Coöperatieve Rabobank U.A., New York Branch as the administrative agent for the syndicate of banks. This facility provides for a three-year December 31, 2020 we had borrowed $ 420.0 million under this facility and entered into foreign currency exchange contracts of $ 420.4 million as an economic hedge for the U.S. dollar denominated borrowing plus interest by a non-U.S. dollar functional currency entity. The net of gains or losses from these foreign currency exchange contracts and the changes in the remeasurement of the U.S. dollar denominated borrowing in our foreign subsidiaries have been immaterial to our condensed consolidated statements of income. At September 30, 2020, we had borrowed $ 250.0 million under this facility. Commercial Paper Program On December 7, 2018, we established an unsecured commercial paper program with WRKCo Inc. as the issuer. Under the program, we may issue short-term unsecured commercial paper notes in an aggregate principal amount at any time not to exceed $1.0 billion with up to 397-day maturities. The program has no expiration date and can be terminated by either the agent or us with not less than 30 days’ notice. Our Revolving Credit Facility is intended to backstop the commercial paper program. Amounts available under the program may be borrowed, repaid and re-borrowed from time to time. At December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020, .

Leases

Leases	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Leases [Abstract]
Leases	Note 12. Leases We lease various real estate, including certain operating facilities, warehouses, office space and land. We also lease material handling equipment, vehicles and certain other equipment. Our total lease cost, net was $ million and $79.0 million during the three months ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. We obtained $ million and $ million of ROU assets in exchange for lease liabilities during the three months ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Supplemental Balance Sheet Information Related to Leases The table below presents supplemental balance sheet information related to leases (in millions): Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet Caption December 31, 2020 September 30, 2020 Operating leases: Operating lease right-of-use asset Other assets $ 709.5 $ 658.6 Current operating lease liabilities Other current liabilities $ 183.6 $ 172.7 Operating lease liabilities Other long-term liabilities 585.3 545.8 Total operating lease liabilities $ 768.9 $ 718.5 Finance leases: Property, plant and equipment $ 143.0 $ 143.2 Accumulated depreciation (21.4 ) (19.1 ) Property, plant and equipment, net $ 121.6 $ 124.1 Current finance lease liabilities Current portion of debt $ 8.8 $ 9.0 Noncurrent finance lease liabilities Long-term debt due after one year 263.5 265.8 Total finance lease liabilities $ 272.3 $ 274.8 Our finance lease portfolio includes certain assets that are either fully depreciated or transferred for which the lease arrangement requires a one-time principal repayment on the maturity date of the lease obligation.

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Commitments And Contingencies [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	Note 13. Commitments and Contingencies Health and Safety Our business involves the use of heavy equipment, machinery and chemicals and requires the performance of activities that create safety exposures. The health and safety of our teammates is our first priority, and we have established safety policies, programs, procedures and training for our manufacturing operations. We are subject to a broad range of foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to occupational health and safety, and our safety program includes measures required for compliance. In addition, our program includes the ongoing identification and elimination of workplace exposures that can lead to injuries and sharing of health and safety best practices. Failure to comply with applicable health and safety laws and regulations could subject us to fines, corrective action or other sanctions. Certain governmental authorities in locations where we do business have established asbestos standards for the workplace. Although we do not use asbestos in manufacturing our products, asbestos containing material (“ ACM We do not believe that future compliance with occupational health and safety laws and regulations will have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows. Environmental We are subject to numerous foreign, federal, state, local and international environmental laws and regulations, including those governing discharges to air, soil and water, the management, treatment and disposal of hazardous substances, solid waste and hazardous wastes, the investigation and remediation of contamination resulting from historical site operations and releases of hazardous substances. We are also subject to the requirements of environmental permits and similar authorizations issued by various governmental authorities. Complex and lengthy processes may be required to obtain and renew approvals, permits, and licenses for new, existing or modified facilities. Additionally, the use and handling of various chemicals or hazardous materials require release prevention plans and emergency response procedures. Our compliance initiatives related to these laws and regulations could result in significant costs, which could negatively impact our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Any failure to comply with environmental laws and regulations, or any permits and authorizations required thereunder, could subject us to fines, corrective action or other sanctions. We have been named as a potentially responsible party (“ PRP CERCLA See “ Note 18. Commitments and Contingencies As of December 31, 2020, we had $5.5 million reserved for environmental liabilities on an undiscounted basis, of which $2.8 million is included in other long-term liabilities and $2.7 million is included in other current liabilities, including amounts accrued in connection with environmental obligations relating to manufacturing facilities that we have closed. We believe the liability for these matters was adequately reserved at December 31, 2020. Litigation We have been named a defendant in asbestos-related personal injury litigation. To date, the costs resulting from the litigation, including settlement costs, have not been significant. As of December 31, 2020, there were approximately 1,300 such lawsuits. We believe that we have substantial insurance coverage, subject to applicable deductibles and policy limits, with respect to asbestos claims. We also have valid defenses to these asbestos-related personal injury claims and intend to continue to defend them vigorously. Should the volume of litigation grow substantially beyond our expectations, it is possible that we could incur significant costs resolving these cases. We do not expect the resolution of pending asbestos litigation and proceedings to have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows. In any given period or periods, however, it is possible such proceedings or matters could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows. At December 31, 2020, we had a $ 13.6 million estimated liability for these matters. We are a defendant in a number of other lawsuits and claims arising out of the conduct of our business. While the ultimate results of such suits or other proceedings against us cannot be predicted with certainty, we believe the resolution of these other matters will not have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows. Brazil Tax Liability We are challenging claims by the Brazil Federal Revenue Department that we are liable for underpayment of tax, penalties and interest in relation to a claim that a subsidiary of MeadWestvaco Corporation had reduced its tax liability related to the goodwill generated by the 2002 merger of two of its Brazil subsidiaries. The matter has proceeded through the Brazil Administrative Council of Tax Appeals (“ CARF We assert that we have no liability in these matters. The total amount in dispute before CARF and in the annulment actions relating to the claimed tax deficiency was s of December 31, 2020 , including various penalties and interest. The U.S. dollar equivalent has fluctuated significantly due to changes in exchange rates. The amount of o ur uncertain tax position reserve for this matter, that excludes certain penalties, is included in the unrecognized tax benefits table. See “ Note 6. Income Taxes ” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements section in the Fiscal 2020 10-K. Resolution of the uncertain tax positions could have a material adverse effect on our cash flows and results of operations or materially benefit our results of operations in future periods depending upon their ultimate resolution. Guarantees We make certain guarantees in the normal course of conducting our operations, for compliance with certain laws and regulations, or in connection with certain business dispositions. The guarantees include items such as funding of net losses in proportion to our ownership share of certain joint ventures, debt guarantees related to certain unconsolidated entities acquired in acquisitions, indemnifications of lessors in certain facilities and equipment operating leases for items such as additional taxes being assessed due to a change in tax law and certain other agreements. We estimate our exposure to these matters could be approximately $50 million. As of December 31, 2020, we had recorded $9.6 million for the estimated fair value of these guarantees. We are unable to estimate our maximum exposure under operating leases because it is dependent on potential changes in the tax laws; however, we believe our exposure related to guarantees would not have a material impact on our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows. Indirect Tax Claim In March 2017, the Supreme Court of Brazil issued a decision concluding that certain state value added tax should not be included in the calculation of federal gross receipts taxes. Subsequently, in fiscal 2019, the Supreme Court of Brazil rendered favorable decisions on six of our cases granting us the right to recover certain state value added tax. The tax authorities in Brazil have filed a Motion of Clarification with the Supreme Court of Brazil and the timing of the decision is unknown at this time. However, based on our evaluation and the opinion of our tax and legal advisors, we believe the decision reduced our gross receipts tax in Brazil prospectively and retrospectively, and will allow us to recover tax amounts collected by the government. Due to the volume of invoices being reviewed (January 2002 to September 2019), we have recorded the estimated recoveries across several periods beginning in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019 as we have reviewed the documents and the amount has become estimable. In the three months ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, we recorded a receivable for our expected recovery and interest that consisted primarily of a $0.6 million and $23.1 million reduction of cost of goods sold and a $0.3 million and $10.7 million reduction of interest expense, net, respectively. We are monitoring the status of our remaining cases, and subject to the resolution in the courts, we may record additional amounts in future periods.

Equity and Other Comprehensive

Equity and Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Equity [Abstract]
Equity and Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	Note 14. Equity and Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) Equity Stock Repurchase Program In July 2015, our board of directors authorized a repurchase program of up to 40.0 million shares of our common stock, par value $0.01 per share (“ Common Stock Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss The tables below summarize the changes in accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax, by component for the three months ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 (in millions): Cash Flow Hedges Defined Benefit Pension and Postretirement Plans Foreign Currency Items Total (1) Balance at September 30, 2020 $ (5.6 ) $ (727.7 ) $ (586.6 ) $ (1,319.9 ) Other comprehensive (loss) income before reclassifications (0.1 ) — 196.6 196.5 Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss 1.5 6.6 — 8.1 Net current period other comprehensive income 1.4 6.6 196.6 204.6 Balance at December 31, 2020 $ (4.2 ) $ (721.1 ) $ (390.0 ) $ (1,115.3 ) (1) Cash Flow Hedges Defined Benefit Pension and Postretirement Plans Foreign Currency Items Total (1) Balance at September 30, 2019 $ 0.7 $ (698.0 ) $ (371.9 ) $ (1,069.2 ) Other comprehensive (loss) income before reclassifications (0.5 ) — 100.4 99.9 Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (income) loss (1.3 ) 9.1 — 7.8 Net current period other comprehensive (loss) income (1.8 ) 9.1 100.4 107.7 Reclassification of stranded tax effects — (73.4 ) — (73.4 ) Balance at December 31, 2019 $ (1.1 ) $ (762.3 ) $ (271.5 ) $ (1,034.9 ) (1) The net of tax amounts were determined using the jurisdictional statutory rates, and reflect effective tax rates averaging 25% to 26% for the three months ended December 31, 2020 and 25% to 26% for the three months ended December 31, 2019. Although we are impacted by the exchange rates of a number of currencies, foreign currency translation adjustments recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss for the three months ended December 31, 2020 were primarily due to losses in the Brazilian Real, Mexican Peso, Canadian dollar and British Pound, each against the U.S. dollar. Foreign currency translation gains recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss for the three months ended December 31, 2019 were primarily due to gains in the British Pound, Brazilian Real, Mexican Peso, Canadian dollar and Euro, each against the U.S. dollar. The following table summarizes the reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive loss by component (in millions): Three Months Ended Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 December 31, 2019 Pretax Tax Net of Tax Pretax Tax Net of Tax Amortization of defined benefit pension and postretirement items: (1) Actuarial losses (2) $ (7.4 ) $ 1.9 $ (5.5 ) $ (11.6 ) $ 3.0 $ (8.6 ) Prior service costs (2) (1.5 ) 0.4 (1.1 ) (0.7 ) 0.2 (0.5 ) Reclassification of stranded tax effects (3) — — — — 73.4 73.4 Subtotal defined benefit plans (8.9 ) 2.3 (6.6 ) (12.3 ) 76.6 64.3 Derivative Instruments: (1) Interest rate swap hedge (loss) gain (4) (2.0 ) 0.5 (1.5 ) 0.7 (0.2 ) 0.5 Natural gas commodity hedge gain (5) — — — 1.1 (0.3 ) 0.8 Subtotal cash flow hedges (2.0 ) 0.5 (1.5 ) 1.8 (0.5 ) 1.3 Total reclassifications for the period $ (10.9 ) $ 2.8 $ (8.1 ) $ (10.5 ) $ 76.1 $ 65.6 (1) (2) Note 4. Retirement Plans (3) . (4) These accumulated other comprehensive income components are included in Interest expense, net. (5) These accumulated other comprehensive income components are included in Cost of goods sold.

Earnings Per Share

Earnings Per Share	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Earnings Per Share	Note 15. Earnings Per Share The restricted stock awards that we grant to non-employee directors are considered participating securities as they receive non-forfeitable rights to dividends at the same rate as our Common Stock. As participating securities, we include these instruments in the earnings allocation in computing earnings per share under the two-class method described in ASC 260, “ Earnings per Share. Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Numerator: Net income attributable to common stockholders $ 152.0 $ 138.5 Denominator: Basic weighted average shares outstanding 262.7 258.2 Effect of dilutive stock options and non- participating securities 2.1 1.7 Diluted weighted average shares outstanding 264.8 259.9 Basic earnings per share attributable to common stockholders $ 0.58 $ 0.54 Diluted earnings per share attributable to common stockholders $ 0.57 $ 0.53 During the three months ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 in the table above, the amount of distributed and undistributed income available to participating securities was de minimis and did not impact net income attributable to common stockholders. Approximately 0.6 million and 0.9 million of awards in the three months ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively, were not included in computing diluted earnings per share because the effect would have been antidilutive.

Subsequent Events

Subsequent Events	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Subsequent Events [Abstract]
Subsequent Events	Note 16. Subsequent Events On January 25, 2021, we announced that on January 23, 2021, we detected a ransomware incident impacting certain of our operational and information technology systems. Promptly upon our detection of the incident, we initiated response and containment protocols. These actions included taking preventative measures, including shutting down certain systems out of an abundance of caution, as well as taking steps to supplement existing security monitoring, scanning and protective measures. Our security teams, supplemented by leading cyber defense firms, are working to remediate this incident. We have notified law enforcement and contacted our customers to apprise them of the situation. We are undertaking extensive efforts to identify, contain and recover from this incident quickly and securely. Our teams are working to maintain our business operations and to minimize the impact on our customers and teammates. All of our mills and converting locations are producing and shipping paper and packaging. The mill system production through February 4, 2021 was approximately 85,000 tons lower than plan, and the packaging converting operations are close to returning to full planned production levels. As a result of this incident, shipments from some of our facilities have lagged production levels, however, this gap is closing quickly as systems are restored. In locations where technology issues have been identified, we are using alternative methods to process and ship orders. We are systematically bringing our information systems back online in a controlled, phased approach. Although we are actively managing this incident and will continue to do so, we are in the early stages of investigating the incident. The incident has caused, and may continue to cause, delays in parts of our business and result in a deferral or loss of revenue and incurrence of incremental costs that may adversely impact our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition, and the trading price of our Common Stock.

Basis of Presentation and Sig_2

Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation Our independent registered public accounting firm has not audited the accompanying interim financial statements. We derived the condensed consolidated balance sheet at September 30, 2020 from the audited consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020 (the “ Fiscal 2020 Form 10-K We have condensed or omitted certain notes and other information from the interim financial statements presented in this report. Therefore, these interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Fiscal 2020 Form 10-K. The results for the three months ended December 31, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for the full year.
Reclassifications and Adjustments	Reclassifications and Adjustments Certain amounts in prior periods have been reclassified to conform with the current year presentation. COVID-19 Pandemic The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (“ COVID-19 At December 31, 2020, we evaluated the then current economic environment, including our current assessment of the impact of COVID-19, and there were no indicators of impairment of our long-lived assets, including goodwill, that required a quantitative test to be performed. Our estimates involve numerous assumptions about the future growth and potential volatility in revenues and costs, capital expenditures, industry and global economic factors, interest rate environment and future business strategy. Accordingly, our accounting estimates may materially change from period to period due to changing market factors, including those driven by COVID-19. We will continue to monitor future events, changes in circumstances and the potential impact thereof, including performing interim goodwill impairment assessments, as warranted. If actual results are not consistent with our assumptions and estimates, we may be exposed to impairment losses that could be material. See “ Note 1. Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies — Goodwill and Long-Lived Assets ” in the Fiscal 2020 Form 10-K for additional information regarding the results of, and our methods and assumptions applied to perform, our goodwill impairment testing in fiscal 2020. Ransomware Incident On January 25, 2021, we announced that on January 23, 2021, we detected a ransomware incident impacting certain of our operational and information technology systems. Promptly upon our detection of the incident, we initiated response and containment protocols. These actions included taking preventative measures, including shutting down certain systems out of an abundance of caution, as well as taking steps to supplement existing security monitoring, scanning and protective measures. Our security teams, supplemented by leading cyber defense firms, are working to remediate this incident. We have notified law enforcement and contacted our customers to apprise them of the situation. S ee “ Note 16. Subsequent Events ” f .
Significant Accounting Policies	Significant Accounting Policies See “ Note 1. Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
New Accounting Standards - Recently Adopted	New Accounting Standards — Recently Adopted In November 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“ FASB ASU Collaborative Arrangements (Topic 808): Clarifying the Interaction Between Topic 808 and Topic 606 ASC Collaborative arrangements ASC Revenues from Contracts with Customers ASC 606 In October 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-17 “ Consolidation: Targeted Improvements to Related Party Guidance for Variable Interest Entities GAAP In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15 “ Intangibles – Goodwill and Other – Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That Is a Service Contract In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-14 “ Compensation – Retirement Benefits – Defined Benefit Plans – General (Subtopic 715-20): Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Defined Benefit Plans In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13 “ Financial Instruments – Credit Losses: Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (Topic 326) ASU 2016-13 and replaces the incurred loss model with a model that reflects expected credit losses Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses, Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging, and Topic 825, Financial Instruments ” (“ ASU 2019-04 ”), which addresses issues related to accrued interest receivable balances, recoveries, variable interest rates and prepayments, among other things. In May 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-05 “Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Targeted Transition Relief” (“ ASU 2019-05 ”), which provides targeted transition relief allowing entities to make an irrevocable one-time election upon adoption of the new credit losses standard to measure financial assets previously measured at amortized cost (except held-to-maturity securities) using the fair value option. In November 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-11 “ Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses ” (“ ASU 2019-11 ”), which makes certain narrow-scope amendments to Topic 326, including allowing entities to exclude accrued interest amounts from various required disclosures under Topic 326. In February 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-02 “ Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326) and Leases (Topic 842) ” (“ ASU 2020-02 ”), which adds and amends paragraphs in the Accounting Standards Codification to reflect the issuance of SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 119 primarily related to the new credit losses standard. The provisions of ASU 2019-04, ASU 2019-05, ASU 2019-11 and ASU 2020-02 related to Topic 326 are effective concurrent with the adoption of ASU 2016-13. We adopted ASU 2016-13 and its subsequent revisions using the modified retrospective transition approach on October 1, 2020. The adoption of ASU 2016-13 and its subsequent revisions resulted in us recognizing a cumulative effect adjustment of $ 3.8 million (net of tax) decrease to opening balance of retained earnings related to our allowance for doubtful accounts primarily for our trade accounts receivables balance.
New Accounting Standards - Recently Issued	New Accounting Standards — Recently Issued 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” LIBOR In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12 “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes”

Revenue Recognition (Tables)

Revenue Recognition (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Revenue From Contract With Customer [Abstract]
Schedule of Disaggregates Revenue by Geographical Market and Product Type (Segment)	The tables below disaggregate our revenue by geographical market and product type (segment). Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 (In millions) Corrugated Packaging Consumer Packaging Intersegment Sales Total Primary Geographical Markets North America $ 2,770.2 $ 1,254.0 $ (57.9 ) $ 3,966.3 South America 81.0 22.2 — 103.2 Europe 0.9 249.3 (0.1 ) 250.1 Asia Pacific 12.4 69.6 (0.1 ) 81.9 Total $ 2,864.5 $ 1,595.1 $ (58.1 ) $ 4,401.5 Three Months Ended December 31, 2019 (In millions) Corrugated Packaging Consumer Packaging Land and Development Intersegment Sales Total Primary Geographical Markets North America $ 2,788.9 $ 1,198.8 $ 18.9 $ (41.5 ) $ 3,965.1 South America 107.6 20.0 — — 127.6 Europe 1.8 244.6 — — 246.4 Asia Pacific 11.2 73.5 — (0.1 ) 84.6 Total $ 2,909.5 $ 1,536.9 $ 18.9 $ (41.6 ) $ 4,423.7
Summary of Opening and Closing Balances of Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities	The opening and closing balances of our contract assets and contract liabilities are as follows. Contract assets and contract liabilities are reported within Other current assets and Other current liabilities, respectively, on the condensed consolidated balance sheet. (In millions) Contract Assets (Short-Term) Contract Liabilities (Short-Term) Beginning balance - October 1, 2020 $ 185.8 $ 12.0 Ending balance - December 31, 2020 193.2 22.4 Increase / (Decrease) $ 7.4 $ 10.4

Restructuring and Other Costs (

Restructuring and Other Costs (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Restructuring And Other Costs [Abstract]
Schedule of Restructuring and Other Costs	The following table summarizes our Restructuring and other costs (in millions): Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Restructuring $ 6.6 $ 24.7 Other 1.1 5.4 Restructuring and other costs $ 7.7 $ 30.1
Schedule of Restructuring Charges Related to Active Restructuring Initiatives	The following table presents a summary of restructuring charges related to active restructuring initiatives that we incurred during the three months ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, the cumulative recorded amount since we started the initiatives and our estimate of the total we expect to incur (in millions): Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Cumulative Total Expected Corrugated Packaging Net property, plant and equipment costs $ — $ 2.2 $ 94.4 $ 94.4 Severance and other employee costs (0.7 ) 7.1 52.6 52.6 Equipment and inventory relocation costs — 0.4 8.7 9.2 Facility carrying costs 0.8 0.6 21.8 23.6 Other costs 0.1 0.2 3.6 3.6 Restructuring total $ 0.2 $ 10.5 $ 181.1 $ 183.4 Consumer Packaging Net property, plant and equipment costs $ 0.2 $ 0.5 $ 35.3 $ 35.3 Severance and other employee costs 3.5 5.7 40.9 40.9 Equipment and inventory relocation costs 0.2 0.1 3.7 3.7 Facility carrying costs — — 1.0 1.3 Other costs 0.8 0.2 19.6 19.6 Restructuring total $ 4.7 $ 6.5 $ 100.5 $ 100.8 Land and Development Net property, plant and equipment costs $ — $ — $ 1.8 $ 1.8 Severance and other employee costs — — 13.8 13.8 Other costs — — 5.0 5.0 Restructuring total $ — $ — $ 20.6 $ 20.6 Corporate Severance and other employee costs $ 1.6 7.7 $ 61.0 $ 61.0 Other costs 0.1 — 9.1 9.1 Restructuring total $ 1.7 $ 7.7 $ 70.1 $ 70.1 Total Net property, plant and equipment costs $ 0.2 $ 2.7 $ 131.5 $ 131.5 Severance and other employee costs 4.4 20.5 168.3 168.3 Equipment and inventory relocation costs 0.2 0.5 12.4 12.9 Facility carrying costs 0.8 0.6 22.8 24.9 Other costs 1.0 0.4 37.3 37.3 Restructuring total $ 6.6 $ 24.7 $ 372.3 $ 374.9
Schedule of Acquisition and Integration Costs	The following table presents our acquisition and integration costs (in millions): Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Acquisition costs $ 0.2 $ 0.1 Integration costs 0.9 5.3 Other total $ 1.1 $ 5.4
Schedule of Changes in Restructuring Accrual and Reconciliation of Accrual Charges	The following table summarizes the changes in the restructuring accrual, which is primarily composed of accrued severance and other employee costs, and a reconciliation of the restructuring accrual charges to the line item “ Restructuring and other costs Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Accrual at beginning of fiscal year $ 17.2 $ 32.3 Additional accruals 5.4 19.1 Payments (7.0 ) (18.4 ) Adjustment to accruals (1.1 ) 1.2 Foreign currency rate changes 0.1 0.1 Accrual at December 31 $ 14.6 $ 34.3 Reconciliation of accruals and charges to restructuring and other costs (in millions): Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Additional accruals and adjustments to accruals (see table above) $ 4.3 $ 20.3 Acquisition costs 0.2 0.1 Integration costs 0.9 5.3 Net property, plant and equipment costs 0.2 2.7 Severance and other employee costs 0.1 (0.3 ) Equipment and inventory relocation costs 0.2 0.5 Facility carrying costs 0.8 0.6 Other costs 1.0 0.9 Total restructuring and other costs $ 7.7 $ 30.1

Retirement Plans (Tables)

Retirement Plans (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Retirement Plans [Abstract]
Summary of Components of Net Pension Income and Summary of Components of Postretirement Benefit Cost	Pension and Postretirement Income / Expense The following table presents a summary of the components of net pension income (in millions): Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Service cost $ 13.5 $ 13.1 Interest cost 46.4 49.9 Expected return on plan assets (91.7 ) (90.8 ) Amortization of net actuarial loss 7.9 11.9 Amortization of prior service cost 2.0 1.4 Company defined benefit plan income (21.9 ) (14.5 ) Multiemployer and other plans 0.4 0.3 Net pension income $ (21.5 ) $ (14.2 ) Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Service cost $ 0.3 $ 0.4 Interest cost 1.4 1.8 Amortization of net actuarial gain (0.3 ) (0.2 ) Amortization of prior service credit (0.6 ) (0.7 ) Net postretirement cost $ 0.8 $ 1.3

Segment Information (Tables)

Segment Information (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Certain Operating Data for Segments	The following tables show selected operating data for our segments (in millions): Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Net sales (aggregate): Corrugated Packaging $ 2,864.5 $ 2,909.5 Consumer Packaging 1,595.1 1,536.9 Land and Development — 18.9 Total $ 4,459.6 $ 4,465.3 Less net sales (intersegment): Corrugated Packaging $ 22.0 $ 18.3 Consumer Packaging 36.1 23.3 Total $ 58.1 $ 41.6 Net sales (unaffiliated customers): Corrugated Packaging $ 2,842.5 $ 2,891.2 Consumer Packaging 1,559.0 1,513.6 Land and Development — 18.9 Total $ 4,401.5 $ 4,423.7 Segment income: Corrugated Packaging $ 215.0 $ 283.4 Consumer Packaging 92.5 46.2 Land and Development — 1.4 Segment income 307.5 331.0 Gain on sale of certain closed facilities 0.9 0.5 Restructuring and other costs (7.7 ) (30.1 ) Non-allocated expenses (23.8 ) (18.2 ) Interest expense, net (93.8 ) (93.5 ) Loss on extinguishment of debt (1.1 ) — Other income (expense), net 20.8 (3.7 ) Income before income taxes $ 202.8 $ 186.0 Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Depreciation and amortization: Corrugated Packaging $ 232.3 $ 244.3 Consumer Packaging 131.0 135.3 Corporate 1.2 1.6 Total $ 364.5 $ 381.2

Interest Expense, Net (Tables)

Interest Expense, Net (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Interest Income Expense Net [Abstract]
Summary of Components of Interest Expense, Net	The components of interest expense, net are as follows (in millions): Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Interest expense $ (105.5 ) $ (119.2 ) Interest income 11.7 25.7 Interest expense, net $ (93.8 ) $ (93.5 )

Inventories (Tables)

Inventories (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Inventories	The components of inventories were as follows (in millions): December 31, 2020 September 30, 2020 Finished goods and work in process $ 864.5 $ 844.2 Raw materials 807.8 772.7 Spare parts and supplies 513.2 500.3 Inventories at FIFO cost 2,185.5 2,117.2 LIFO reserve (100.9 ) (93.8 ) Net inventories $ 2,084.6 $ 2,023.4

Property, Plant and Equipment (

Property, Plant and Equipment (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Property Plant And Equipment [Abstract]
Schedule of Property, Plant and Equipment	The components of property, plant and equipment were as follows (in millions): December 31, 2020 September 30, 2020 Property, plant and equipment at cost: Land and buildings $ 2,565.7 $ 2,524.7 Machinery and equipment 15,394.9 15,147.3 Forestlands and mineral rights 121.4 110.8 Transportation equipment 29.2 29.1 Leasehold improvements 105.1 103.6 18,216.3 17,915.5 Less: accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization (7,432.0 ) (7,136.6 ) Property, plant and equipment, net $ 10,784.3 $ 10,778.9

Fair Value (Tables)

Fair Value (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Summary of Accounts Receivable Sales Agreement	The following table presents a summary of these accounts receivable sales agreements for the three months ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 (in millions): Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Receivable from financial institution at beginning of fiscal year $ — $ — Receivables sold to the financial institution and derecognized 680.7 615.2 Receivables collected by financial institution (644.5 ) (606.7 ) Cash paid to financial institution (36.2 ) (8.5 ) Receivable $ — $ —

Debt (Tables)

Debt (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Debt [Abstract]
Schedule of Carrying Value of Individual Components of Debt	The following table shows the carrying value of the individual components of our debt (in millions): December 31, 2020 September 30, 2020 Public bonds due fiscal 2022 $ 399.5 $ 399.3 Public bonds due fiscal 2023 to 2028 3,774.7 3,773.6 Public bonds due fiscal 2029 to 2033 2,775.8 2,778.9 Public bonds due fiscal 2037 to 2047 178.5 178.6 Term loan facilities 848.7 1,547.6 Revolving credit and swing facilities 433.5 250.0 Finance lease obligations 272.3 274.8 Vendor financing and commercial card programs 98.1 89.8 International and other debt 158.7 138.0 Total debt 8,939.8 9,430.6 Less: current portion of debt 168.7 222.9 Long-term debt due after one year $ 8,771.1 $ 9,207.7

Leases (Tables)

Leases (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Leases [Abstract]
Summary of Supplemental Balance Sheet Information Related to Leases	Supplemental Balance Sheet Information Related to Leases The table below presents supplemental balance sheet information related to leases (in millions): Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet Caption December 31, 2020 September 30, 2020 Operating leases: Operating lease right-of-use asset Other assets $ 709.5 $ 658.6 Current operating lease liabilities Other current liabilities $ 183.6 $ 172.7 Operating lease liabilities Other long-term liabilities 585.3 545.8 Total operating lease liabilities $ 768.9 $ 718.5 Finance leases: Property, plant and equipment $ 143.0 $ 143.2 Accumulated depreciation (21.4 ) (19.1 ) Property, plant and equipment, net $ 121.6 $ 124.1 Current finance lease liabilities Current portion of debt $ 8.8 $ 9.0 Noncurrent finance lease liabilities Long-term debt due after one year 263.5 265.8 Total finance lease liabilities $ 272.3 $ 274.8

Equity and Other Comprehensiv_2

Equity and Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Equity [Abstract]
Schedule of Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss, Net of Tax	The tables below summarize the changes in accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax, by component for the three months ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 (in millions): Cash Flow Hedges Defined Benefit Pension and Postretirement Plans Foreign Currency Items Total (1) Balance at September 30, 2020 $ (5.6 ) $ (727.7 ) $ (586.6 ) $ (1,319.9 ) Other comprehensive (loss) income before reclassifications (0.1 ) — 196.6 196.5 Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss 1.5 6.6 — 8.1 Net current period other comprehensive income 1.4 6.6 196.6 204.6 Balance at December 31, 2020 $ (4.2 ) $ (721.1 ) $ (390.0 ) $ (1,115.3 ) (1) Cash Flow Hedges Defined Benefit Pension and Postretirement Plans Foreign Currency Items Total (1) Balance at September 30, 2019 $ 0.7 $ (698.0 ) $ (371.9 ) $ (1,069.2 ) Other comprehensive (loss) income before reclassifications (0.5 ) — 100.4 99.9 Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (income) loss (1.3 ) 9.1 — 7.8 Net current period other comprehensive (loss) income (1.8 ) 9.1 100.4 107.7 Reclassification of stranded tax effects — (73.4 ) — (73.4 ) Balance at December 31, 2019 $ (1.1 ) $ (762.3 ) $ (271.5 ) $ (1,034.9 ) (1)
Summary of Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss	The following table summarizes the reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive loss by component (in millions): Three Months Ended Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 December 31, 2019 Pretax Tax Net of Tax Pretax Tax Net of Tax Amortization of defined benefit pension and postretirement items: (1) Actuarial losses (2) $ (7.4 ) $ 1.9 $ (5.5 ) $ (11.6 ) $ 3.0 $ (8.6 ) Prior service costs (2) (1.5 ) 0.4 (1.1 ) (0.7 ) 0.2 (0.5 ) Reclassification of stranded tax effects (3) — — — — 73.4 73.4 Subtotal defined benefit plans (8.9 ) 2.3 (6.6 ) (12.3 ) 76.6 64.3 Derivative Instruments: (1) Interest rate swap hedge (loss) gain (4) (2.0 ) 0.5 (1.5 ) 0.7 (0.2 ) 0.5 Natural gas commodity hedge gain (5) — — — 1.1 (0.3 ) 0.8 Subtotal cash flow hedges (2.0 ) 0.5 (1.5 ) 1.8 (0.5 ) 1.3 Total reclassifications for the period $ (10.9 ) $ 2.8 $ (8.1 ) $ (10.5 ) $ 76.1 $ 65.6 (1) (2) Note 4. Retirement Plans (3) . (4) These accumulated other comprehensive income components are included in Interest expense, net. (5) These accumulated other comprehensive income components are included in Cost of goods sold.

Earnings Per Share (Tables)

Earnings Per Share (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted	The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share under the two-class method (in millions, except per share data): Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 2019 Numerator: Net income attributable to common stockholders $ 152.0 $ 138.5 Denominator: Basic weighted average shares outstanding 262.7 258.2 Effect of dilutive stock options and non- participating securities 2.1 1.7 Diluted weighted average shares outstanding 264.8 259.9 Basic earnings per share attributable to common stockholders $ 0.58 $ 0.54 Diluted earnings per share attributable to common stockholders $ 0.57 $ 0.53

Basis of Presentation and Sig_3

Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Details) $ in Millions	Oct. 01, 2020USD ($)
ASU 2016-13 [Member]
Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Reclassification of adoption effect of credit loss standard to retained earnings	$ 3.8

Revenue Recognition - Additiona

Revenue Recognition - Additional Information (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2021USD ($)
Scenario Forecast [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Land and development sales	$ 0

Revenue Recognition - Schedule

Revenue Recognition - Schedule of Disaggregates Revenue by Geographical Market and Product Type (Segment) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	$ 4,401.5	$ 4,423.7
Corrugated Packaging [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	2,864.5	2,909.5
Consumer Packaging [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	1,595.1	1,536.9
Land and Development [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales		18.9
Intersegment Sales [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	(58.1)	(41.6)
Intersegment Sales [Member] | Corrugated Packaging [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	(22)	(18.3)
Intersegment Sales [Member] | Consumer Packaging [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	(36.1)	(23.3)
North America [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	3,966.3	3,965.1
North America [Member] | Corrugated Packaging [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	2,770.2	2,788.9
North America [Member] | Consumer Packaging [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	1,254	1,198.8
North America [Member] | Land and Development [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales		18.9
North America [Member] | Intersegment Sales [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	(57.9)	(41.5)
South America [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	103.2	127.6
South America [Member] | Corrugated Packaging [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	81	107.6
South America [Member] | Consumer Packaging [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	22.2	20
Europe [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	250.1	246.4
Europe [Member] | Corrugated Packaging [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	0.9	1.8
Europe [Member] | Consumer Packaging [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	249.3	244.6
Europe [Member] | Intersegment Sales [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	(0.1)
Asia Pacific [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	81.9	84.6
Asia Pacific [Member] | Corrugated Packaging [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	12.4	11.2
Asia Pacific [Member] | Consumer Packaging [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	69.6	73.5
Asia Pacific [Member] | Intersegment Sales [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	$ (0.1)	$ (0.1)

Revenue Recognition - Summary o

Revenue Recognition - Summary of Opening and Closing Balances of Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities (Details) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Abstract]
Short-Term Contract Assets, Beginning balance	$ 185.8
Increase / (Decrease) in Short-Term Contract Assets	7.4
Short-Term Contract Assets, Ending balance	193.2
Short-Term Contract Liabilities, Beginning balance	12
Increase / (Decrease) in Short-Term Contract Liabilities	10.4
Short-Term Contract Liabilities, Ending balance	$ 22.4

Restructuring and Other Costs -

Restructuring and Other Costs - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Restructuring And Related Activities [Abstract]
Restructuring and other costs	$ 7.7	$ 30.1

Restructuring and Other Costs_2

Restructuring and Other Costs - Schedule of Restructuring and Other Costs (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Restructuring And Related Activities [Abstract]
Restructuring	$ 6.6	$ 24.7
Other	1.1	5.4
Restructuring and other costs	$ 7.7	$ 30.1

Restructuring and Other Costs_3

Restructuring and Other Costs - Schedule of Restructuring Charges Related to Active Restructuring Initiatives (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Cost, Incurred Cost	$ 6.6	$ 24.7
Restructuring and Related Cost, Cost Incurred to Date	372.3
Restructuring and Related Cost, Expected Cost	374.9
Net Property, Plant and Equipment [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Cost, Incurred Cost	0.2	2.7
Restructuring and Related Cost, Cost Incurred to Date	131.5
Restructuring and Related Cost, Expected Cost	131.5
Severance and Other Employee Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Cost, Incurred Cost	4.4	20.5
Restructuring and Related Cost, Cost Incurred to Date	168.3
Restructuring and Related Cost, Expected Cost	168.3
Equipment and Inventory Relocation Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Cost, Incurred Cost	0.2	0.5
Restructuring and Related Cost, Cost Incurred to Date	12.4
Restructuring and Related Cost, Expected Cost	12.9
Facility Carrying Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Cost, Incurred Cost	0.8	0.6
Restructuring and Related Cost, Cost Incurred to Date	22.8
Restructuring and Related Cost, Expected Cost	24.9
Other Costs Related to Restructuring and Other Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Cost, Incurred Cost	1	0.4
Restructuring and Related Cost, Cost Incurred to Date	37.3
Restructuring and Related Cost, Expected Cost	37.3
Corporate, Non-Segment [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Cost, Incurred Cost	1.7	7.7
Restructuring and Related Cost, Cost Incurred to Date	70.1
Restructuring and Related Cost, Expected Cost	70.1
Corporate, Non-Segment [Member] | Severance and Other Employee Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Cost, Incurred Cost	1.6	7.7
Restructuring and Related Cost, Cost Incurred to Date	61
Restructuring and Related Cost, Expected Cost	61
Corporate, Non-Segment [Member] | Other Costs Related to Restructuring and Other Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Cost, Incurred Cost	0.1
Restructuring and Related Cost, Cost Incurred to Date	9.1
Restructuring and Related Cost, Expected Cost	9.1
Corrugated Packaging [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Cost, Incurred Cost	0.2	10.5
Restructuring and Related Cost, Cost Incurred to Date	181.1
Restructuring and Related Cost, Expected Cost	183.4
Corrugated Packaging [Member] | Net Property, Plant and Equipment [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Cost, Incurred Cost		2.2
Restructuring and Related Cost, Cost Incurred to Date	94.4
Restructuring and Related Cost, Expected Cost	94.4
Corrugated Packaging [Member] | Severance and Other Employee Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Cost, Incurred Cost	(0.7)	7.1
Restructuring and Related Cost, Cost Incurred to Date	52.6
Restructuring and Related Cost, Expected Cost	52.6
Corrugated Packaging [Member] | Equipment and Inventory Relocation Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Cost, Incurred Cost		0.4
Restructuring and Related Cost, Cost Incurred to Date	8.7
Restructuring and Related Cost, Expected Cost	9.2
Corrugated Packaging [Member] | Facility Carrying Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Cost, Incurred Cost	0.8	0.6
Restructuring and Related Cost, Cost Incurred to Date	21.8
Restructuring and Related Cost, Expected Cost	23.6
Corrugated Packaging [Member] | Other Costs Related to Restructuring and Other Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Cost, Incurred Cost	0.1	0.2
Restructuring and Related Cost, Cost Incurred to Date	3.6
Restructuring and Related Cost, Expected Cost	3.6
Consumer Packaging [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Cost, Incurred Cost	4.7	6.5
Restructuring and Related Cost, Cost Incurred to Date	100.5
Restructuring and Related Cost, Expected Cost	100.8
Consumer Packaging [Member] | Net Property, Plant and Equipment [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Cost, Incurred Cost	0.2	0.5
Restructuring and Related Cost, Cost Incurred to Date	35.3
Restructuring and Related Cost, Expected Cost	35.3
Consumer Packaging [Member] | Severance and Other Employee Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Cost, Incurred Cost	3.5	5.7
Restructuring and Related Cost, Cost Incurred to Date	40.9
Restructuring and Related Cost, Expected Cost	40.9
Consumer Packaging [Member] | Equipment and Inventory Relocation Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Cost, Incurred Cost	0.2	0.1
Restructuring and Related Cost, Cost Incurred to Date	3.7
Restructuring and Related Cost, Expected Cost	3.7
Consumer Packaging [Member] | Facility Carrying Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Cost, Cost Incurred to Date	1
Restructuring and Related Cost, Expected Cost	1.3
Consumer Packaging [Member] | Other Costs Related to Restructuring and Other Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Cost, Incurred Cost	0.8	$ 0.2
Restructuring and Related Cost, Cost Incurred to Date	19.6
Restructuring and Related Cost, Expected Cost	19.6
Land and Development [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Cost, Cost Incurred to Date	20.6
Restructuring and Related Cost, Expected Cost	20.6
Land and Development [Member] | Net Property, Plant and Equipment [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Cost, Cost Incurred to Date	1.8
Restructuring and Related Cost, Expected Cost	1.8
Land and Development [Member] | Severance and Other Employee Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Cost, Cost Incurred to Date	13.8
Restructuring and Related Cost, Expected Cost	13.8
Land and Development [Member] | Other Costs Related to Restructuring and Other Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Cost, Cost Incurred to Date	5
Restructuring and Related Cost, Expected Cost	$ 5

Restructuring and Other Costs_4

Restructuring and Other Costs - Schedule of Acquisition and Integration Costs (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Acquisition costs	$ 0.2	$ 0.1
Integration costs	0.9	5.3
Other total	1.1	5.4
Other Segments [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Acquisition costs	0.2	0.1
Integration costs	0.9	5.3
Other total	$ 1.1	$ 5.4

Restructuring and Other Costs_5

Restructuring and Other Costs - Schedule of Changes in Restructuring Accrual Charges (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Restructuring And Other Costs [Abstract]
Accrual at beginning of fiscal year	$ 17.2	$ 32.3
Additional accruals	5.4	19.1
Payments	(7)	(18.4)
Adjustment to accruals	(1.1)	1.2
Foreign currency rate changes	0.1	0.1
Accrual at December 31	$ 14.6	$ 34.3

Restructuring and Other Costs_6

Restructuring and Other Costs - Schedule of Reconciliation of Accruals and Charges (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Restructuring And Other Costs [Abstract]
Additional accruals and adjustments to accruals (see table above)	$ 4.3	$ 20.3
Acquisition costs	0.2	0.1
Integration costs	0.9	5.3
Net property, plant and equipment costs	0.2	2.7
Severance and other employee costs	0.1	(0.3)
Equipment and inventory relocation costs	0.2	0.5
Facility carrying costs	0.8	0.6
Other costs	1	0.9
Restructuring and other costs	$ 7.7	$ 30.1

Retirement Plans - Additional I

Retirement Plans - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans Table Text Block [Line Items]
Multiemployer Plans, Withdrawal Obligation	$ 251.8		$ 252
Pace Industry Union Management Pension Fund [Member]
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans Table Text Block [Line Items]
Withdrawal obligation, per month	$ 0.7
Periods of Payments Used to Calculate Withdrawal Liability in Connection with PIUMPF Withdrawal	20 years
Pension Plans, Defined Benefit [Member]
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans Table Text Block [Line Items]
Contributions by employer to pension and supplemental retirement plans	$ 5.6	$ 8.5
Other Postretirement Benefits Plan [Member]
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans Table Text Block [Line Items]
Contributions by employer to pension and supplemental retirement plans	$ 1.3	$ 2

Retirement Plans - Summary of C

Retirement Plans - Summary of Components of Net Pension Income and Summary of Components of Postretirement Benefit Cost (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Pension Plan [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Service cost	$ 13.5	$ 13.1
Interest cost	46.4	49.9
Expected return on plan assets	(91.7)	(90.8)
Amortization of net actuarial loss (gain)	7.9	11.9
Amortization of prior service cost (credit)	2	1.4
Company defined benefit plan income	(21.9)	(14.5)
Multiemployer and other plans	0.4	0.3
Net pension (income) cost	(21.5)	(14.2)
Other Postretirement Benefits Plan [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Service cost	0.3	0.4
Interest cost	1.4	1.8
Amortization of net actuarial loss (gain)	(0.3)	(0.2)
Amortization of prior service cost (credit)	(0.6)	(0.7)
Net pension (income) cost	$ 0.8	$ 1.3

Income Taxes - Additional Infor

Income Taxes - Additional Information (Details)	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Effective tax rates	24.80%	25.00%

Segment Information - Additiona

Segment Information - Additional Information (Details) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020segment	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2020USD ($)
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of reportable segments | segment	2
Insurance proceeds received, net cash used for investing activities		$ 1.4
Corrugated Packaging [Member] | Hurricane Michael [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Insurance proceeds received		32.3
Deferred insurance proceeds		2.8
Deferred insurance proceeds recognized in cost of goods sold			$ 2.8
Insurance proceeds from business interruption recoveries		11.7
Insurance proceeds for direct costs and property damage		20.6
Insurance proceeds received, net cash provided by operating activities		30.9
Insurance proceeds received, net cash used for investing activities		1.4
Corrugated Packaging [Member] | Hurricane Michael [Member] | Cost of Goods Sold [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Reduction of cost of goods sold		$ 29.5

Segment Information - Certain O

Segment Information - Certain Operating Data for Segments (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	$ 4,401.5	$ 4,423.7
Gain on sale of certain closed facilities	0.9	0.5
Restructuring and other costs	(7.7)	(30.1)
Interest expense, net	(93.8)	(93.5)
Loss on extinguishment of debt	(1.1)
Other income (expense), net	20.8	(3.7)
Income before income taxes	202.8	186
Depreciation, depletion and amortization	364.5	381.2
Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	4,459.6	4,465.3
Segment income	307.5	331
Intersegment Eliminations [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	(58.1)	(41.6)
Corporate, Non-Segment [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Non-allocated expenses	(23.8)	(18.2)
Interest expense, net	(93.8)	(93.5)
Corrugated Packaging [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	2,864.5	2,909.5
Depreciation, depletion and amortization	232.3	244.3
Corrugated Packaging [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	2,864.5	2,909.5
Segment income	215	283.4
Corrugated Packaging [Member] | Intersegment Eliminations [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	(22)	(18.3)
Corrugated Packaging [Member] | Unaffiliated Customers [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	2,842.5	2,891.2
Consumer Packaging [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	1,595.1	1,536.9
Depreciation, depletion and amortization	131	135.3
Consumer Packaging [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	1,595.1	1,536.9
Segment income	92.5	46.2
Consumer Packaging [Member] | Intersegment Eliminations [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	(36.1)	(23.3)
Consumer Packaging [Member] | Unaffiliated Customers [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	1,559	1,513.6
Land and Development [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales		18.9
Land and Development [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales		18.9
Segment income		1.4
Land and Development [Member] | Unaffiliated Customers [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales		18.9
Corporate Segment [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Depreciation, depletion and amortization	$ 1.2	$ 1.6

Interest Expense, Net - Summary

Interest Expense, Net - Summary of Components of Interest Expense, Net (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Interest Income Expense Net [Abstract]
Interest expense	$ (105.5)	$ (119.2)
Interest income	11.7	25.7
Interest expense, net	$ (93.8)	$ (93.5)

Inventories - Schedule of Inven

Inventories - Schedule of Inventories (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020
Inventories [Abstract]
Finished goods and work in process	$ 864.5	$ 844.2
Raw materials	807.8	772.7
Spare parts and supplies	513.2	500.3
Inventories at FIFO cost	2,185.5	2,117.2
LIFO reserve	(100.9)	(93.8)
Net inventories	$ 2,084.6	$ 2,023.4

Property, Plant and Equipment -

Property, Plant and Equipment - Schedule of Property, Plant and Equipment (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020
Property, plant and equipment at cost:
Property, plant and equipment, at cost	$ 18,216.3	$ 17,915.5
Less: accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization	(7,432)	(7,136.6)
Property, plant and equipment, net	10,784.3	10,778.9
Land and Buildings [Member]
Property, plant and equipment at cost:
Property, plant and equipment, at cost	2,565.7	2,524.7
Machinery and Equipment [Member]
Property, plant and equipment at cost:
Property, plant and equipment, at cost	15,394.9	15,147.3
Forestlands and Mineral Rights [Member]
Property, plant and equipment at cost:
Property, plant and equipment, at cost	121.4	110.8
Transportation Equipment [Member]
Property, plant and equipment at cost:
Property, plant and equipment, at cost	29.2	29.1
Leasehold Improvements [Member]
Property, plant and equipment at cost:
Property, plant and equipment, at cost	$ 105.1	$ 103.6

Fair Value - Additional Informa

Fair Value - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 04, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 17, 2020
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Maximum eligible receivables that may be sold			$ 88.5		$ 700
Receivables sold under accounts receivable sales agreement	$ 625.6			$ 589.4
Estimated loss on sale of accounts receivable by quarter	$ 3	$ 4.3

Fair Value - Summary of Account

Fair Value - Summary of Accounts Receivable Sales Agreement (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Receivables sold to the financial institution and derecognized	$ 680.7	$ 615.2
Receivables collected by financial institution	(644.5)	(606.7)
Cash paid to financial institution	$ (36.2)	$ (8.5)

Debt - Schedule of Carrying Val

Debt - Schedule of Carrying Value of Individual Components of Debt (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 8,939.8	$ 9,430.6
Less: current portion of debt	168.7	222.9
Long-term debt due after one year	8,771.1	9,207.7
Notes Due Fiscal 2022 [Member] | Unsecured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	399.5	399.3
Notes Due Fiscal 2023 to 2028 [Member] | Unsecured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	3,774.7	3,773.6
Notes Due Fiscal 2029 to 2033 [Member] | Unsecured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	2,775.8	2,778.9
Notes Due Fiscal 2037 to 2047 [Member] | Unsecured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	178.5	178.6
Term Loan Facilities [Member] | Unsecured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	848.7	1,547.6
Revolving Credit and Swing Facilities [Member] | Unsecured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	433.5	250
Finance Lease Obligations [Member] | Secured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	272.3	274.8
Vendor Financing and Commercial Card Programs [Member] | Unsecured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	98.1	89.8
International and Other Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 158.7	$ 138

Debt - Additional Information (

Debt - Additional Information (Details)	Mar. 27, 2020USD ($)	Nov. 21, 2019USD ($)	Sep. 27, 2019USD ($)	Jun. 07, 2019USD ($)	Dec. 07, 2018USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)	Nov. 21, 2019EUR (€)	Jul. 01, 2015USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Fair value of debt						$ 10,000,000,000	$ 10,400,000,000
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Unsecured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit Facility, maximum borrowing capacity		$ 2,300,000,000							$ 2,000,000,000
Credit facility, maturity date		Nov. 21, 2024
Long-term debt						0	0
Wells Fargo Bank NA Credit Facility [Member] | Terminated Unsecured Term Loan Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt							$ 648,900,000
Debt instrument, maturity period							5 years
Bank of America Five Year Term Loan [Member] | Unsecured [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit Facility, maximum borrowing capacity				$ 300,000,000
Credit facility, maturity date				Jun. 7, 2024
Long-term debt						$ 250,000,000	$ 300,000,000
Debt instrument, maturity period				5 years
Debt instrument, interest rate description						The applicable interest rate margins are 0.825% to 1.750% per annum for LIBOR rate loans and 0.000% to 0.750% per annum for alternate base rate loans, in each case depending on the Leverage Ratio (as defined in the credit agreement) or our corporate credit ratings, whichever yields a lower applicable interest rate margin, at such time.
Farm Credit Facility [Member] | Unsecured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit Facility, maximum borrowing capacity			$ 600,000,000
Long-term debt						$ 598,800,000	598,700,000
Debt Instrument, Term, in Years			7 years
Receivables Securitization Facility [Member] | Secured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt						0	0
Receivables backed financing, maximum borrowing amount	$ 700,000,000
Debt instrument, amended maturity date	May 2, 2022
Debt instrument, maximum borrowing capacity, amount						641,400,000	700,000,000
Loans and Leases Receivable, Collateral for Secured Borrowings						1,026,100,000	1,128,300,000
Cooperatieve Rabobank U.A., New York Branch European Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Unsecured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit Facility, maximum borrowing capacity | €								€ 500,000,000
Credit facility, maturity date		Nov. 21, 2022
Long-term debt						420,000,000	250,000,000
Debt instrument, maturity period		3 years
Incremental line of credit | €								100,000,000
Line of credit facility, maximum Euro denominated borrowing capacity | €								€ 500,000,000
Cooperatieve Rabobank U.A., New York Branch European Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Unsecured Debt [Member] | Foreign Exchange Contract [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Amount of foreign exchange contracts						420,400,000
Commercial Paper [Member] | Unsecured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt						$ 0	$ 0
Aggregate Principal Amount of Short-term Unsecured Commercial Paper Program, Maximum					$ 1,000,000,000
Debt Instrument, notice period for termination					30 days
Maximum [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Unsecured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit facility, maximum permitted debt to capitalization ratio		0.65						0.65
Maximum [Member] | Bank of America Five Year Term Loan [Member] | LIBOR [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Applicable margin				1.75%
Maximum [Member] | Bank of America Five Year Term Loan [Member] | Base Rate [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Applicable margin				0.75%
Maximum [Member] | Farm Credit Facility [Member] | Unsecured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit facility, amount of potential increase to the principal amount			$ 300,000,000
Maximum [Member] | Commercial Paper [Member] | Unsecured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, maturity period					397 days
Minimum [Member] | Bank of America Five Year Term Loan [Member] | LIBOR [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Applicable margin				0.825%
Minimum [Member] | Bank of America Five Year Term Loan [Member] | Base Rate [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Applicable margin				0.00%

Leases - Additional Information

Leases - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Leases [Abstract]
Total lease cost, net	$ 80.9	$ 79
ROU asset obtained in exchange for operating lease liability	$ 67.5	$ 31.9

Leases - Summary of Supplementa

Leases - Summary of Supplemental Balance Sheet Information Related to Leases (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020
Supplementary Information Balance Sheets [Abstract]
Operating lease right-of-use asset	$ 709.5	$ 658.6
Operating Lease, Right-of-Use Asset, Statement of Financial Position [Extensible List]	us-gaap:OperatingLeaseRightOfUseAsset	us-gaap:OperatingLeaseRightOfUseAsset
Current operating lease liabilities	$ 183.6	$ 172.7
Operating Lease, Liability, Current, Statement of Financial Position [Extensible List]	us-gaap:OperatingLeaseLiabilityCurrent	us-gaap:OperatingLeaseLiabilityCurrent
Operating lease liabilities	$ 585.3	$ 545.8
Operating Lease, Liability, Noncurrent, Statement of Financial Position [Extensible List]	us-gaap:OperatingLeaseLiabilityNoncurrent	us-gaap:OperatingLeaseLiabilityNoncurrent
Total operating lease liabilities	$ 768.9	$ 718.5
Property, plant and equipment	143	143.2
Accumulated depreciation	(21.4)	(19.1)
Property, plant and equipment, net	121.6	124.1
Current finance lease liabilities	$ 8.8	$ 9
Finance Lease, Liability, Current, Statement of Financial Position [Extensible List]	us-gaap:FinanceLeaseLiabilityCurrent	us-gaap:FinanceLeaseLiabilityCurrent
Noncurrent finance lease liabilities	$ 263.5	$ 265.8
Finance Lease, Liability, Noncurrent, Statement of Financial Position [Extensible List]	us-gaap:FinanceLeaseLiabilityNoncurrent	us-gaap:FinanceLeaseLiabilityNoncurrent
Total finance lease liabilities	$ 272.3	$ 274.8

Commitments and Contingencies -

Commitments and Contingencies - Additional Information (Details) R$ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)lawsuitSubsidiary	Dec. 31, 2020BRL (R$)Subsidiary	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Accrual for Environmental Loss Contingencies	$ 5,500,000
Guarantor Obligations, Estimated Exposure, Undiscounted	50,000,000
Guarantor Obligations, Current Carrying Value	9,600,000
Indirect tax claim - reduction of cost of goods sold	600,000		$ 23,100,000
Indirect tax claim - reduction of interest expense, net	300,000		$ 10,700,000
Brazil Administrative Council of Tax Appeals [Member]
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Income Tax Penalties and Interest Expense	$ 134,000,000	R$ 694
Tax claim and conversion description	The matter has proceeded through the Brazil Administrative Council of Tax Appeals (“CARF”) principally in two proceedings, covering tax years 2003 to 2008 and 2009 to 2012.	The matter has proceeded through the Brazil Administrative Council of Tax Appeals (“CARF”) principally in two proceedings, covering tax years 2003 to 2008 and 2009 to 2012.
Income tax settlement claim liability	$ 0
Tax claim and conversion, tax dispute related to tax years description	2003 to 2008	2003 to 2008
Tax claim and conversion, tax penalties relating to tax years description	2009 to 2012	2009 to 2012
Tax claim and conversion proceedings covering tax years description	2003 to 2008 and 2009 to 2012	2003 to 2008 and 2009 to 2012
Brazil [Member]
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of subsidiaries | Subsidiary	2	2
Asbestos Litigation [Member]
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of Lawsuits the Company Has Been Named a Defendant in Asbestos-related Personal Injury Litigation | lawsuit	1,300
Estimated liability for litigation	$ 13,600,000
Other Long Term Liabilities [Member]
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Accrual for Environmental Loss Contingencies	2,800,000
Other Current Liabilities [Member]
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Accrual for Environmental Loss Contingencies	$ 2,700,000

Equity and Other Comprehensiv_3

Equity and Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) - Additional Information (Details) - $ / shares shares in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Jul. 01, 2015
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Stock repurchase program, number of shares authorized to be repurchased				40
Common Stock, Par or Stated Value Per Share	$ 0.01		$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Authorized share repurchase as a percentage of common stock outstanding				15.00%
Stock repurchase program, remaining number of shares authorized to be repurchased	19.1
Treasury stock, shares, acquired	0	0
Minimum [Member]
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Effective Tax Rate, Net of Tax Components of Other Comprehensive Income	25.00%	25.00%
Maximum [Member]
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Effective Tax Rate, Net of Tax Components of Other Comprehensive Income	26.00%	26.00%

Equity and Other Comprehensiv_4

Equity and Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) - Schedule of Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss, Net of Tax (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions		3 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Balance at beginning of period	[1]	$ (1,319.9)	$ (1,069.2)
Other comprehensive (loss) income before reclassifications	[1]	196.5	99.9
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (income) loss	[1]	8.1	7.8
Net current period other comprehensive (loss) income	[1]	204.6	107.7
Reclassification of stranded tax effects	[1]		(73.4)
Balance at end of period	[1]	(1,115.3)	(1,034.9)
Accumulated Net Gain (Loss) from Designated or Quality Cash Flow Hedges [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Balance at beginning of period		(5.6)	0.7
Other comprehensive (loss) income before reclassifications		(0.1)	(0.5)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (income) loss		1.5	(1.3)
Net current period other comprehensive (loss) income		1.4	(1.8)
Balance at end of period		(4.2)	(1.1)
Accumulated Defined Benefit Plans Adjustment [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Balance at beginning of period		(727.7)	(698)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (income) loss		6.6	9.1
Net current period other comprehensive (loss) income		6.6	9.1
Reclassification of stranded tax effects			(73.4)
Balance at end of period		(721.1)	(762.3)
Accumulated Translation Adjustment [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Balance at beginning of period		(586.6)	(371.9)
Other comprehensive (loss) income before reclassifications		196.6	100.4
Net current period other comprehensive (loss) income		196.6	100.4
Balance at end of period		$ (390)	$ (271.5)
[1]	All amounts are net of tax and noncontrolling interests.

Equity and Other Comprehensiv_5

Equity and Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) - Summary of Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions		3 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Amortization and settlement recognition of net actuarial loss, included in pension cost		$ 5.6	$ 8.7
Amortization of prior service costs, Net of Tax		1.1	0.5
Reclassification of stranded tax effects	[1]		73.4
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Reclassification Adjustment from AOCI on Derivatives, Net of Tax		1.5	(1.3)
Parent [Member]
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Amortization of net actuarial loss, Pre-Tax Amount	[2],[3]	(7.4)	(11.6)
Amortization of net actuarial loss, Tax	[2],[3]	1.9	3
Amortization and settlement recognition of net actuarial loss, included in pension cost	[2],[3]	(5.5)	(8.6)
Amortization of prior service costs, Pre-Tax Amount	[2],[3]	(1.5)	(0.7)
Amortization of prior service costs, Tax	[2],[3]	0.4	0.2
Amortization of prior service costs, Net of Tax	[2],[3]	(1.1)	(0.5)
Defined Benefit Plans, before Tax	[2]	(8.9)	(12.3)
Defined Benefit Plans, Tax	[2]	2.3	76.6
Defined Benefit Plans, Net of Tax	[2]	(6.6)	64.3
Total Reclassifications From Other Comprehensive Income Before Tax	[2]	(10.9)	(10.5)
Total Reclassifications From Other Comprehensive Income Tax Portion	[2]	2.8	76.1
Total Reclassifications From Other Comprehensive Income Net of Tax	[2]	(8.1)	65.6
Parent [Member] | Cash Flow Hedges [Member]
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Reclassification Adjustment from AOCI on Derivatives, before Tax	[2]	(2)	1.8
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Reclassification Adjustment from AOCI on Derivatives, Tax	[2]	0.5	(0.5)
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Reclassification Adjustment from AOCI on Derivatives, Net of Tax	[2]	(1.5)	1.3
Parent [Member] | ASU 2018-02 [Member]
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Reclassification of stranded tax effects	[4]		73.4
Reclassification of stranded tax effects net	[4]		73.4
Parent [Member] | Interest Rate Contract [Member]
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Reclassification Adjustment from AOCI on Derivatives, before Tax	[2],[5]	(2)	0.7
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Reclassification Adjustment from AOCI on Derivatives, Tax	[2],[5]	0.5	(0.2)
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Reclassification Adjustment from AOCI on Derivatives, Net of Tax	[2],[5]	$ (1.5)	0.5
Parent [Member] | Natural Gas Commodity Hedge [Member]
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Reclassification Adjustment from AOCI on Derivatives, before Tax	[2],[6]		1.1
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Reclassification Adjustment from AOCI on Derivatives, Tax	[2],[6]		(0.3)
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Reclassification Adjustment from AOCI on Derivatives, Net of Tax	[2],[6]		$ 0.8
[1]	All amounts are net of tax and noncontrolling interests.
[2]	Amounts in parentheses indicate charges to earnings. Amounts pertaining to noncontrolling interests are excluded.
[3]	Included in the computation of net periodic pension cost. See “ Note 4. Retirement Plans
[4]	Amount reclassified to retained earnings as a result of the adoption of ASU 2018-02 .
[5]	These accumulated other comprehensive income components are included in Interest expense, net.
[6]	These accumulated other comprehensive income components are included in Cost of goods sold.

Earnings Per Share - Schedule o

Earnings Per Share - Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Millions, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Net income attributable to common stockholders	$ 152	$ 138.5
Basic weighted average shares outstanding	262.7	258.2
Effect of dilutive stock options and non- participating securities	2.1	1.7
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding	264.8	259.9
Basic earnings per share attributable to common stockholders	$ 0.58	$ 0.54
Diluted earnings per share attributable to common stockholders	$ 0.57	$ 0.53

Earnings Per Share - Additional

Earnings Per Share - Additional Information (Details) - shares shares in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount	0.6	0.9

Subsequent Events - Additional

Subsequent Events - Additional Information (Details)	Feb. 04, 2021T
Subsequent Event [Member]
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Lost production from ransomware incident to date	85,000