| Document and Entity Information - Jun. 30, 2015 - shares | Total |
| Document And Entity Information [Abstract] | |
| Document Type | 10-Q |
| Amendment Flag | false |
| Document Period End Date | Jun. 30, 2015 |
| Document Fiscal Year Focus | 2,016 |
| Document Fiscal Period Focus | Q1 |
| Trading Symbol | FRD |
| Entity Registrant Name | FRIEDMAN INDUSTRIES INC |
| Entity Central Index Key | 39,092 |
| Current Fiscal Year End Date | --03-31 |
| Entity Filer Category | Smaller Reporting Company |
| Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding | 6,799,444 |
| Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) | Jun. 30, 2015 | Mar. 31, 2015 |
| CURRENT ASSETS: | ||
| Cash | $ 3,824,429 | $ 2,225,924 |
| Accounts receivable, net of allowances for bad debts and cash discounts of $22,276 and $27,276 at June 30 and March 31, 2015, respectively | 5,651,682 | 6,896,186 |
| Inventories | 40,169,832 | 40,850,666 |
| Other | 18,123 | 144,579 |
| TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS | 49,664,066 | 50,117,355 |
| PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT: | ||
| Land | 1,082,331 | 1,082,331 |
| Buildings and yard improvements | 7,101,615 | 7,026,980 |
| Machinery and equipment | 30,768,124 | 30,690,049 |
| Construction in progress | 8,056,697 | 7,374,177 |
| Less accumulated depreciation | (31,084,176) | (30,656,226) |
| Property, Plant and Equipment, Net, Total | 15,924,591 | 15,517,311 |
| OTHER ASSETS: | ||
| Deferred income tax asset | 151,780 | 187,358 |
| Cash value of officers' life insurance and other assets | 1,153,250 | 1,136,000 |
| TOTAL ASSETS | 66,893,687 | 66,958,024 |
| CURRENT LIABILITIES: | ||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | 1,370,147 | 2,148,555 |
| Income taxes payable | 62,974 | |
| Dividends payable | 67,994 | 67,994 |
| Contribution to profit sharing plan | 102,000 | 51,000 |
| Employee compensation and related expenses | 502,533 | 383,562 |
| TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES | 2,105,648 | 2,651,111 |
| POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS OTHER THAN PENSIONS | 1,113,059 | 1,089,888 |
| STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY: | ||
| Common stock, par value $1: Authorized shares - 10,000,000 Issued shares - 7,975,160 at June 30 and March 31, 2015 | 7,975,160 | 7,975,160 |
| Additional paid-in capital | 29,003,674 | 29,003,674 |
| Treasury stock at cost (1,175,716 shares at June 30 and March 31, 2015) | (5,475,964) | (5,475,964) |
| Retained earnings | 32,172,110 | 31,714,155 |
| TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY | 63,674,980 | 63,217,025 |
| TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY | $ 66,893,687 | $ 66,958,024 |
| Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - USD ($) | Jun. 30, 2015 | Mar. 31, 2015 |
| Statement of Financial Position [Abstract] | ||
| Allowances for bad debts and cash discounts | $ 22,276 | $ 27,276 |
| Common stock, par value | $ 1 | $ 1 |
| Common stock, shares authorized | 10,000,000 | 10,000,000 |
| Common stock, shares issued | 7,975,160 | 7,975,160 |
| Treasury stock, shares | 1,175,716 | 1,175,716 |
| Condensed Consolidated Statements of Earnings - USD ($) | 3 Months Ended | |
| Jun. 30, 2015 | Jun. 30, 2014 | |
| Income Statement [Abstract] | ||
| Net sales | $ 23,968,569 | $ 27,904,521 |
| Costs and expenses | ||
| Costs of goods sold | 21,826,676 | 26,862,460 |
| General, selling and administrative costs | 1,353,456 | 1,134,576 |
| Costs and Expenses, Total | 23,180,132 | 27,997,036 |
| Interest and other income | (17,250) | (15,252) |
| Earnings (loss) before income taxes | 805,687 | (77,263) |
| Income tax provision (benefit): | ||
| Current | 244,160 | 78,435 |
| Deferred | 35,578 | (37,448) |
| Income Tax Expense (Benefit), Total | 279,738 | 40,987 |
| Net earnings (loss) | $ 525,949 | $ (118,250) |
| Average number of common shares outstanding: | ||
| Basic | 6,799,444 | 6,799,444 |
| Diluted | 6,799,444 | 6,799,444 |
| Net earnings (loss) per share: | ||
| Basic | $ 0.08 | $ (0.02) |
| Diluted | 0.08 | (0.02) |
| Cash dividends declared per common share | $ 0.01 | $ 0.02 |
| Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($) | 3 Months Ended | |
| Jun. 30, 2015 | Jun. 30, 2014 | |
| OPERATING ACTIVITIES | ||
| Net earnings (loss) | $ 525,949 | $ (118,250) |
| Adjustments to reconcile net earnings (loss) to cash provided by (used in) operating activities: | ||
| Depreciation | 427,950 | 443,849 |
| Deferred taxes | 35,578 | (37,448) |
| Change in postretirement benefits | 23,171 | 19,208 |
| Decrease (increase) in operating assets: | ||
| Accounts receivable | 1,244,504 | 1,240,793 |
| Inventories | 680,834 | (3,624,589) |
| Other current assets | 126,456 | 100,189 |
| Increase (decrease) in operating liabilities: | ||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | (778,408) | (1,643,532) |
| Income taxes payable | 62,974 | |
| Contribution to profit sharing plan | 51,000 | 52,500 |
| Employee compensation and related expenses | 118,971 | (52,815) |
| NET CASH PROVIDED BY (USED IN) OPERATING ACTIVITIES | 2,518,979 | (3,620,095) |
| INVESTING ACTIVITIES | ||
| Purchase of property, plant and equipment | (835,230) | (521,512) |
| Increase in cash surrender value of officers' life insurance | (17,250) | (15,250) |
| NET CASH USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES | (852,480) | (536,762) |
| FINANCING ACTIVITIES | ||
| Cash dividends paid | (67,994) | (135,989) |
| NET CASH USED IN FINANCING ACTIVITIES | (67,994) | (135,989) |
| INCREASE (DECREASE) IN CASH | 1,598,505 | (4,292,846) |
| Cash at beginning of period | 2,225,924 | 15,081,024 |
| CASH AT END OF PERIOD | $ 3,824,429 | $ 10,788,178 |
| Basis of Presentation | 3 Months Ended |
| Jun. 30, 2015 | |
| Accounting Policies [Abstract] | |
| Basis of Presentation | NOTE A — BASIS OF PRESENTATION The accompanying unaudited, condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q and do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and footnotes of Friedman Industries, Incorporated (the “Company”) included in its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2015. |
| Inventories | 3 Months Ended |
| Jun. 30, 2015 | |
| Inventory Disclosure [Abstract] | |
| Inventories | NOTE B — INVENTORIES Inventories consist of prime coil, non-standard coil and tubular materials. Prime coil inventory consists primarily of raw materials, non-standard coil inventory consists primarily of raw materials, and tubular inventory consists of both raw materials and finished goods. Inventories are valued at the lower of cost or replacement market. Cost for prime coil inventory is determined using the last-in, first-out (“LIFO”) method. Cost for non-standard coil inventory is determined using the specific identification method. Cost for tubular inventory is determined using the weighted average method. A summary of inventory values by product group follows: June 30, 2015 March 31, 2015 Prime Coil Inventory $ 9,778,816 $ 8,419,340 Non-Standard Coil Inventory 1,521,315 1,804,635 Tubular Raw Material 1,247,618 1,888,849 Tubular Finished Goods 27,622,083 28,737,842 $ 40,169,832 $ 40,850,666 |
| Debt | 3 Months Ended |
| Jun. 30, 2015 | |
| Debt Disclosure [Abstract] | |
| Debt | NOTE C — DEBT On May 8, 2015, the Company entered into a credit arrangement for a $5,000,000 revolving line of credit facility (the “Credit Facility”) with JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. The Credit Facility expires on April 30, 2016. The Credit Facility contains financial covenants that require the Company to not permit: tangible net worth to be less than $57,000,000, ratio of total liabilities to tangible net worth to be greater than 1.00 to 1.00 and net income for any period of four consecutive fiscal quarters to be less than $1.00. At June 30, 2015, the Company did not have borrowings outstanding under the Credit Facility. |
| Segment Information | 3 Months Ended |
| Jun. 30, 2015 | |
| Segment Reporting [Abstract] | |
| Segment Information | NOTE D — SEGMENT INFORMATION (in thousands) THREE MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2015 2014 Net sales Coil $ 19,348 $ 17,906 Tubular 4,621 9,999 Total net sales $ 23,969 $ 27,905 Operating profit (loss) Coil $ 2,155 $ (404 ) Tubular (637 ) 772 Total operating profit 1,518 368 Corporate expenses 729 460 Interest & other income (17 ) (15 ) Earnings (loss) before income taxes $ 806 $ (77 ) June 30, 2015 March 31, 2015 Segment assets Coil $ 22,608 $ 21,249 Tubular 39,143 42,144 61,751 63,393 Corporate assets 5,143 3,565 $ 66,894 $ 66,958 Corporate expenses reflect general and administrative expenses not directly associated with segment operations and consist primarily of corporate executive and accounting salaries, professional fees and services, bad debts, profit sharing expense, corporate insurance expenses and office supplies. Corporate assets consist primarily of cash and the cash value of officers’ life insurance. |
| Supplemental Cash Flow Information | 3 Months Ended |
| Jun. 30, 2015 | |
| Supplemental Cash Flow Elements [Abstract] | |
| Supplemental Cash Flow Information | NOTE E — SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW INFORMATION The Company paid income taxes of approximately $29,500 and $93,000 in the quarters ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively. No interest was paid in the quarters ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Noncash financing activities consisted of accrued dividends of $67,994 and $135,989 in the quarters ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively. |
| Income Taxes | 3 Months Ended |
| Jun. 30, 2015 | |
| Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract] | |
| Income Taxes | NOTE F — INCOME TAXES The Company’s effective tax rate for the quarter ended June 30, 2015 approximated the statutory rate. The Company’s effective tax rate for the quarter ended June 30, 2014 differed from the statutory rate due primarily to a change in estimate related to state income taxes payable as of March 31, 2014. |
| Inventories (Tables) | 3 Months Ended |
| Jun. 30, 2015 | |
| Inventory Disclosure [Abstract] | |
| Summary of Inventory by Product Group | A summary of inventory values by product group follows: June 30, 2015 March 31, 2015 Prime Coil Inventory $ 9,778,816 $ 8,419,340 Non-Standard Coil Inventory 1,521,315 1,804,635 Tubular Raw Material 1,247,618 1,888,849 Tubular Finished Goods 27,622,083 28,737,842 $ 40,169,832 $ 40,850,666 |
| Segment Information (Tables) | 3 Months Ended |
| Jun. 30, 2015 | |
| Segment Reporting [Abstract] | |
| Segment Information | THREE MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2015 2014 Net sales Coil $ 19,348 $ 17,906 Tubular 4,621 9,999 Total net sales $ 23,969 $ 27,905 Operating profit (loss) Coil $ 2,155 $ (404 ) Tubular (637 ) 772 Total operating profit 1,518 368 Corporate expenses 729 460 Interest & other income (17 ) (15 ) Earnings (loss) before income taxes $ 806 $ (77 ) June 30, 2015 March 31, 2015 Segment assets Coil $ 22,608 $ 21,249 Tubular 39,143 42,144 61,751 63,393 Corporate assets 5,143 3,565 $ 66,894 $ 66,958 |
| Inventories - Summary of Inventory Values by Product Group (Detail) - USD ($) | Jun. 30, 2015 | Mar. 31, 2015 |
| Inventory [Line Items] | ||
| Inventory, Net | $ 40,169,832 | $ 40,850,666 |
| Prime Coil Inventory | ||
| Inventory [Line Items] | ||
| Raw Materials | 9,778,816 | 8,419,340 |
| Non-Standard Coil Inventory | ||
| Inventory [Line Items] | ||
| Raw Materials | 1,521,315 | 1,804,635 |
| Tubular | ||
| Inventory [Line Items] | ||
| Raw Materials | 1,247,618 | 1,888,849 |
| Finished Goods | $ 27,622,083 | $ 28,737,842 |
| Debt - Additional Information (Detail) - Revolving Credit Facility | May. 08, 2015USD ($) | Jun. 30, 2015USD ($) |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. | ||
| Line of Credit Facility [Line Items] | ||
| Line of credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity | $ 5,000,000 | |
| Line of credit facility, initiation date | May 8, 2015 | |
| Line of credit facility, expiry date | Apr. 30, 2016 | Apr. 30, 2016 |
| Line of credit facility, amount outstanding | $ 0 | |
| Maximum | ||
| Line of Credit Facility [Line Items] | ||
| Line of credit facility covenant terms minimum tangible net worth | $ 57,000,000 | |
| Financial covenant for net income for any period of four consecutive fiscal quarters | $ 1 | |
| Minimum | ||
| Line of Credit Facility [Line Items] | ||
| Ratio of total liabilities to tangible net worth | 1 |
| Segment Information - Segment Information (Detail) - USD ($) | 3 Months Ended | ||
| Jun. 30, 2015 | Jun. 30, 2014 | Mar. 31, 2015 | |
| Segment Reporting Information [Line Items] | |||
| Net sales | $ 23,968,569 | $ 27,904,521 | |
| Interest & other income | (17,250) | (15,252) | |
| Earnings (loss) before income taxes | 805,687 | (77,263) | |
| Total assets | 66,893,687 | $ 66,958,024 | |
| Operating Segments | |||
| Segment Reporting Information [Line Items] | |||
| Operating profit (loss) | 1,518,000 | 368,000 | |
| Total assets | 61,751,000 | 63,393,000 | |
| Operating Segments | Coil | |||
| Segment Reporting Information [Line Items] | |||
| Net sales | 19,348,000 | 17,906,000 | |
| Operating profit (loss) | 2,155,000 | (404,000) | |
| Total assets | 22,608,000 | 21,249,000 | |
| Operating Segments | Tubular | |||
| Segment Reporting Information [Line Items] | |||
| Net sales | 4,621,000 | 9,999,000 | |
| Operating profit (loss) | (637,000) | 772,000 | |
| Total assets | 39,143,000 | 42,144,000 | |
| Corporate and other | |||
| Segment Reporting Information [Line Items] | |||
| Corporate expenses | 729,000 | $ 460,000 | |
| Total assets | $ 5,143,000 | $ 3,565,000 | |
| Supplemental Cash Flow Information - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) | 3 Months Ended | ||
| Jun. 30, 2015 | Jun. 30, 2014 | Mar. 31, 2015 | |
| Supplemental Cash Flow Elements [Abstract] | |||
| Income taxes paid | $ 29,500 | $ 93,000 | |
| Interest paid | 0 | 0 | |
| Accrued dividends | $ 67,994 | $ 135,989 | $ 67,994 |
