Albemarle (ALB) 10-Q 9 Nov 17 2017 Q3 Quarterly report Financial data

Document and Entity Information

Document and Entity Information - shares	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Oct. 31, 2017
Document And Entity Information [Abstract] [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2017
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2,017
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Trading Symbol	ALB
Entity Registrant Name	ALBEMARLE CORP
Entity Central Index Key	915,913
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		110,495,651

Consolidated Statements of Inco

Consolidated Statements of Income - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Income Statement [Abstract]
Net sales	$ 754,866	$ 654,010	$ 2,214,187	$ 1,980,548
Cost of goods sold	479,077	415,038	1,411,216	1,250,938
Gross profit	275,789	238,972	802,971	729,610
Selling, general and administrative expenses	105,582	86,302	329,269	254,988
Research and development expenses	21,763	21,012	63,423	61,384
Gain on sales of businesses, net	0	0	0	(122,298)
Acquisition and integration related costs	0	6,749	0	44,337
Operating profit	148,444	124,909	410,279	491,199
Interest and financing expenses	(15,792)	(15,946)	(98,895)	(46,860)
Other (expenses) income, net	(3,008)	2,990	(6,512)	740
Income from continuing operations before income taxes and equity in net income of unconsolidated investments	129,644	111,953	304,872	445,079
Income tax expense	18,495	12,394	53,596	61,535
Income from continuing operations before equity in net income of unconsolidated investments	111,149	99,559	251,276	383,544
Equity in net income of unconsolidated investments (net of tax)	19,044	14,953	55,263	44,790
Net income from continuing operations	130,193	114,512	306,539	428,334
Income (loss) from discontinued operations (net of tax)	0	23,185	0	(357,843)
Net income	130,193	137,697	306,539	70,491
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	(11,523)	(9,477)	(33,323)	(28,906)
Net income attributable to Albemarle Corporation	$ 118,670	$ 128,220	$ 273,216	$ 41,585
Basic earnings (loss) per share:
Basic earnings per share from continuing operations (in dollars per share)	$ 1.07	$ 0.93	$ 2.46	$ 3.56
Basic earnings per share from discontinued operations (in dollars per share)	0	0.21	0	(3.19)
Basic earnings per share (in dollars per share)	1.07	1.14	2.46	0.37
Diluted earnings (loss) per share:
Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations (in dollars per share)	1.06	0.93	2.43	3.53
Diluted earnings per share from discontinued operations (in dollars per share)	0	0.20	0	(3.16)
Diluted earnings per share (in dollars per share)	$ 1.06	$ 1.13	$ 2.43	$ 0.37
Weighted-average common shares outstanding - basic (in shares)	110,476	112,429	111,049	112,343
Weighted-average common shares outstanding - diluted (in shares)	111,975	113,448	112,456	113,131
Cash dividends declared per share of common stock (in dollars per share)	$ 0.32	$ 0.305	$ 0.96	$ 0.915

Consolidated Statements of Comp

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net income	$ 130,193	$ 137,697	$ 306,539	$ 70,491
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax:
Foreign currency translation	56,179	47,712	199,303	95,425
Pension and postretirement benefits	(7)	206	2	626
Net investment hedge	(9,681)	(7,395)	(37,600)	(10,312)
Interest rate swap	529	525	1,587	1,576
Total other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	47,020	41,048	163,292	87,315
Comprehensive income	177,213	178,745	469,831	157,806
Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests	(11,653)	(9,500)	(34,146)	(29,364)
Comprehensive income attributable to Albemarle Corporation	$ 165,560	$ 169,245	$ 435,685	$ 128,442

Condensed Consolidated Balance

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 1,045,339	$ 2,269,756
Trade accounts receivable, less allowance for doubtful accounts (2017 – $6,378; 2016 – $15,312)	520,076	486,035
Other accounts receivable	50,071	41,985
Inventories	610,212	450,263
Other current assets	101,626	58,579
Total current assets	2,327,324	3,306,618
Property, plant and equipment, at cost	4,167,065	3,910,522
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization	1,682,780	1,550,382
Net property, plant and equipment	2,484,285	2,360,140
Investments	530,227	457,533
Other assets	148,573	142,320
Goodwill	1,616,478	1,540,032
Other intangibles, net of amortization	416,413	354,564
Total assets	7,523,300	8,161,207
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	361,937	281,874
Accrued expenses	276,953	322,165
Current portion of long-term debt	382,358	247,544
Dividends payable	35,142	34,104
Income taxes payable	46,627	254,416
Total current liabilities	1,103,017	1,140,103
Long-term debt	1,407,171	2,121,718
Postretirement benefits	50,446	50,538
Pension benefits	309,787	298,695
Other noncurrent liabilities	199,273	194,810
Deferred income taxes	414,034	412,739
Commitments and contingencies (Note 11)
Albemarle Corporation shareholders’ equity:
Common stock, $.01 par value, issued and outstanding – 110,495 in 2017 and 112,524 in 2016	1,105	1,125
Additional paid-in capital	1,858,753	2,084,418
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(249,943)	(412,412)
Retained earnings	2,288,904	2,121,931
Total Albemarle Corporation shareholders’ equity	3,898,819	3,795,062
Noncontrolling interests	140,753	147,542
Total equity	4,039,572	3,942,604
Total liabilities and equity	$ 7,523,300	$ 8,161,207

Condensed Consolidated Balance5

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Trade accounts receivable, allowance for doubtful accounts	$ 6,378	$ 15,312
Common stock, par value	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common stock, issued	110,495	112,524
Common stock, outstanding	110,495	112,524

Consolidated Statements of Chan

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Total	Common Stock	Additional Paid-in Capital	Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income	Retained Earnings	Total Albemarle Shareholders' Equity	Non-controlling Interests
Beginning Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2015		112,219,351
Beginning Balance at Dec. 31, 2015	$ 3,401,313	$ 1,122	$ 2,059,151	$ (421,288)	$ 1,615,407	$ 3,254,392	$ 146,921
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net income	70,491				41,585	41,585	28,906
Other comprehensive income	87,315			86,857		86,857	458
Cash dividends declared	(126,706)				(102,832)	(102,832)	(23,874)
Stock-based compensation and other	12,882		12,882			12,882
Exercise of stock options (in shares)		162,438
Exercise of stock options	6,779	$ 1	6,778			6,779
Tax benefit related to stock plans	1,369		1,369			1,369
Issuance of common stock, net (in shares)		120,160
Issuance of common stock, net	0	$ 1	(1)			0
Shares withheld for withholding taxes associated with common stock issuances (in shares)		(35,701)
Shares withheld for withholding taxes associated with common stock issuances	(2,010)	$ 0	(2,010)			(2,010)
Ending Balance (in shares) at Sep. 30, 2016		112,466,248
Ending Balance at Sep. 30, 2016	3,451,433	$ 1,124	2,078,169	(334,431)	1,554,160	3,299,022	152,411
Beginning Balance at Jun. 30, 2016				(375,456)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net income	137,697
Other comprehensive income	41,048
Ending Balance (in shares) at Sep. 30, 2016		112,466,248
Ending Balance at Sep. 30, 2016	3,451,433	$ 1,124	2,078,169	(334,431)	1,554,160	3,299,022	152,411
Beginning Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2016		112,523,790
Beginning Balance at Dec. 31, 2016	3,942,604	$ 1,125	2,084,418	(412,412)	2,121,931	3,795,062	147,542
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net income	306,539				273,216	273,216	33,323
Other comprehensive income	163,292			162,469		162,469	823
Cash dividends declared	(134,034)				(106,243)	(106,243)	(27,791)
Stock-based compensation and other	12,477		12,477			12,477
Exercise of stock options (in shares)		159,432
Exercise of stock options	7,011	$ 2	7,009			7,011
Shares repurchased (in shares)		(2,341,083)
Shares repurchased	(250,000)	$ (23)	(249,977)			(250,000)
Issuance of common stock, net (in shares)		241,755
Issuance of common stock, net	0	$ 2	(2)			0
Termination of Tianqi Lithium Corporation option agreement	0		13,144			13,144	(13,144)
Shares withheld for withholding taxes associated with common stock issuances (in shares)		(89,057)
Shares withheld for withholding taxes associated with common stock issuances	(8,317)	$ (1)	(8,316)			(8,317)
Ending Balance (in shares) at Sep. 30, 2017		110,494,837
Ending Balance at Sep. 30, 2017	4,039,572	$ 1,105	1,858,753	(249,943)	2,288,904	3,898,819	140,753
Beginning Balance at Jun. 30, 2017				(296,833)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net income	130,193
Other comprehensive income	47,020
Ending Balance (in shares) at Sep. 30, 2017		110,494,837
Ending Balance at Sep. 30, 2017	$ 4,039,572	$ 1,105	$ 1,858,753	$ (249,943)	$ 2,288,904	$ 3,898,819	$ 140,753

Condensed Consolidated Statemen

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Statement of Cash Flows [Abstract]
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year	$ 2,269,756	$ 213,734
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income	306,539	70,491
Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash flows from operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	144,087	176,499
Gain on acquisition	(6,025)	0
Gain on sales of businesses, net	0	(122,298)
Stock-based compensation	15,595	13,818
Equity in net income of unconsolidated investments (net of tax)	(55,263)	(46,224)
Dividends received from unconsolidated investments and nonmarketable securities	11,900	34,982
Pension and postretirement expense	67	7,911
Pension and postretirement contributions	(9,607)	(13,649)
Unrealized gain on investments in marketable securities	(2,007)	(3,281)
Loss on early extinguishment of debt	52,801	0
Deferred income taxes	4,677	404,728
Working capital changes	(398,913)	(79,684)
Other, net	10,993	10,821
Net cash provided by operating activities	74,844	454,114
Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired	(45,406)	0
Cash payments related to acquisitions and other	0	(81,988)
Capital expenditures	(187,519)	(141,301)
Cash proceeds from divestitures, net	6,857	310,599
Sales of marketable securities, net	450	822
Repayments from joint ventures	1,250	0
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities	(224,368)	88,132
Cash flows from financing activities:
Repayments of long-term debt	(753,209)	(382,730)
Proceeds from borrowings of long-term debt	27,000	0
Other borrowings (repayments), net	79,203	(9,026)
Fees related to early extinguishment of debt	(46,959)	0
Dividends paid to shareholders	(105,205)	(101,061)
Dividends paid to noncontrolling interests	(27,791)	(23,873)
Repurchases of common stock	(250,000)	0
Proceeds from exercise of stock options	7,011	6,779
Withholding taxes paid on stock-based compensation award distributions	(8,317)	(2,008)
Net cash used in financing activities	(1,078,267)	(511,919)
Net effect of foreign exchange on cash and cash equivalents	3,374	(10,462)
(Decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents	(1,224,417)	19,865
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$ 1,045,339	$ 233,599

Basis of Presentaion

Basis of Presentaion	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation: In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of Albemarle Corporation and our wholly-owned, majority-owned and controlled subsidiaries (collectively, “Albemarle,” “we,” “us,” “our” or “the Company”) contain all adjustments necessary for a fair statement, in all material respects, of our condensed consolidated balance sheets as of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 , our consolidated statements of income and consolidated statements of comprehensive income for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 and our consolidated statements of changes in equity and condensed consolidated statements of cash flows for the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 . Income tax expense for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2017 includes expense of $5.1 million due to an adjustment in the Company's deferred tax liabilities for basis differences in Chilean fixed assets related to the three-month period ended September 30, 2016. The Company does not believe this adjustment is material to the consolidated financial statements for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2017, the three- or nine-month periods ended September 30, 2016, or the year ended December 31, 2016. Other comprehensive income for the three-month period ended September 30, 2016 includes an adjustment of $12.5 million to reduce the Foreign currency translation on the Company’s investment in the Windfield Holdings Pty. Ltd. joint venture related to the three month period ended March 31, 2016. There is no impact to the results for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2016 . The Company does not believe this adjustment is material to the condensed consolidated financial statements for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2016 or September 30, 2016. All other adjustments are of a normal and recurring nature. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 , which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on February 28, 2017. The December 31, 2016 condensed consolidated balance sheet data herein was derived from audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) in the United States (“U.S.”). The results of operations for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year. Certain reclassifications have been made to the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto to conform to the current presentation. In addition, for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 , the Company began reporting its acquisition and integration related costs and restructuring and other costs in Cost of goods sold, Selling, general and administrative expenses and Research and development expenses. See Note 2, “Acquisitions,” and Note 12, “Segment Information,” for further details. As described further in Note 3, “Divestitures,” on December 14, 2016, the Company closed the sale of its Chemetall ® Surface Treatment business to BASF SE. Financial results of this business have been presented as discontinued operations in the consolidated statements of income and excluded from segment results for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2016.

Acquisitions

Acquisitions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Acquisitions	Acquisitions: On December 31, 2016, we completed the acquisition of all equity interests in the lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate conversion business of Jiangxi Jiangli New Materials Science and Technology Co. Ltd. (“Jiangli New Materials”) for a cash purchase price of approximately $145 million . This includes manufacturing assets located in both Jiangxi and Sichuan, China focused on the production of battery-grade lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide. This acquisition will enable us to supply premium lithium salts to an expanded global customer base while solidifying our leading position in the lithium industry. The aggregate purchase price was allocated to the major categories of assets and liabilities acquired based upon their estimated fair values as of December 31, 2016, which were based, in part, upon outside preliminary appraisals for certain assets. The preliminary estimated fair values of the assets and liabilities acquired were primarily related to Property, plant and equipment of $29.0 million , Other intangibles of $32.0 million and Deferred tax liabilities of $3.7 million . In addition, the estimated fair value of net working capital acquired was $6.2 million , however, an equal liability was recorded in Accrued expenses, as it will be repaid to the previous owners of the acquired business. The excess of the purchase price over the preliminary estimated fair value of the net assets acquired was approximately $87.7 million and was recorded as goodwill. The allocation of the purchase price to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, including the residual amount allocated to goodwill, is based upon preliminary information and is subject to change within the measurement period (up to one year from the acquisition date) as additional information concerning final asset and liability valuations is obtained. The primary areas of the preliminary purchase price allocation that are not yet finalized relate to the property, plant and equipment, other intangible assets, deferred income taxes, as well as various working capital accounts. The fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed are based on management’s preliminary estimates and assumptions, as well as other information compiled by management, including valuations that utilize customary valuation procedures and techniques. While the Company believes that such preliminary estimates provide a reasonable basis for estimating the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, it will evaluate any necessary information prior to finalization of the amounts. During the measurement period, the Company will adjust assets or liabilities if new information is obtained about facts and circumstances that existed as of the acquisition date that, if known, would have resulted in revised estimated values of those assets or liabilities as of that date. During the nine-month period ended September 30, 2017 , the Company purchased inventory with a fair value of $37.1 million in connection with the Jiangli New Materials acquisition. The fair value included the markup of the underlying book value of $23.1 million . The inventory markup was expensed over the estimated remaining selling period, with $0.6 million and $23.1 million recorded in the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 , respectively. Goodwill arising from this acquisition consists largely of the anticipated synergies and economies of scale from the combined assets and the overall strategic importance of the acquired assets to Albemarle. The goodwill attributable to the acquisition will not be amortizable or deductible for tax purposes. The weighted-average amortization periods for the other intangible assets acquired are 20 years for patents and technology, 18 years for customer lists and relationships and 3 years for other. The weighted-average amortization period for all definite-lived intangible assets acquired is 17 years. On February 1, 2017, the Company acquired the remaining 50% interest in the Sales de Magnesio Ltda. (“Salmag”) joint venture in Chile from SQM Salar S.A. for approximately $8.3 million , net of cash acquired. In connection with the acquisition, the Company recorded a gain of $6.0 million , calculated based on the difference between the purchase price and the book value of the investment in Other (expenses) income, net on the consolidated statements of income for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2017 . In the third quarter of 2017, the Company recorded an adjustment to reduce the previously reported gain by $1.4 million in Other (expenses) income, net on the consolidated statements of income. The calculation of the gain and the fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed are based on management’s preliminary estimates and assumptions. While the Company believes that such preliminary estimates provide a reasonable basis for estimating the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, it will evaluate any necessary information prior to finalization of the amounts. Acquisition and integration related costs for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 of $1.8 million and $12.5 million were included in Cost of goods sold, respectively, and $3.8 million and $13.9 million were included in Selling, general and administrative expenses, respectively, on our consolidated statements of income. These acquisition and integration related costs relate to various significant projects, including the Jiangli New Materials acquisition, which contains unusual compensation related costs negotiated specifically as a result of this acquisition that are outside of the Company’s normal compensation arrangements. Included in Acquisition and integration related costs on our consolidated statements of income for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2016 were $6.3 million and $42.4 million , respectively, of integration costs resulting from the acquisition of Rockwood Holdings, Inc. (mainly consisting of professional services fees, costs to achieve synergies, relocation costs, and other integration costs) and $0.4 million and $1.9 million , respectively, of costs in connection with other significant projects.

Divestitures

Divestitures	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]
Divestitures	Divestitures: Discontinued Operations On June 17, 2016, we entered into a definitive agreement to sell the Chemetall Surface Treatment business to BASF SE. On December 14, 2016, the Company closed the sale of this business and received proceeds of approximately $3.1 billion , net of purchase price adjustments. During the second quarter of 2017, we received a final working capital settlement of $6.9 million related to the sale of this business. The sale of the Chemetall Surface Treatment business, a separate reportable segment, qualified for discontinued operations treatment because it represented a strategic shift that will have a major effect on the Company’s operations and financial results. As a result, the Company accounted for this business as discontinued operations in the consolidated statements of income and excluded the business from segment results for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2016. The Company stopped recording depreciation and amortization expense on assets of the Chemetall Surface Treatment business as of the date this business qualified for discontinued operations treatment, in the second quarter of 2016. The major components of Income (loss) from discontinued operations (net of tax) for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2016 were as follows (in thousands): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Net sales $ 211,347 $ 637,889 Cost of goods sold 100,061 333,832 Operating expenses, net 70,604 203,052 Interest and financing expenses (a) 9,864 29,912 Other expenses (income), net 134 (1,636 ) Income before income taxes 30,684 72,729 Income tax expense (b) 7,499 430,572 Income (loss) from discontinued operations (net of tax) $ 23,185 $ (357,843 ) (a) Interest and financing expenses included the allocation of interest expense not directly attributable to other operations as well as interest expense related to debt to be assumed by the buyer. The allocation of interest expense to discontinued operations was based on the ratio of net assets held for sale to the sum of total net assets plus consolidated debt. (b) Income tax expense for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2016 included a discrete non-cash charge of ($381.5) million due to a change in the Company’s assertion over book and tax basis differences related to a U.S. entity being sold. In addition, Income tax expense for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2016 included discrete non-cash benefits (charges) of $5.4 million and ($29.8) million , respectively, rel ated to a change in the Company’s assertion over reinvestment of foreign undistributed earnings. Depreciation and amortization and capital expenditures from discontinued operations for the nine -month period ended September 30, 2016 were as follows (in thousands): Nine Months Ended Depreciation and amortization $ 35,194 Capital expenditures $ 15,525 Other Divestitures On November 5, 2015, the Company signed a definitive agreement to sell its Tribotecc metal sulfides business to Treibacher Industrie AG. Included in the transaction were sites in Vienna and Arnoldstein, Austria, and Tribotecc’s proprietary sulfide synthesis process. On January 4, 2016, t he Company closed the sale of this business, effective for the first day of business in 2016. We received net proceeds of approximate ly $137 million and recorded a gain of $11.5 million before income taxes in 2016 related to the sale of this business. On December 16, 2015, the Company signed a definitive agreement to sell its minerals-based flame retardants and specialty chemicals business to Huber Engineered Materials, a division of J.M. Huber Corporation. The transaction included Albemarle’s Martinswerk GmbH subsidiary and manufacturing facility located in Bergheim, Germany, and Albemarle’s 50% ownership interest in Magnifin Magnesiaprodukte GmbH, a joint-venture with Radex Heraklith Industriebeteiligung AG in Breitenau, Au stria. On February 1, 2016, the Company closed the sale of these businesses. We received net proceeds of approximately $187 million and recorded a gain of $112.3 million before income taxes in 2016 related to the sale of these businesses. Also included in Gain on sales of businesses, net, for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2016 was a loss of $1.5 million on the sale of our wafer reclaim business. These businesses did not qualify for discontinued operations treatment because the Company’s management did not consider their sale as representing a strategic shift that had or will have a major effect on the Company’s operations and financial results.

Goodwill and Other Intangibles

Goodwill and Other Intangibles	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Goodwill and Other Intangibles	Goodwill and Other Intangibles: The following table summarizes the changes in goodwill by reportable segment for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 (in thousands): Lithium and Advanced Materials Bromine Specialties Refining Solutions All Other Total Balance at December 31, 2016 $ 1,348,261 $ 20,319 $ 164,866 $ 6,586 $ 1,540,032 Acquisitions (a) (21,427 ) — — — (21,427 ) Foreign currency translation adjustments and other 77,707 — 20,166 — 97,873 Balance at September 30, 2017 $ 1,404,541 $ 20,319 $ 185,032 $ 6,586 $ 1,616,478 (a) Primarily represents preliminary purchase price adjustments related to the preliminary appraisal of intangible assets during the measurement period for the Jiangli New Materials acquisition. See Note 2, “Acquisitions,” for additional information. The following table summarizes the changes in other intangibles and related accumulated amortization for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 (in thousands): Customer Lists and Relationships Trade Names and Trademarks (a) Patents and Technology Other Total Gross Asset Value Balance at December 31, 2016 $ 387,893 $ 16,514 $ 38,434 $ 18,844 $ 461,685 Acquisitions (b) 1,717 1,429 25,555 15,677 44,378 Foreign currency translation adjustments and other 28,461 913 3,245 5,277 37,896 Balance at September 30, 2017 $ 418,071 $ 18,856 $ 67,234 $ 39,798 $ 543,959 Accumulated Amortization Balance at December 31, 2016 $ (49,165 ) $ (7,952 ) $ (31,683 ) $ (18,321 ) $ (107,121 ) Amortization (14,811 ) — (1,288 ) (1,528 ) (17,627 ) Foreign currency translation adjustments and other (3,620 ) (296 ) (1,816 ) 2,934 (2,798 ) Balance at September 30, 2017 $ (67,596 ) $ (8,248 ) $ (34,787 ) $ (16,915 ) $ (127,546 ) Net Book Value at December 31, 2016 $ 338,728 $ 8,562 $ 6,751 $ 523 $ 354,564 Net Book Value at September 30, 2017 $ 350,475 $ 10,608 $ 32,447 $ 22,883 $ 416,413 (a) Balances as of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 include only indefinite-lived intangible assets. (b) Represents preliminary purchase price adjustments for the Jiangli New Materials acquisition and the acquisition of the remaining equity interest in Salmag. See Note 2, “Acquisitions,” for additional information.

Foreign Exchange

Foreign Exchange	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Foreign Currency [Abstract]
Foreign Exchange	Foreign Exchange: Foreign exchange transaction and revaluation (losses) gains were ($1.9) million and ($7.6) million for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 , respectively, and $0.3 million and ($3.1) million for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2016 , respectively, and were included in Other (expenses) income, net, in our consolidated statements of income, with the unrealized portion included in Other, net, in our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows.

Income Taxes

Income Taxes	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	Income Taxes: The effective income tax rate for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 was 14.3% and 17.6% , respectively, compared to 11.1% and 13.8% for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2016 , respectively. The Company’s effective income tax rate fluctuates based on, among other factors, its level and location of income. The difference between the U.S. federal statutory income tax rate and our effective income tax rate for the 2017 and 2016 periods was primarily due to the impact of earnings from outside the U.S., and is mainly attributable to our share of the income of our Jordan Bromine Company Limited (“JBC”) joint venture, a Free Zones company under the laws of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. In addition, Income tax expense for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2017 included foreign rate changes of $14.8 million and a $5.1 million out-of-period adjustment as described in Note 1, "Basis of Presentation," partially offset by a $10.8 million benefit from the release of valuation allowances due to a foreign restructuring plan that was initiated during the second quarter of 2017 and a $6.9 million reduction from the tax effects of stock-based compensation awards. Our effective tax rate for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2016 was driven down by a variety of factors, primarily low tax gains from the sale of the minerals-based flame retardant business, as well as a favorable mix of earnings in lower tax jurisdictions.

Earnings Per Share

Earnings Per Share	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Earnings Per Share	Earnings Per Share: Basic and diluted earnings per share from continuing operations for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 are calculated as follows (in thousands, except per share amounts): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2017 2016 2017 2016 Basic earnings per share from continuing operations Numerator: Net income from continuing operations $ 130,193 $ 114,512 $ 306,539 $ 428,334 Net income from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests (11,523 ) (9,477 ) (33,323 ) (28,906 ) Net income from continuing operations attributable to Albemarle Corporation $ 118,670 $ 105,035 $ 273,216 $ 399,428 Denominator: Weighted-average common shares for basic earnings per share 110,476 112,429 111,049 112,343 Basic earnings per share from continuing operations $ 1.07 $ 0.93 $ 2.46 $ 3.56 Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations Numerator: Net income from continuing operations $ 130,193 $ 114,512 $ 306,539 $ 428,334 Net income from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests (11,523 ) (9,477 ) (33,323 ) (28,906 ) Net income from continuing operations attributable to Albemarle Corporation $ 118,670 $ 105,035 $ 273,216 $ 399,428 Denominator: Weighted-average common shares for basic earnings per share 110,476 112,429 111,049 112,343 Incremental shares under stock compensation plans 1,499 1,019 1,407 788 Weighted-average common shares for diluted earnings per share 111,975 113,448 112,456 113,131 Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations $ 1.06 $ 0.93 $ 2.43 $ 3.53 On February 23, 2017, the Company increased the regular quarterly dividend by 5% to $0.32 per share. On July 10, 2017 , the Company declared a cash dividend of $0.32 per share, which was paid on October 2, 2017 to shareholders of record at the close of business as of September 15, 2017 . On November 6, 2017 , the Company declared a cash dividend of $0.32 per share, which is payable on January 2, 2018 to shareholders of record at the close of business as of December 15, 2017 . Under our existing Board-authorized share repurchase program, the Company entered into an accelerated share repurchase (“ASR”) agreement with a financial institution on March 1, 2017. Under the ASR agreement, i n March 2017, t he Company paid $250 million from available cash on hand and received and retired an initial delivery of 1,948,178 shares of our common sto ck . Under the terms of the ASR agreement, on June 16, 2017, the transaction was completed and we received and retired a final settlement of 392,905 shares, calculated based on the daily Rule 10b-18 volume-weighted average prices of the Company’s common stock over the term of the ASR agreement, less an agreed discoun t. The Company determined that the ASR agreement met the criteria to be accounted for as a forward contract indexed to its stock and was therefore treated as an equity instrument. In total, we received and retired 2,341,083 shares under the ASR agreement, which reduced the Company’s weighted average shares outstanding for purposes of calculating basic and diluted earnings per share for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2017. No more than 15,000,000 shares can be repurchased under the Company’s authorized share repurchase program. As of September 30, 2017 , there were 12,658,917 remaining shares available for repurchase under the Company’s authorized share repurchase program.

Inventories

Inventories	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Inventories	Inventories: The following table provides a breakdown of inventories at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 (in thousands): September 30, December 31, 2017 2016 Finished goods (a) $ 420,059 $ 289,102 Raw materials and work in process (b) 135,025 109,706 Stores, supplies and other 55,128 51,455 Total $ 610,212 $ 450,263 (a) Increase primarily due to the Jiangli New Materials acquisition and other lithium sites, as well as the build up of inventory in our Refining Solutions segment for an increase in sales in the fourth quarter. (b) Included $56.0 million and $47.1 million at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 , respectively, of work in process related to the Lithium product category.

Investments

Investments	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract]
Investments	Investments: The Company holds a 49% equity interest in Windfield Holdings Pty. Ltd. (“Windfield”), where the ownership parties share risks and benefits disproportionate to their voting interests. As a result, the Company considers Windfield to be a variable interest entity (“VIE”), however this investment is not consolidated as the Company is not the primary beneficiary. The carrying amount of our 49% equity interest in Windfield, which is our most significant VIE, was $352.0 million and $288.6 million at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 , respectively. The Company’s aggregate net investment in all other entities which it considers to be VIEs for which the Company is not the primary beneficiary was $8.4 million and $8.8 million at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 , respectively. Our unconsolidated VIEs are reported in Investments on the condensed consolidated balance sheets. The Company does not guarantee debt for, or have other financial support obligations to, these entities, and its maximum exposure to loss in connection with its continuing involvement with these entities is limited to the carrying value of its investments. As part of the original Windfield joint venture agreement, Tianqi Lithium Corporation ("Tianqi") was granted an option to purchase from 20% to 30% of the equity interests in Rockwood Lithium GmbH, a wholly-owned German subsidiary of Albemarle, and its subsidiaries. In February 2017, Albemarle and Tianqi terminated the option agreement, and as a result, we will retain 100% of the ownership interest in Rockwood Lithium GmbH and its subsidiaries. Following the termination of the option agreement, the $13.1 million fair value of the option agreement originally recorded in Noncontrolling interests was reversed and recorded as an adjustment to Additional paid-in capital.

Long-Term Debt

Long-Term Debt	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Long-term Debt	Long-Term Debt: Long-term debt at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 consisted of the following (in thousands): September 30, December 31, 2017 2016 1.875% Senior notes, net of unamortized discount and debt issuance costs of $4,167 at September 30, 2017 and $7,823 at December 31, 2016 $ 456,665 $ 719,617 3.00% Senior notes, net of unamortized discount and debt issuance costs of $1,286 at December 31, 2016 — 248,714 4.15% Senior notes, net of unamortized discount and debt issuance costs of $3,494 at September 30, 2017 and $3,859 at December 31, 2016 421,506 421,141 4.50% Senior notes, net of unamortized discount and debt issuance costs of $966 at September 30, 2017 and $2,380 at December 31, 2016 174,249 347,620 5.45% Senior notes, net of unamortized discount and debt issuance costs of $4,197 at September 30, 2017 and $4,313 at December 31, 2016 345,803 345,687 Commercial paper notes 382,250 247,503 Variable-rate foreign bank loans 8,695 38,939 Other 361 41 Total long-term debt 1,789,529 2,369,262 Less amounts due within one year 382,358 247,544 Long-term debt, less current portion $ 1,407,171 $ 2,121,718 In the first quarter of 2017, using a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Chemetall Surface Treatment business, we repaid the 3.00% Senior notes in full, €307.0 million of the 1.875% Senior notes and $174.7 million of the 4.50% Senior notes, as well as related tender premiums of $45.2 million . As a result, Interest and financing expenses on the consolidated statements of income includes a loss on early extinguishment of debt of $52.8 million for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2017 , representing the tender premiums, fees, unamortized discounts and unamortized deferred financings costs from the redemption of these senior notes. Current portion of long-term debt at September 30, 2017 consisted primarily of commercial paper notes with a weighted-average interest rate of approximately 1.76% and a weighted-average maturity of 36 days . The carrying value of our 1.875% Euro-denominated senior notes has been designated as an effective hedge of our net investment in certain foreign subsidiaries where the Euro serves as the functional currency, and gains or losses on the revaluation of these senior notes to our reporting currency are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss. During the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 , losses of $9.7 million and $37.6 million (net of income taxes), respectively, and during the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2016 , losses of $7.4 million and $10.3 million (net of income taxes), respectively, were recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss in connection with the revaluation of these senior notes to our reporting currency.

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	Commitments and Contingencies: Environmental We had the following activity in our recorded environmental liabilities for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 , as follows (in thousands): Beginning balance at December 31, 2016 $ 34,919 Expenditures (1,320 ) Accretion of discount 563 Foreign currency translation adjustments and other 2,384 Ending balance at September 30, 2017 36,546 Less amounts reported in Accrued expenses 2,476 Amounts reported in Other noncurrent liabilities $ 34,070 Environmental remediation liabilities included discounted liabilities of $24.7 million and $22.8 million at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 , respectively, discounted at rates with a weighted-average of 3.6% , with the undiscounted amount totaling $64.6 million and $61.1 million at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 , respectively. For certain locations where the Company is operating groundwater monitoring and/or remediation systems, prior owners or insurers have assumed all or most of the responsibility. The amounts recorded represent our future remediation and other anticipated environmental liabilities. These liabilities typically arise during the normal course of our operational and environmental management activities or at the time of acquisition of the site, and are based on internal analysis as well as input from outside consultants. As evaluations proceed at each relevant site, changes in risk assessment practices, remediation techniques and regulatory requirements can occur, therefore such liability estimates may be adjusted accordingly. The timing and duration of remediation activities at these sites will be determined when evaluations are completed. Although it is difficult to quantify the potential financial impact of these remediation liabilities, management estimates (based on the latest available information) that there is a reasonable possibility that future environmental remediation costs associated with our past operations, in excess of amounts already recorded, could be up to approximately $17 million before income taxes. We believe that any sum we may be required to pay in connection with environmental remediation matters in excess of the amounts recorded would likely occur over a period of time and would likely not have a material adverse effect upon our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows on a consolidated annual basis although any such sum could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows in a particular quarterly reporting period. Litigation We are involved from time to time in legal proceedings of types regarded as common in our business, including administrative or judicial proceedings seeking remediation under environmental laws, such as the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, commonly known as CERCLA or Superfund, products liability, breach of contract liability and premises liability litigation. Where appropriate, we may establish financial reserves for such proceedings. We also maintain insurance to mitigate certain of such risks. Costs for legal services are generally expensed as incurred. Indemnities We are indemnified by third parties in connection with certain matters related to acquired and divested businesses. Although we believe that the financial condition of those parties who may have indemnification obligations to the Company is generally sound, in the event the Company seeks indemnity under any of these agreements or through other means, there can be no assurance that any party who may have obligations to indemnify us will adhere to their obligations and we may have to resort to legal action to enforce our rights under the indemnities. The Company may be subject to indemnity claims relating to properties or businesses it divested, including properties or businesses of acquired businesses that were divested prior to the completion of the acquisition. In the opinion of management, and based upon information currently available, the ultimate resolution of any indemnification obligations owed to the Company or by the Company is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. The Company had approximately $43.4 million and $38.2 million at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 , respectively, recorded in Other noncurrent liabilities related to the indemnification of certain income and non-income tax liabilities associated with the Chemetall Surface Treatment entities sold. Other We have contracts with certain of our customers, which serve as guarantees on product delivery and performance according to customer specifications that can cover both shipments on an individual basis as well as blanket coverage of multiple shipments under certain customer supply contracts. The financial coverage provided by these guarantees is typically based on a percentage of net sales value.

Segment Information

Segment Information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Reportable Segments	Segment Information: Our three reportable segments include Lithium and Advanced Materials, Bromine Specialties and Refining Solutions. Each segment has a dedicated team of sales, research and development, process engineering, manufacturing and sourcing, and business strategy personnel and has full accountability for improving execution through greater asset and market focus, agility and responsiveness. This structure aligns with the markets and customers we serve through each of the segments. The structure also facilitates the continued standardization of business processes across the organization, and is consistent with the manner in which information is presently used internally by the Company’s chief operating decision maker to evaluate performance and make resource allocation decisions. Summarized financial information concerning our reportable segments is shown in the following tables. The “All Other” category comprises operating segments that did not fit into any of our core businesses. During the first quarter of 2016 , we completed the sales of the metal sulfides business and the minerals-based flame retardants and specialty chemicals businesses. For additional information about these businesses, see Note 3, “Divestitures.” Following the sales of these businesses, the “All Other” category includes only the fine chemistry services business. The Corporate category is not considered to be a segment and includes corporate-related items not allocated to the operating segments. Pension and OPEB service cost (which represents the benefits earned by active employees during the period) and amortization of prior service cost or benefit are allocated to the reportable segments, All Other, and Corporate, whereas the remaining components of pension and OPEB benefits cost or credit (“Non-operating pension and OPEB items”) are included in Corporate. Segment data includes intersegment transfers of raw materials at cost and allocations for certain corporate costs. The Company’s chief operating decision maker uses earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, as adjusted on a consistent basis for certain non-recurring or unusual items such as acquisition and integration related costs, utilization of inventory markup, gains or losses on sales of businesses, restructuring charges, facility divestiture charges, non-operating pension and OPEB items and other significant non-recurring items (“adjusted EBITDA”), in a balanced manner and on a segment basis to assess the ongoing performance of the Company’s business segments and to allocate resources. In addition, management uses adjusted EBITDA for business planning purposes and as a significant component in the calculation of performance-based compensation for management and other employees. The Company has reported adjusted EBITDA because management believes it provides transparency to investors and enables period-to-period comparability of financial performance. Adjusted EBITDA is a financial measure that is not required by, or presented in accordance with, U.S. GAAP. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as an alternative to Net income attributable to Albemarle Corporation, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and reported in accordance with U.S. GAAP, or any other financial measure reported in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2017 2016 2017 2016 (In thousands) Net sales: Lithium and Advanced Materials $ 343,557 $ 240,424 $ 945,791 $ 689,950 Bromine Specialties 212,923 194,496 636,059 597,912 Refining Solutions 170,275 190,453 539,904 539,044 All Other 28,021 28,272 91,144 150,987 Corporate 90 365 1,289 2,655 Total net sales $ 754,866 $ 654,010 $ 2,214,187 $ 1,980,548 Adjusted EBITDA: Lithium and Advanced Materials $ 130,218 $ 91,719 $ 382,789 $ 260,861 Bromine Specialties 63,936 51,807 194,499 179,977 Refining Solutions 43,120 64,960 142,777 181,620 All Other 306 5,470 7,906 14,810 Corporate (28,197 ) (25,627 ) (88,271 ) (66,435 ) Total adjusted EBITDA $ 209,383 $ 188,329 $ 639,700 $ 570,833 See below for a reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA, the non-GAAP financial measure, from Net income attributable to Albemarle Corporation, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and reported in accordance with U.S. GAAP (in thousands): Lithium and Advanced Materials Bromine Specialties Refining Solutions Reportable Segments Total All Other Corporate Consolidated Total Three months ended September 30, 2017 Net income (loss) attributable to Albemarle Corporation $ 103,199 $ 53,760 $ 34,392 $ 191,351 $ (1,776 ) $ (70,905 ) $ 118,670 Depreciation and amortization 26,136 10,176 9,978 46,290 2,082 1,523 49,895 Utilization of inventory markup (a) 568 — — 568 — — 568 Adjustment to gain on acquisition (b) 1,408 — — 1,408 — — 1,408 Acquisition and integration related costs (c) — — — — — 5,635 5,635 Interest and financing expenses — — — — — 15,792 15,792 Income tax expense — — — — — 18,495 18,495 Non-operating pension and OPEB items — — — — — (1,028 ) (1,028 ) Multiemployer plan shortfall contributions (d) — — — — — 1,646 1,646 Other (e) (1,093 ) — (1,250 ) (2,343 ) — 645 (1,698 ) Adjusted EBITDA $ 130,218 $ 63,936 $ 43,120 $ 237,274 $ 306 $ (28,197 ) $ 209,383 Three months ended September 30, 2016 Net income (loss) attributable to Albemarle Corporation $ 66,166 $ 41,621 $ 55,981 $ 163,768 $ 3,806 $ (39,354 ) $ 128,220 Depreciation and amortization 25,553 10,186 8,979 44,718 1,664 1,592 47,974 Acquisition and integration related costs (c) — — — — — 6,749 6,749 Interest and financing expenses — — — — — 15,946 15,946 Income tax expense — — — — — 12,394 12,394 Income from discontinued operations (net of tax) — — — — — (23,185 ) (23,185 ) Non-operating pension and OPEB items — — — — — (231 ) (231 ) Other (f) — — — — — 462 462 Adjusted EBITDA $ 91,719 $ 51,807 $ 64,960 $ 208,486 $ 5,470 $ (25,627 ) $ 188,329 Nine months ended September 30, 2017 Net income (loss) attributable to Albemarle Corporation $ 292,655 $ 164,193 $ 115,329 $ 572,177 $ 1,622 $ (300,583 ) $ 273,216 Depreciation and amortization 74,157 30,306 28,698 133,161 6,284 4,642 144,087 Utilization of inventory markup (a) 23,095 — — 23,095 — — 23,095 Restructuring and other (g) — — — — — 17,141 17,141 Gain on acquisition (b) (6,025 ) — — (6,025 ) — — (6,025 ) Acquisition and integration related costs (c) — — — — — 26,395 26,395 Interest and financing expenses (h) — — — — — 98,895 98,895 Income tax expense — — — — — 53,596 53,596 Non-operating pension and OPEB items — — — — — (3,144 ) (3,144 ) Multiemployer plan shortfall contributions (d) — — — — — 6,586 6,586 Other (e) (1,093 ) — (1,250 ) (2,343 ) — 8,201 5,858 Adjusted EBITDA $ 382,789 $ 194,499 $ 142,777 $ 720,065 $ 7,906 $ (88,271 ) $ 639,700 Nine months ended September 30, 2016 Net income (loss) attributable to Albemarle Corporation $ 186,373 $ 150,221 $ 154,767 $ 491,361 $ 133,012 $ (582,788 ) $ 41,585 Depreciation and amortization 74,488 29,756 26,853 131,097 5,629 4,562 141,288 (Gain) loss on sales of businesses, net (i) — — — — (123,831 ) 1,533 (122,298 ) Acquisition and integration related costs (c) — — — — — 44,337 44,337 Interest and financing expenses — — — — — 46,860 46,860 Income tax expense — — — — — 61,535 61,535 Loss from discontinued operations (net of tax) — — — — — 357,843 357,843 Non-operating pension and OPEB items — — — — — (779 ) (779 ) Other (f) — — — — — 462 462 Adjusted EBITDA $ 260,861 $ 179,977 $ 181,620 $ 622,458 $ 14,810 $ (66,435 ) $ 570,833 (a) In connection with the acquisition of Jiangli New Materials, the Company valued inventory purchased from Jiangli New Materials at fair value, which resulted in a markup of the underlying net book value of the inventory totaling approximately $23.1 million . The inventory markup was expensed over the estimated remaining selling period. For the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017, $0.6 million and $23.1 million , respectively, was included in Cost of goods sold related to the utilization of the inventory markup. (b) Gain recorded in Other (expenses) income, net related to the acquisition of the remaining 50% interest in Salmag. See Note 2, “Acquisitions,” for additional information. (c) See Note 2, “Acquisitions,” for additional information. (d) Included shortfall contributions for our multiemployer plan financial improvement plan. See Note 13, “Pension Plans and Other Postretirement Benefits,” for additional information. (e) Included amounts for the three-month period ended September 30, 2017 recorded in: ▪ Cost of goods sold - $1.3 million reversal of deferred income related to an abandoned project at an unconsolidated investment. ▪ Other (expenses) income, net - $1.1 million related to a reversal of a liability associated with the previous disposal of a property, partially offset by the revision of tax indemnification expenses of $0.7 million primarily related to the filing of tax returns for a previously disposed business. Included amounts for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2017 recorded in: ▪ Cost of goods sold - $1.3 million reversal of deferred income related to an abandoned project at an unconsolidated investment. ▪ Selling, general and administrative expenses - $1.0 million related to a reversal of an accrual recorded as part of purchase accounting from a previous acquisition. ▪ Other (expenses) income, net - $3.2 million of asset retirement obligation charges related to the revision of an estimate at a site formerly owned by Albemarle, a loss of $2.1 million associated with the previous disposal of a business, final settlement claims associated with the previous disposal of a business of $2.0 million and the revision of tax indemnification expenses of $1.9 million primarily related to the filing of tax returns and a competent authority agreement for a previously disposed business. This is partially offset by $1.1 million related to a reversal of a liability associated with the previous disposal of a property. (f) Includes the write-off of fixed assets of $1.4 million included in Research and development expenses, partially offset by a net gain of $0.9 million on the sales of properties included in Other (expenses) income, net. (g) During 2017, we initiated action to reduce costs in each of our reportable segments at several locations, primarily at our Lithium sites in Germany. Based on the restructuring plans, we have recorded expenses of $2.9 million in Cost of goods sold, $8.4 million in Selling, general and administrative expenses and $5.8 million in Research and development expenses for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2017, primarily related to expected severance payments. The unpaid balance is recorded in Accrued expenses at September 30, 2017, with the expectation that the majority of these plans will be completed by the end of 2017. (h) Included in Interest and financing expenses is a loss on early extinguishment of debt of $52.8 million . See Note 10, “Long-term Debt,” for additional information. (i) See Note 3, “Divestitures,” for additional information. In November 2017, we announced that during the first quarter of 2018, the Performance Catalyst Solutions ("PCS") product line will merge with the Refining Solutions reportable segment to form a global business focused on catalysts. As a result, our three reportable segments will include: (1) Lithium, (2) Bromine Specialties and (3) Catalysts.

Pension Plans and Other Postret

Pension Plans and Other Postretirement Benefits	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]
Pension Plans and Other Postretirement Benefits	Pension Plans and Other Postretirement Benefits: The components of pension and postretirement benefits cost (credit) from continuing operations for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 were as follows (in thousands): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2017 2016 2017 2016 Pension Benefits Cost (Credit): Service cost $ 1,067 $ 842 $ 3,090 $ 3,123 Interest cost 8,375 9,115 24,983 27,978 Expected return on assets (9,960 ) (9,920 ) (29,799 ) (30,429 ) Actuarial gain — — — (50 ) Amortization of prior service benefit 29 230 102 698 Total net pension benefits (credit) cost $ (489 ) $ 267 $ (1,624 ) $ 1,320 Postretirement Benefits Cost (Credit): Service cost $ 30 $ 29 $ 91 $ 86 Interest cost 585 620 1,755 1,862 Expected return on assets (28 ) (46 ) (83 ) (140 ) Amortization of prior service benefit (24 ) (24 ) (72 ) (72 ) Total net postretirement benefits cost $ 563 $ 579 $ 1,691 $ 1,736 Total net pension and postretirement benefits cost (a) $ 74 $ 846 $ 67 $ 3,056 (a) For the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2016 , $3.7 million and $4.9 million , respectively, of net pension and postretirement benefits cost are included in Income (loss) from discontinued operations (net of tax) in the consolidated statements of income. See Note 3, “Divestitures,” for additional information. During the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 , we made contributions of $2.6 million and $7.7 million , respectively, to our qualified and nonqualified pension plans for continuing operations. During the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2016 , we made contributions of $2.4 million and $8.5 million , respectively, to our qualified and nonqualified pension plans for continuing operations. Contributions to discontinued operations qualified and nonqualified pension plans were $1.0 million and $2.9 million , respectively, for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2016 . We paid $0.7 million and $1.9 million in premiums to the U.S. postretirement benefit plan during the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 , respectively. During the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2016 , we paid $0.7 million and $2.3 million , respectively, in premiums to the U.S. postretirement benefit plan. Multiemployer Plan Our normal contributions to the Pensionskasse Dynamit Nobel Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit, Troisdorf (“DN Pensionskasse”) multiemployer plan for continuing operations were approximately $0.3 million and $0.8 million during the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 , respectively. During the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2016 , we made contributions of approximately $0.3 million and $0.8 million , respectively, to the DN Pensionskasse multiemployer plan for continuing operations. Contributions for discontinued operations were approximately $0.2 million and $0.6 million during the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2016 , respectively. Effective July 1, 2016, the DN Pensionskasse is subject to a financial improvement plan which expires on December 31, 2022, with the final contribution in the second quarter of 2023. This financial improvement plan calls for increased capital reserves to avoid future underfunding risk. During the nine-month period ended September 30, 2017 , we made contributions for our employees covered under this plan of approximately $2.0 million , recorded in Selling, general and administrative expenses, as a result of this financial improvement plan. In addition, during the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 , we made contributions relating to this financial improvement plan to indemnify previously divested businesses of approximately $1.6 million and $4.6 million , respectively, recorded in Other (expenses) income, net.

Fair Value of Financial Instrum

Fair Value of Financial Instruments	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value of Financial Instruments	Fair Value of Financial Instruments: In assessing the fair value of financial instruments, we use methods and assumptions that are based on market conditions and other risk factors existing at the time of assessment. Fair value information for our financial instruments is as follows: Long-Term Debt—the fair values of our senior notes are estimated using Level 1 inputs and account for the difference between the recorded amount and fair value of our long-term debt. The carrying value of our remaining long-term debt reported in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets approximates fair value as substantially all of such debt bears interest based on prevailing variable market rates currently available in the countries in which we have borrowings. September 30, 2017 December 31, 2016 Recorded Amount Fair Value Recorded Amount Fair Value (In thousands) Long-term debt $ 1,797,714 $ 1,913,900 $ 2,381,370 $ 2,472,813 Foreign Currency Forward Contracts—we enter into foreign currency forward contracts in connection with our risk management strategies in an attempt to minimize the financial impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates. These derivative financial instruments are used to manage risk and are not used for trading or other speculative purposes. The fair values of our foreign currency forward contracts are estimated based on current settlement values. At September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 , we had outstanding foreign currency forward contracts with notional values totaling $357.7 million and $251.6 million , respectively. Our foreign currency forward contracts outstanding at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 were not designated as hedging instruments under Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 815, Derivatives and Hedging . At September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 , less than $0.1 million and $0.2 million , respectively, was included in Accrued expenses associated with the fair value of our foreign currency forward contracts. Gains and losses on foreign currency forward contracts are recognized in Other (expenses) income, net; further, fluctuations in the value of these contracts are generally expected to be offset by changes in the value of the underlying exposures being hedged, which are also reported in Other (expenses) income, net. For the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 , we recognized gains of $0.8 million and $9.0 million , respectively, in Other (expenses) income, net, in our consolidated statements of income related to the change in fair value of our foreign currency forward contracts. For the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2016 , we recognized gains (losses) of $3.0 million and ($1.9) million , respectively, in Other (expenses) income, net, in our consolidated statements of income related to the change in the fair value of our foreign currency forward contracts. Also, for the nine -month periods ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 , we recorded (gains) losses of ($9.0) million and $1.9 million , respectively, related to the change in the fair value of our foreign currency forward contracts, and net cash receipts (settlements) of $8.9 million and ($2.0) million , respectively, in Other, net, in our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows. The counterparties to our foreign currency forward contracts are major financial institutions with which we generally have other financial relationships. We are exposed to credit loss in the event of nonperformance by these counterparties. However, we do not anticipate nonperformance by the counterparties.

Fair Value Measurement

Fair Value Measurement	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value Measurement	Fair Value Measurement: Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (exit price). The inputs used to measure fair value are classified into the following hierarchy: Level 1 Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities Level 2 Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities, or unadjusted quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, or inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability Level 3 Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability We endeavor to utilize the best available information in measuring fair value. Financial assets and liabilities are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Transfers between levels of the fair value hierarchy are deemed to have occurred on the date of the event or change in circumstance that caused the transfer. There were no transfers between Levels 1 and 2 during the nine-month period ended September 30, 2017 . The following tables set forth our financial assets and liabilities that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis as of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 (in thousands): September 30, 2017 Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Items (Level 1) Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Similar Items (Level 2) Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Assets: Investments under executive deferred compensation plan (a) $ 23,646 $ 23,646 $ — $ — Private equity securities (b) $ 33 $ 33 $ — $ — Private equity securities measured at net asset value (b)(c) $ 5,113 $ — $ — $ — Liabilities: Obligations under executive deferred compensation plan (a) $ 23,646 $ 23,646 $ — $ — Foreign currency forward contracts (d) $ 25 $ — $ 25 $ — December 31, 2016 Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Items (Level 1) Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Similar Items (Level 2) Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Assets: Investments under executive deferred compensation plan (a) $ 22,037 $ 22,037 $ — $ — Private equity securities (b) $ 35 $ 35 $ — $ — Private equity securities measured at net asset value (b)(c) $ 5,498 $ — $ — $ — Liabilities: Obligations under executive deferred compensation plan (a) $ 22,037 $ 22,037 $ — $ — Foreign currency forward contracts (d) $ 182 $ — $ 182 $ — (a) We maintain an Executive Deferred Compensation Plan (“EDCP”) that was adopted in 2001 and subsequently amended. The purpose of the EDCP is to provide current tax planning opportunities as well as supplemental funds upon the retirement or death of certain of our employees. The EDCP is intended to aid in attracting and retaining employees of exceptional ability by providing them with these benefits. We also maintain a Benefit Protection Trust (the “Trust”) that was created to provide a source of funds to assist in meeting the obligations of the EDCP, subject to the claims of our creditors in the event of our insolvency. Assets of the Trust are consolidated in accordance with authoritative guidance. The assets of the Trust consist primarily of mutual fund investments (which are accounted for as trading securities and are marked-to-market on a monthly basis through the consolidated statements of income) and cash and cash equivalents. As such, these assets and obligations are classified within Level 1. (b) Primarily consists of private equity securities classified as available-for-sale and are reported in Investments in the condensed consolidated balance sheets. The changes in fair value are reported in Other (expenses) income, net, in our consolidated statements of income. (c) Holdings in certain private equity securities are measured at fair value using the net asset value per share (or its equivalent) practical expedient and have not been categorized in the fair value hierarchy. (d) As a result of our global operating and financing activities, we are exposed to market risks from changes in foreign currency exchange rates, which may adversely affect our operating results and financial position. When deemed appropriate, we minimize our risks from foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations through the use of foreign currency forward contracts. Unless otherwise noted, these derivative financial instruments are not designated as hedging instruments under ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging . The foreign currency forward contracts are valued using broker quotations or market transactions in either the listed or over-the-counter markets. As such, these derivative instruments are classified within Level 2.

Accumulated Other Comprehensive

Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Equity [Abstract]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income	Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income: The components and activity in Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income (net of deferred income taxes) consisted of the following during the periods indicated below (in thousands): Foreign Currency Translation Pension and Postretirement Benefits (a) Net Investment Hedge Interest Rate Swap (b) Total Three months ended September 30, 2017 Balance at June 30, 2017 $ (341,690 ) $ 85 $ 60,459 $ (15,687 ) $ (296,833 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications 56,179 — (9,681 ) — 46,498 Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss — (7 ) — 529 522 Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax 56,179 (7 ) (9,681 ) 529 47,020 Other comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests (130 ) — — — (130 ) Balance at September 30, 2017 $ (285,641 ) $ 78 $ 50,778 $ (15,158 ) $ (249,943 ) Three months ended September 30, 2016 Balance at June 30, 2016 $ (416,636 ) $ (338 ) $ 59,328 $ (17,810 ) $ (375,456 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications (c) 47,712 — (7,395 ) — 40,317 Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss — 206 — 525 731 Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax 47,712 206 (7,395 ) 525 41,048 Other comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests (23 ) — — — (23 ) Balance at September 30, 2016 $ (368,947 ) $ (132 ) $ 51,933 $ (17,285 ) $ (334,431 ) Nine months ended September 30, 2017 Balance at December 31, 2016 $ (484,121 ) $ 76 $ 88,378 $ (16,745 ) $ (412,412 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications 199,303 — (37,600 ) — 161,703 Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss — 2 — 1,587 1,589 Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax 199,303 2 (37,600 ) 1,587 163,292 Other comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests (823 ) — — — (823 ) Balance at September 30, 2017 $ (285,641 ) $ 78 $ 50,778 $ (15,158 ) $ (249,943 ) Nine months ended September 30, 2016 Balance at December 31, 2015 $ (463,914 ) $ (758 ) $ 62,245 $ (18,861 ) $ (421,288 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications 95,425 — (10,312 ) — 85,113 Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss — 626 — 1,576 2,202 Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax 95,425 626 (10,312 ) 1,576 87,315 Other comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests (458 ) — — — (458 ) Balance at September 30, 2016 $ (368,947 ) $ (132 ) $ 51,933 $ (17,285 ) $ (334,431 ) (a) The pre-tax portion of amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss consists of amortization of prior service benefit, which is a component of pension and postretirement benefits cost (credit). See Note 13, “Pension Plans and Other Postretirement Benefits.” (b) The pre-tax portion of amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss is included in interest expense. (c) Foreign currency translation includes an adjustment of $12.5 million to reduce our investment in the Windfield Holdings Pty. Ltd. joint venture related to the three month period ended March 31, 2016. See Note 1, “Basis of Presentation,” for further details. The amount of income tax benefit (expense) allocated to each component of Other comprehensive income (loss) for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 is provided in the following tables (in thousands): Three Months Ended September 30, 2017 2016 Foreign Currency Translation Pension and Postretirement Benefits Net Investment Hedge Interest Rate Swap Foreign Currency Translation Pension and Postretirement Benefits Net Investment Hedge Interest Rate Swap Other comprehensive income (loss), before tax $ 56,156 $ — $ (15,266 ) $ 834 $ 47,787 $ 209 $ (11,740 ) $ 834 Income tax benefit (expense) 23 (7 ) 5,585 (305 ) (75 ) (3 ) 4,345 (309 ) Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax $ 56,179 $ (7 ) $ (9,681 ) $ 529 $ 47,712 $ 206 $ (7,395 ) $ 525 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 2016 Foreign Currency Translation Pension and Postretirement Benefits Net Investment Hedge Interest Rate Swap Foreign Currency Translation Pension and Postretirement Benefits Net Investment Hedge Interest Rate Swap Other comprehensive income (loss), before tax $ 200,366 $ 10 $ (59,292 ) $ 2,502 $ 96,326 $ 635 $ (16,371 ) $ 2,502 Income tax (expense) benefit (1,063 ) (8 ) 21,692 (915 ) (901 ) (9 ) 6,059 (926 ) Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax $ 199,303 $ 2 $ (37,600 ) $ 1,587 $ 95,425 $ 626 $ (10,312 ) $ 1,576

Related Party Transactions

Related Party Transactions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]
Related Party Transactions	Related Party Transactions: Our condensed consolidated financial statements include sales to and purchases from unconsolidated affiliates in the ordinary course of business as follows (in thousands): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2017 2016 2017 2016 Sales to unconsolidated affiliates $ 7,309 $ 5,047 $ 23,753 $ 19,452 Purchases from unconsolidated affiliates $ 51,983 $ 30,591 $ 148,502 $ 93,372

Supplemental Cash Flow Informat

Supplemental Cash Flow Information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Supplemental Cash Flow Information [Abstract]
Supplemental Cash Flow Information	Supplemental Cash Flow Information: Supplemental information related to the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows is as follows (in thousands): Nine Months Ended 2017 2016 Supplemental non-cash disclosure related to investing activities: Capital expenditures included in Accounts payable $ 53,421 $ 19,354

Recently Issued Accounting Pron

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Accounting Changes and Error Corrections [Abstract]
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements	Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements: In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued accounting guidance designed to enhance comparability of revenue recognition practices across entities, industries, jurisdictions and capital markets. The core principle of the guidance is that revenue recognized from a transaction or event that arises from a contract with a customer should reflect the consideration to which an entity expects to be entitled in exchange for goods or services provided. To achieve that core principle the new guidance sets forth a five-step revenue recognition model that will need to be applied consistently to all contracts with customers, except those that are within the scope of other topics in the ASC. Also required are new disclosures to help users of financial statements better understand the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenues and cash flows from contracts with customers. The new disclosures include qualitative and quantitative information about contracts with customers, significant judgments made in applying the revenue guidance, and assets recognized related to the costs to obtain or fulfill a contract. In March 2016 and April 2016, the FASB issued amendments to this new guidance that provides clarification about principal versus agent considerations, identification of performance obligations and accounting for the licensing of intellectual property. In May 2016, the FASB issued an amendment to the guidance that provides clarification about collectibility, noncash consideration, presentation of sales tax, and transition. In December 2016, the FASB issued an amendment to the guidance that provides narrow-scope improvements and practical expedient regarding collectibility, presentation of sales tax collected from customers, non-cash considerations, contract modifications at transition, completed contracts at transition and other technical corrections. These new requirements become effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016. We expect to adopt the new standard in the first quarter of 2018 using the modified retrospective method. We have made significant progress in evaluating our existing contracts and accounting policies to determine the impact this standard will have on the condensed consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. We continue to make progress on implementing appropriate changes to the business processes and controls to support recognition and disclosure under the new standard, as well as continuing to assess the new disclosures that will be required in the first quarter of 2018, following the adoption of this new standard. At this time, we do not expect to make any significant changes to our existing systems as a result of this new standard. In July 2015, the FASB issued accounting guidance that requires inventory to be measured at the lower of cost and net realizable value. The scope of this guidance excludes inventory measured using the last-in first-out method or the retail inventory method. This new requirement became effective on January 1, 2017 and did not have a significant impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements. In February 2016, the FASB issued accounting guidance that requires assets and liabilities arising from leases to be recorded on the balance sheet. Additional disclosures are required regarding the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows from leases. This new guidance will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years, and is to be applied using a modified retrospective approach. Early adoption is permitted. The impact of this new requirement on our financial statements is being assessed and is not yet known. In March 2016, the FASB issued accounting guidance that simplifies several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment awards. Among other things, this guidance requires all tax effects related to share-based payment awards to be recognized as income tax expense or benefit on the income statement, thus eliminating all additional paid-in capital pools. An entity should recognize excess tax benefits regardless of whether the benefit reduces income taxes payable in the current period. For interim reporting purposes, excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies should be accounted for as discrete items in the reporting period in which they occur. Additionally, this new guidance requires all tax related cash flows resulting from share-based payments to be presented as an operating activity on the statement of cash flows rather than as a financing activity. This guidance became effective on January 1, 2017. The impact of recognizing excess tax benefits in the income statement resulted in a $2.2 million and $6.9 million reduction in Income tax expense for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017, respectively. The remaining aspects of adopting this guidance did not have a material impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements. In August 2016, the FASB issued accounting guidance which clarifies the proper presentation and classification of certain cash receipts and cash payments in the statement of cash flows. The new guidance addresses cash flow issues including, but not limited to, debt prepayment or debt extinguishment costs and distributions received from equity method investments. As allowed by the provisions of this new guidance, we early-adopted this new guidance in the first quarter of 2017. The adoption of this new guidance did not have a significant impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements. In November 2016, the FASB issued accounti ng guidance that requires restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents to be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning and end of period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. This guidance will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years, and is to be applied on a retrospective basis. Early adoption is permitted. We do not expect this guidance to have a significant impact on our financial statements. In January 2017, the FASB issued accounting guidance to clarify the definition of a business for determining whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. This guidance will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years, and is to be applied on a prospective basis. Early adoption is permitted. We currently do not expect this guidance to have a significant impact on our financial statements. In January 2017, the FASB issued accounting guidance to simplify the accounting for goodwill imp airment. The guidance removes Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test, which requires a reporting unit to calculate the implied fair value of goodwill by assigning the fair value of a reporting unit to all of its assets and liabilities as if that reporting unit has been acquired in a business combination. A goodwill impairment will now be the amount by which a reporting unit’s carrying value exceeds its fair value, not to exceed the carrying amount of goodwill. All other goodwill impairment guidance will remain unchanged. Entities will continue to have the option to perform a qualitative assessment to determine if a quantitative impairment test is necessary. This guidance will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years, and is to be applied on a prospective basis. Early adoption is permitted for goodwill impairment tests performed after January 1, 2017. We do not expect this guidance to have a significant impact on our financial statements. In March 2017, the FASB issued accounting guidance that changes the presentation of net periodic pension and postretirement benefit cost (“net benefit cost”) in the income statement. This new guidance requires service cost to be presented as part of operating income (expense) and all other components of net benefit cost are to be shown outside of operations. This guidance will be effective for periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years, and is to be applied on a retrospective basis. Early adoption is permitted as of the beginning of an annual period for which an entity’s financial statements have not been issued or made available for issuance. We do not expect this guidance to have a significant impact on our financial statements. In May 2017, the FASB issued accounting guidance to clarify when to account for a change to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award as a modification. Under the new guidance, modification accounting is required only if the fair value, the vesting conditions, or the classification of the award (as equity or liability) changes as a result of the change in terms or conditions. This new guidance will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years, and is to be applied on a prospective basis. Early adoption is permitted. We currently do not expect this guidance to have a significant impact on our financial statements. In August 2017, the FASB issued accounting guidance to better align an entity’s risk management activities with hedge accounting, simplify the application of hedge accounting, and increase transparency as to the scope and results of hedging programs. This guidance will make more financial and nonfinancial hedging strategies eligible for hedge accounting. It also amends the presentation and disclosure requirements and changes how companies assess effectiveness. This new guidance will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years, and is to be applied on a prospective basis. Early adoption is permitted. We currently do not expect this guidance to have a significant impact on our financial statements.

Recently Issued Accounting Pr27

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements (Policies)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Accounting Changes and Error Corrections [Abstract]
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements	In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued accounting guidance designed to enhance comparability of revenue recognition practices across entities, industries, jurisdictions and capital markets. The core principle of the guidance is that revenue recognized from a transaction or event that arises from a contract with a customer should reflect the consideration to which an entity expects to be entitled in exchange for goods or services provided. To achieve that core principle the new guidance sets forth a five-step revenue recognition model that will need to be applied consistently to all contracts with customers, except those that are within the scope of other topics in the ASC. Also required are new disclosures to help users of financial statements better understand the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenues and cash flows from contracts with customers. The new disclosures include qualitative and quantitative information about contracts with customers, significant judgments made in applying the revenue guidance, and assets recognized related to the costs to obtain or fulfill a contract. In March 2016 and April 2016, the FASB issued amendments to this new guidance that provides clarification about principal versus agent considerations, identification of performance obligations and accounting for the licensing of intellectual property. In May 2016, the FASB issued an amendment to the guidance that provides clarification about collectibility, noncash consideration, presentation of sales tax, and transition. In December 2016, the FASB issued an amendment to the guidance that provides narrow-scope improvements and practical expedient regarding collectibility, presentation of sales tax collected from customers, non-cash considerations, contract modifications at transition, completed contracts at transition and other technical corrections. These new requirements become effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016. We expect to adopt the new standard in the first quarter of 2018 using the modified retrospective method. We have made significant progress in evaluating our existing contracts and accounting policies to determine the impact this standard will have on the condensed consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. We continue to make progress on implementing appropriate changes to the business processes and controls to support recognition and disclosure under the new standard, as well as continuing to assess the new disclosures that will be required in the first quarter of 2018, following the adoption of this new standard. At this time, we do not expect to make any significant changes to our existing systems as a result of this new standard. In July 2015, the FASB issued accounting guidance that requires inventory to be measured at the lower of cost and net realizable value. The scope of this guidance excludes inventory measured using the last-in first-out method or the retail inventory method. This new requirement became effective on January 1, 2017 and did not have a significant impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements. In February 2016, the FASB issued accounting guidance that requires assets and liabilities arising from leases to be recorded on the balance sheet. Additional disclosures are required regarding the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows from leases. This new guidance will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years, and is to be applied using a modified retrospective approach. Early adoption is permitted. The impact of this new requirement on our financial statements is being assessed and is not yet known. In March 2016, the FASB issued accounting guidance that simplifies several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment awards. Among other things, this guidance requires all tax effects related to share-based payment awards to be recognized as income tax expense or benefit on the income statement, thus eliminating all additional paid-in capital pools. An entity should recognize excess tax benefits regardless of whether the benefit reduces income taxes payable in the current period. For interim reporting purposes, excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies should be accounted for as discrete items in the reporting period in which they occur. Additionally, this new guidance requires all tax related cash flows resulting from share-based payments to be presented as an operating activity on the statement of cash flows rather than as a financing activity. This guidance became effective on January 1, 2017. The impact of recognizing excess tax benefits in the income statement resulted in a $2.2 million and $6.9 million reduction in Income tax expense for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017, respectively. The remaining aspects of adopting this guidance did not have a material impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements. In August 2016, the FASB issued accounting guidance which clarifies the proper presentation and classification of certain cash receipts and cash payments in the statement of cash flows. The new guidance addresses cash flow issues including, but not limited to, debt prepayment or debt extinguishment costs and distributions received from equity method investments. As allowed by the provisions of this new guidance, we early-adopted this new guidance in the first quarter of 2017. The adoption of this new guidance did not have a significant impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements. In November 2016, the FASB issued accounti ng guidance that requires restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents to be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning and end of period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. This guidance will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years, and is to be applied on a retrospective basis. Early adoption is permitted. We do not expect this guidance to have a significant impact on our financial statements. In January 2017, the FASB issued accounting guidance to clarify the definition of a business for determining whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. This guidance will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years, and is to be applied on a prospective basis. Early adoption is permitted. We currently do not expect this guidance to have a significant impact on our financial statements. In January 2017, the FASB issued accounting guidance to simplify the accounting for goodwill imp airment. The guidance removes Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test, which requires a reporting unit to calculate the implied fair value of goodwill by assigning the fair value of a reporting unit to all of its assets and liabilities as if that reporting unit has been acquired in a business combination. A goodwill impairment will now be the amount by which a reporting unit’s carrying value exceeds its fair value, not to exceed the carrying amount of goodwill. All other goodwill impairment guidance will remain unchanged. Entities will continue to have the option to perform a qualitative assessment to determine if a quantitative impairment test is necessary. This guidance will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years, and is to be applied on a prospective basis. Early adoption is permitted for goodwill impairment tests performed after January 1, 2017. We do not expect this guidance to have a significant impact on our financial statements. In March 2017, the FASB issued accounting guidance that changes the presentation of net periodic pension and postretirement benefit cost (“net benefit cost”) in the income statement. This new guidance requires service cost to be presented as part of operating income (expense) and all other components of net benefit cost are to be shown outside of operations. This guidance will be effective for periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years, and is to be applied on a retrospective basis. Early adoption is permitted as of the beginning of an annual period for which an entity’s financial statements have not been issued or made available for issuance. We do not expect this guidance to have a significant impact on our financial statements. In May 2017, the FASB issued accounting guidance to clarify when to account for a change to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award as a modification. Under the new guidance, modification accounting is required only if the fair value, the vesting conditions, or the classification of the award (as equity or liability) changes as a result of the change in terms or conditions. This new guidance will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years, and is to be applied on a prospective basis. Early adoption is permitted. We currently do not expect this guidance to have a significant impact on our financial statements. In August 2017, the FASB issued accounting guidance to better align an entity’s risk management activities with hedge accounting, simplify the application of hedge accounting, and increase transparency as to the scope and results of hedging programs. This guidance will make more financial and nonfinancial hedging strategies eligible for hedge accounting. It also amends the presentation and disclosure requirements and changes how companies assess effectiveness. This new guidance will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years, and is to be applied on a prospective basis. Early adoption is permitted. We currently do not expect this guidance to have a significant impact on our financial statements.

Divestitures Divestitures (Tabl

Divestitures Divestitures (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]
Schedule of discontinued operations	The major components of Income (loss) from discontinued operations (net of tax) for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2016 were as follows (in thousands): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Net sales $ 211,347 $ 637,889 Cost of goods sold 100,061 333,832 Operating expenses, net 70,604 203,052 Interest and financing expenses (a) 9,864 29,912 Other expenses (income), net 134 (1,636 ) Income before income taxes 30,684 72,729 Income tax expense (b) 7,499 430,572 Income (loss) from discontinued operations (net of tax) $ 23,185 $ (357,843 ) (a) Interest and financing expenses included the allocation of interest expense not directly attributable to other operations as well as interest expense related to debt to be assumed by the buyer. The allocation of interest expense to discontinued operations was based on the ratio of net assets held for sale to the sum of total net assets plus consolidated debt. (b) Income tax expense for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2016 included a discrete non-cash charge of ($381.5) million due to a change in the Company’s assertion over book and tax basis differences related to a U.S. entity being sold. In addition, Income tax expense for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2016 included discrete non-cash benefits (charges) of $5.4 million and ($29.8) million , respectively, rel ated to a change in the Company’s assertion over reinvestment of foreign undistributed earnings. Depreciation and amortization and capital expenditures from discontinued operations for the nine -month period ended September 30, 2016 were as follows (in thousands): Nine Months Ended Depreciation and amortization $ 35,194 Capital expenditures $ 15,525

Goodwill and Other Intangibles

Goodwill and Other Intangibles (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Changes in Goodwill	The following table summarizes the changes in goodwill by reportable segment for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 (in thousands): Lithium and Advanced Materials Bromine Specialties Refining Solutions All Other Total Balance at December 31, 2016 $ 1,348,261 $ 20,319 $ 164,866 $ 6,586 $ 1,540,032 Acquisitions (a) (21,427 ) — — — (21,427 ) Foreign currency translation adjustments and other 77,707 — 20,166 — 97,873 Balance at September 30, 2017 $ 1,404,541 $ 20,319 $ 185,032 $ 6,586 $ 1,616,478 (a) Primarily represents preliminary purchase price adjustments related to the preliminary appraisal of intangible assets during the measurement period for the Jiangli New Materials acquisition. See Note 2, “Acquisitions,” for additional information.
Other Intangibles	The following table summarizes the changes in other intangibles and related accumulated amortization for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 (in thousands): Customer Lists and Relationships Trade Names and Trademarks (a) Patents and Technology Other Total Gross Asset Value Balance at December 31, 2016 $ 387,893 $ 16,514 $ 38,434 $ 18,844 $ 461,685 Acquisitions (b) 1,717 1,429 25,555 15,677 44,378 Foreign currency translation adjustments and other 28,461 913 3,245 5,277 37,896 Balance at September 30, 2017 $ 418,071 $ 18,856 $ 67,234 $ 39,798 $ 543,959 Accumulated Amortization Balance at December 31, 2016 $ (49,165 ) $ (7,952 ) $ (31,683 ) $ (18,321 ) $ (107,121 ) Amortization (14,811 ) — (1,288 ) (1,528 ) (17,627 ) Foreign currency translation adjustments and other (3,620 ) (296 ) (1,816 ) 2,934 (2,798 ) Balance at September 30, 2017 $ (67,596 ) $ (8,248 ) $ (34,787 ) $ (16,915 ) $ (127,546 ) Net Book Value at December 31, 2016 $ 338,728 $ 8,562 $ 6,751 $ 523 $ 354,564 Net Book Value at September 30, 2017 $ 350,475 $ 10,608 $ 32,447 $ 22,883 $ 416,413 (a) Balances as of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 include only indefinite-lived intangible assets. (b) Represents preliminary purchase price adjustments for the Jiangli New Materials acquisition and the acquisition of the remaining equity interest in Salmag. See Note 2, “Acquisitions,” for additional information.

Earnings Per Share (Tables)

Earnings Per Share (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Calculation of Basic and Diluted Earning Per Share	Basic and diluted earnings per share from continuing operations for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 are calculated as follows (in thousands, except per share amounts): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2017 2016 2017 2016 Basic earnings per share from continuing operations Numerator: Net income from continuing operations $ 130,193 $ 114,512 $ 306,539 $ 428,334 Net income from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests (11,523 ) (9,477 ) (33,323 ) (28,906 ) Net income from continuing operations attributable to Albemarle Corporation $ 118,670 $ 105,035 $ 273,216 $ 399,428 Denominator: Weighted-average common shares for basic earnings per share 110,476 112,429 111,049 112,343 Basic earnings per share from continuing operations $ 1.07 $ 0.93 $ 2.46 $ 3.56 Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations Numerator: Net income from continuing operations $ 130,193 $ 114,512 $ 306,539 $ 428,334 Net income from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests (11,523 ) (9,477 ) (33,323 ) (28,906 ) Net income from continuing operations attributable to Albemarle Corporation $ 118,670 $ 105,035 $ 273,216 $ 399,428 Denominator: Weighted-average common shares for basic earnings per share 110,476 112,429 111,049 112,343 Incremental shares under stock compensation plans 1,499 1,019 1,407 788 Weighted-average common shares for diluted earnings per share 111,975 113,448 112,456 113,131 Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations $ 1.06 $ 0.93 $ 2.43 $ 3.53

Inventories (Tables)

Inventories (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Breakdown of Inventories	The following table provides a breakdown of inventories at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 (in thousands): September 30, December 31, 2017 2016 Finished goods (a) $ 420,059 $ 289,102 Raw materials and work in process (b) 135,025 109,706 Stores, supplies and other 55,128 51,455 Total $ 610,212 $ 450,263 (a) Increase primarily due to the Jiangli New Materials acquisition and other lithium sites, as well as the build up of inventory in our Refining Solutions segment for an increase in sales in the fourth quarter. (b) Included $56.0 million and $47.1 million at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 , respectively, of work in process related to the Lithium product category.

Long-Term Debt (Tables)

Long-Term Debt (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Long-term Debt	Long-term debt at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 consisted of the following (in thousands): September 30, December 31, 2017 2016 1.875% Senior notes, net of unamortized discount and debt issuance costs of $4,167 at September 30, 2017 and $7,823 at December 31, 2016 $ 456,665 $ 719,617 3.00% Senior notes, net of unamortized discount and debt issuance costs of $1,286 at December 31, 2016 — 248,714 4.15% Senior notes, net of unamortized discount and debt issuance costs of $3,494 at September 30, 2017 and $3,859 at December 31, 2016 421,506 421,141 4.50% Senior notes, net of unamortized discount and debt issuance costs of $966 at September 30, 2017 and $2,380 at December 31, 2016 174,249 347,620 5.45% Senior notes, net of unamortized discount and debt issuance costs of $4,197 at September 30, 2017 and $4,313 at December 31, 2016 345,803 345,687 Commercial paper notes 382,250 247,503 Variable-rate foreign bank loans 8,695 38,939 Other 361 41 Total long-term debt 1,789,529 2,369,262 Less amounts due within one year 382,358 247,544 Long-term debt, less current portion $ 1,407,171 $ 2,121,718

Commitments and Contingencies (

Commitments and Contingencies (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Activity in Recorded Environmental Liabilities	We had the following activity in our recorded environmental liabilities for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 , as follows (in thousands): Beginning balance at December 31, 2016 $ 34,919 Expenditures (1,320 ) Accretion of discount 563 Foreign currency translation adjustments and other 2,384 Ending balance at September 30, 2017 36,546 Less amounts reported in Accrued expenses 2,476 Amounts reported in Other noncurrent liabilities $ 34,070

Segment Information (Tables)

Segment Information (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Reportable Segments Summarized Financial Information	Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2017 2016 2017 2016 (In thousands) Net sales: Lithium and Advanced Materials $ 343,557 $ 240,424 $ 945,791 $ 689,950 Bromine Specialties 212,923 194,496 636,059 597,912 Refining Solutions 170,275 190,453 539,904 539,044 All Other 28,021 28,272 91,144 150,987 Corporate 90 365 1,289 2,655 Total net sales $ 754,866 $ 654,010 $ 2,214,187 $ 1,980,548 Adjusted EBITDA: Lithium and Advanced Materials $ 130,218 $ 91,719 $ 382,789 $ 260,861 Bromine Specialties 63,936 51,807 194,499 179,977 Refining Solutions 43,120 64,960 142,777 181,620 All Other 306 5,470 7,906 14,810 Corporate (28,197 ) (25,627 ) (88,271 ) (66,435 ) Total adjusted EBITDA $ 209,383 $ 188,329 $ 639,700 $ 570,833 See below for a reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA, the non-GAAP financial measure, from Net income attributable to Albemarle Corporation, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and reported in accordance with U.S. GAAP (in thousands): Lithium and Advanced Materials Bromine Specialties Refining Solutions Reportable Segments Total All Other Corporate Consolidated Total Three months ended September 30, 2017 Net income (loss) attributable to Albemarle Corporation $ 103,199 $ 53,760 $ 34,392 $ 191,351 $ (1,776 ) $ (70,905 ) $ 118,670 Depreciation and amortization 26,136 10,176 9,978 46,290 2,082 1,523 49,895 Utilization of inventory markup (a) 568 — — 568 — — 568 Adjustment to gain on acquisition (b) 1,408 — — 1,408 — — 1,408 Acquisition and integration related costs (c) — — — — — 5,635 5,635 Interest and financing expenses — — — — — 15,792 15,792 Income tax expense — — — — — 18,495 18,495 Non-operating pension and OPEB items — — — — — (1,028 ) (1,028 ) Multiemployer plan shortfall contributions (d) — — — — — 1,646 1,646 Other (e) (1,093 ) — (1,250 ) (2,343 ) — 645 (1,698 ) Adjusted EBITDA $ 130,218 $ 63,936 $ 43,120 $ 237,274 $ 306 $ (28,197 ) $ 209,383 Three months ended September 30, 2016 Net income (loss) attributable to Albemarle Corporation $ 66,166 $ 41,621 $ 55,981 $ 163,768 $ 3,806 $ (39,354 ) $ 128,220 Depreciation and amortization 25,553 10,186 8,979 44,718 1,664 1,592 47,974 Acquisition and integration related costs (c) — — — — — 6,749 6,749 Interest and financing expenses — — — — — 15,946 15,946 Income tax expense — — — — — 12,394 12,394 Income from discontinued operations (net of tax) — — — — — (23,185 ) (23,185 ) Non-operating pension and OPEB items — — — — — (231 ) (231 ) Other (f) — — — — — 462 462 Adjusted EBITDA $ 91,719 $ 51,807 $ 64,960 $ 208,486 $ 5,470 $ (25,627 ) $ 188,329 Nine months ended September 30, 2017 Net income (loss) attributable to Albemarle Corporation $ 292,655 $ 164,193 $ 115,329 $ 572,177 $ 1,622 $ (300,583 ) $ 273,216 Depreciation and amortization 74,157 30,306 28,698 133,161 6,284 4,642 144,087 Utilization of inventory markup (a) 23,095 — — 23,095 — — 23,095 Restructuring and other (g) — — — — — 17,141 17,141 Gain on acquisition (b) (6,025 ) — — (6,025 ) — — (6,025 ) Acquisition and integration related costs (c) — — — — — 26,395 26,395 Interest and financing expenses (h) — — — — — 98,895 98,895 Income tax expense — — — — — 53,596 53,596 Non-operating pension and OPEB items — — — — — (3,144 ) (3,144 ) Multiemployer plan shortfall contributions (d) — — — — — 6,586 6,586 Other (e) (1,093 ) — (1,250 ) (2,343 ) — 8,201 5,858 Adjusted EBITDA $ 382,789 $ 194,499 $ 142,777 $ 720,065 $ 7,906 $ (88,271 ) $ 639,700 Nine months ended September 30, 2016 Net income (loss) attributable to Albemarle Corporation $ 186,373 $ 150,221 $ 154,767 $ 491,361 $ 133,012 $ (582,788 ) $ 41,585 Depreciation and amortization 74,488 29,756 26,853 131,097 5,629 4,562 141,288 (Gain) loss on sales of businesses, net (i) — — — — (123,831 ) 1,533 (122,298 ) Acquisition and integration related costs (c) — — — — — 44,337 44,337 Interest and financing expenses — — — — — 46,860 46,860 Income tax expense — — — — — 61,535 61,535 Loss from discontinued operations (net of tax) — — — — — 357,843 357,843 Non-operating pension and OPEB items — — — — — (779 ) (779 ) Other (f) — — — — — 462 462 Adjusted EBITDA $ 260,861 $ 179,977 $ 181,620 $ 622,458 $ 14,810 $ (66,435 ) $ 570,833 (a) In connection with the acquisition of Jiangli New Materials, the Company valued inventory purchased from Jiangli New Materials at fair value, which resulted in a markup of the underlying net book value of the inventory totaling approximately $23.1 million . The inventory markup was expensed over the estimated remaining selling period. For the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017, $0.6 million and $23.1 million , respectively, was included in Cost of goods sold related to the utilization of the inventory markup. (b) Gain recorded in Other (expenses) income, net related to the acquisition of the remaining 50% interest in Salmag. See Note 2, “Acquisitions,” for additional information. (c) See Note 2, “Acquisitions,” for additional information. (d) Included shortfall contributions for our multiemployer plan financial improvement plan. See Note 13, “Pension Plans and Other Postretirement Benefits,” for additional information. (e) Included amounts for the three-month period ended September 30, 2017 recorded in: ▪ Cost of goods sold - $1.3 million reversal of deferred income related to an abandoned project at an unconsolidated investment. ▪ Other (expenses) income, net - $1.1 million related to a reversal of a liability associated with the previous disposal of a property, partially offset by the revision of tax indemnification expenses of $0.7 million primarily related to the filing of tax returns for a previously disposed business. Included amounts for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2017 recorded in: ▪ Cost of goods sold - $1.3 million reversal of deferred income related to an abandoned project at an unconsolidated investment. ▪ Selling, general and administrative expenses - $1.0 million related to a reversal of an accrual recorded as part of purchase accounting from a previous acquisition. ▪ Other (expenses) income, net - $3.2 million of asset retirement obligation charges related to the revision of an estimate at a site formerly owned by Albemarle, a loss of $2.1 million associated with the previous disposal of a business, final settlement claims associated with the previous disposal of a business of $2.0 million and the revision of tax indemnification expenses of $1.9 million primarily related to the filing of tax returns and a competent authority agreement for a previously disposed business. This is partially offset by $1.1 million related to a reversal of a liability associated with the previous disposal of a property. (f) Includes the write-off of fixed assets of $1.4 million included in Research and development expenses, partially offset by a net gain of $0.9 million on the sales of properties included in Other (expenses) income, net. (g) During 2017, we initiated action to reduce costs in each of our reportable segments at several locations, primarily at our Lithium sites in Germany. Based on the restructuring plans, we have recorded expenses of $2.9 million in Cost of goods sold, $8.4 million in Selling, general and administrative expenses and $5.8 million in Research and development expenses for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2017, primarily related to expected severance payments. The unpaid balance is recorded in Accrued expenses at September 30, 2017, with the expectation that the majority of these plans will be completed by the end of 2017. (h) Included in Interest and financing expenses is a loss on early extinguishment of debt of $52.8 million . See Note 10, “Long-term Debt,” for additional information. (i) See Note 3, “Divestitures,” for additional information.

Pension Plans and Other Postr35

Pension Plans and Other Postretirement Benefits (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]
Domestic and Foreign Pension and Postretirement Defined Benefit Plans	The components of pension and postretirement benefits cost (credit) from continuing operations for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 were as follows (in thousands): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2017 2016 2017 2016 Pension Benefits Cost (Credit): Service cost $ 1,067 $ 842 $ 3,090 $ 3,123 Interest cost 8,375 9,115 24,983 27,978 Expected return on assets (9,960 ) (9,920 ) (29,799 ) (30,429 ) Actuarial gain — — — (50 ) Amortization of prior service benefit 29 230 102 698 Total net pension benefits (credit) cost $ (489 ) $ 267 $ (1,624 ) $ 1,320 Postretirement Benefits Cost (Credit): Service cost $ 30 $ 29 $ 91 $ 86 Interest cost 585 620 1,755 1,862 Expected return on assets (28 ) (46 ) (83 ) (140 ) Amortization of prior service benefit (24 ) (24 ) (72 ) (72 ) Total net postretirement benefits cost $ 563 $ 579 $ 1,691 $ 1,736 Total net pension and postretirement benefits cost (a) $ 74 $ 846 $ 67 $ 3,056 (a) For the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2016 , $3.7 million and $4.9 million , respectively, of net pension and postretirement benefits cost are included in Income (loss) from discontinued operations (net of tax) in the consolidated statements of income. See Note 3, “Divestitures,” for additional information.

Fair Value of Financial Instr36

Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value of Long-Term Debt	The carrying value of our remaining long-term debt reported in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets approximates fair value as substantially all of such debt bears interest based on prevailing variable market rates currently available in the countries in which we have borrowings. September 30, 2017 December 31, 2016 Recorded Amount Fair Value Recorded Amount Fair Value (In thousands) Long-term debt $ 1,797,714 $ 1,913,900 $ 2,381,370 $ 2,472,813

Fair Value Measurement (Tables)

Fair Value Measurement (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Financial Assets and Liabilities Accounted for at Fair Value on Recurring Basis	The following tables set forth our financial assets and liabilities that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis as of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 (in thousands): September 30, 2017 Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Items (Level 1) Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Similar Items (Level 2) Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Assets: Investments under executive deferred compensation plan (a) $ 23,646 $ 23,646 $ — $ — Private equity securities (b) $ 33 $ 33 $ — $ — Private equity securities measured at net asset value (b)(c) $ 5,113 $ — $ — $ — Liabilities: Obligations under executive deferred compensation plan (a) $ 23,646 $ 23,646 $ — $ — Foreign currency forward contracts (d) $ 25 $ — $ 25 $ — December 31, 2016 Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Items (Level 1) Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Similar Items (Level 2) Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Assets: Investments under executive deferred compensation plan (a) $ 22,037 $ 22,037 $ — $ — Private equity securities (b) $ 35 $ 35 $ — $ — Private equity securities measured at net asset value (b)(c) $ 5,498 $ — $ — $ — Liabilities: Obligations under executive deferred compensation plan (a) $ 22,037 $ 22,037 $ — $ — Foreign currency forward contracts (d) $ 182 $ — $ 182 $ — (a) We maintain an Executive Deferred Compensation Plan (“EDCP”) that was adopted in 2001 and subsequently amended. The purpose of the EDCP is to provide current tax planning opportunities as well as supplemental funds upon the retirement or death of certain of our employees. The EDCP is intended to aid in attracting and retaining employees of exceptional ability by providing them with these benefits. We also maintain a Benefit Protection Trust (the “Trust”) that was created to provide a source of funds to assist in meeting the obligations of the EDCP, subject to the claims of our creditors in the event of our insolvency. Assets of the Trust are consolidated in accordance with authoritative guidance. The assets of the Trust consist primarily of mutual fund investments (which are accounted for as trading securities and are marked-to-market on a monthly basis through the consolidated statements of income) and cash and cash equivalents. As such, these assets and obligations are classified within Level 1. (b) Primarily consists of private equity securities classified as available-for-sale and are reported in Investments in the condensed consolidated balance sheets. The changes in fair value are reported in Other (expenses) income, net, in our consolidated statements of income. (c) Holdings in certain private equity securities are measured at fair value using the net asset value per share (or its equivalent) practical expedient and have not been categorized in the fair value hierarchy. (d) As a result of our global operating and financing activities, we are exposed to market risks from changes in foreign currency exchange rates, which may adversely affect our operating results and financial position. When deemed appropriate, we minimize our risks from foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations through the use of foreign currency forward contracts. Unless otherwise noted, these derivative financial instruments are not designated as hedging instruments under ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging . The foreign currency forward contracts are valued using broker quotations or market transactions in either the listed or over-the-counter markets. As such, these derivative instruments are classified within Level 2.

Accumulated Other Comprehensi38

Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Equity [Abstract]
Components and Activity in Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income Net of Deferred Income Taxes	The components and activity in Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income (net of deferred income taxes) consisted of the following during the periods indicated below (in thousands): Foreign Currency Translation Pension and Postretirement Benefits (a) Net Investment Hedge Interest Rate Swap (b) Total Three months ended September 30, 2017 Balance at June 30, 2017 $ (341,690 ) $ 85 $ 60,459 $ (15,687 ) $ (296,833 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications 56,179 — (9,681 ) — 46,498 Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss — (7 ) — 529 522 Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax 56,179 (7 ) (9,681 ) 529 47,020 Other comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests (130 ) — — — (130 ) Balance at September 30, 2017 $ (285,641 ) $ 78 $ 50,778 $ (15,158 ) $ (249,943 ) Three months ended September 30, 2016 Balance at June 30, 2016 $ (416,636 ) $ (338 ) $ 59,328 $ (17,810 ) $ (375,456 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications (c) 47,712 — (7,395 ) — 40,317 Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss — 206 — 525 731 Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax 47,712 206 (7,395 ) 525 41,048 Other comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests (23 ) — — — (23 ) Balance at September 30, 2016 $ (368,947 ) $ (132 ) $ 51,933 $ (17,285 ) $ (334,431 ) Nine months ended September 30, 2017 Balance at December 31, 2016 $ (484,121 ) $ 76 $ 88,378 $ (16,745 ) $ (412,412 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications 199,303 — (37,600 ) — 161,703 Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss — 2 — 1,587 1,589 Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax 199,303 2 (37,600 ) 1,587 163,292 Other comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests (823 ) — — — (823 ) Balance at September 30, 2017 $ (285,641 ) $ 78 $ 50,778 $ (15,158 ) $ (249,943 ) Nine months ended September 30, 2016 Balance at December 31, 2015 $ (463,914 ) $ (758 ) $ 62,245 $ (18,861 ) $ (421,288 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications 95,425 — (10,312 ) — 85,113 Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss — 626 — 1,576 2,202 Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax 95,425 626 (10,312 ) 1,576 87,315 Other comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests (458 ) — — — (458 ) Balance at September 30, 2016 $ (368,947 ) $ (132 ) $ 51,933 $ (17,285 ) $ (334,431 ) (a) The pre-tax portion of amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss consists of amortization of prior service benefit, which is a component of pension and postretirement benefits cost (credit). See Note 13, “Pension Plans and Other Postretirement Benefits.” (b) The pre-tax portion of amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss is included in interest expense. (c) Foreign currency translation includes an adjustment of $12.5 million to reduce our investment in the Windfield Holdings Pty. Ltd. joint venture related to the three month period ended March 31, 2016. See Note 1, “Basis of Presentation,” for further details.
Amount of Income Tax (Expense) Benefit Allocated to Component of Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	The amount of income tax benefit (expense) allocated to each component of Other comprehensive income (loss) for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 is provided in the following tables (in thousands): Three Months Ended September 30, 2017 2016 Foreign Currency Translation Pension and Postretirement Benefits Net Investment Hedge Interest Rate Swap Foreign Currency Translation Pension and Postretirement Benefits Net Investment Hedge Interest Rate Swap Other comprehensive income (loss), before tax $ 56,156 $ — $ (15,266 ) $ 834 $ 47,787 $ 209 $ (11,740 ) $ 834 Income tax benefit (expense) 23 (7 ) 5,585 (305 ) (75 ) (3 ) 4,345 (309 ) Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax $ 56,179 $ (7 ) $ (9,681 ) $ 529 $ 47,712 $ 206 $ (7,395 ) $ 525 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 2016 Foreign Currency Translation Pension and Postretirement Benefits Net Investment Hedge Interest Rate Swap Foreign Currency Translation Pension and Postretirement Benefits Net Investment Hedge Interest Rate Swap Other comprehensive income (loss), before tax $ 200,366 $ 10 $ (59,292 ) $ 2,502 $ 96,326 $ 635 $ (16,371 ) $ 2,502 Income tax (expense) benefit (1,063 ) (8 ) 21,692 (915 ) (901 ) (9 ) 6,059 (926 ) Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax $ 199,303 $ 2 $ (37,600 ) $ 1,587 $ 95,425 $ 626 $ (10,312 ) $ 1,576

Related Party Transactions (Tab

Related Party Transactions (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]
Schedule of Related Party Transactions	Our condensed consolidated financial statements include sales to and purchases from unconsolidated affiliates in the ordinary course of business as follows (in thousands): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2017 2016 2017 2016 Sales to unconsolidated affiliates $ 7,309 $ 5,047 $ 23,753 $ 19,452 Purchases from unconsolidated affiliates $ 51,983 $ 30,591 $ 148,502 $ 93,372

Supplemental Cash Flow Inform40

Supplemental Cash Flow Information (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Supplemental Cash Flow Information [Abstract]
Supplemental Information Related to Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows	Supplemental information related to the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows is as follows (in thousands): Nine Months Ended 2017 2016 Supplemental non-cash disclosure related to investing activities: Capital expenditures included in Accounts payable $ 53,421 $ 19,354

Basis of Presentation - Other T

Basis of Presentation - Other Tax Expense (Details) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)
Out-of-period adjustments
Other Tax Expense (Benefit) [Line Items]
Other tax expense	$ 5.1

Basis of Presentation - Additio

Basis of Presentation - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Foreign currency translation adjustment	$ 56,179	$ 47,712	$ 199,303	$ 95,425
Windfield Holdings
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Foreign currency translation adjustment		$ 12,500

Acquisitions (Details)

Acquisitions (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Feb. 01, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2016
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Inventories		$ 450,263	$ 610,212		$ 610,212		$ 450,263
Gain (loss) on acquisition					6,025	$ 0
Acquisition and integration related costs			0	$ 6,749	0	44,337
Jiangxi Jiangli New Materials Science and Technology Co. Ltd.
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total purchase price		145,000
Property, plant and equipment		29,000					29,000
Other intangibles		32,000					32,000
Deferred tax liabilities		3,700					3,700
Fair value of net working capital		$ 6,200					6,200
Inventories			37,100		37,100
Inventory markup			23,100		23,100
Acquired finite-lived intangible assets, weighted average useful life		17 years
Sales de Magnesio Ltda.
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total purchase price	$ 8,300
Percentage of equity interests acquired	50.00%
Rockwood Holdings, Inc.
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquisition and integration related costs				6,300		42,400
Other significant projects
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquisition and integration related costs				$ 400		$ 1,900
Lithium and Advanced Materials | Jiangxi Jiangli New Materials Science and Technology Co. Ltd.
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Goodwill							$ 87,700
Patents and technology | Jiangxi Jiangli New Materials Science and Technology Co. Ltd.
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquired finite-lived intangible assets, weighted average useful life		20 years
Customer lists and relationships | Jiangxi Jiangli New Materials Science and Technology Co. Ltd.
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquired finite-lived intangible assets, weighted average useful life		18 years
Other | Jiangxi Jiangli New Materials Science and Technology Co. Ltd.
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquired finite-lived intangible assets, weighted average useful life		3 years
Cost of goods sold
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquisition and integration related costs			1,800		12,500
Cost of goods sold | Jiangxi Jiangli New Materials Science and Technology Co. Ltd.
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Utilization of inventory markup			600		23,100
Other (expenses) income, net | Sales de Magnesio Ltda.
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on acquisition			(1,400)		6,000
Selling, general and administrative expenses
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquisition and integration related costs			$ 3,800		$ 13,900

Divestitures - Discontinued Ope

Divestitures - Discontinued Operations (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Income (loss) from discontinued operations (net of tax)	$ 0	$ 23,185	$ 0	$ (357,843)
Chemetall Surface Treatment
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Net sales		211,347		637,889
Cost of goods sold		100,061		333,832
Operating expenses, net		70,604		203,052
Interest and financing expenses		9,864		29,912
Other expenses, net		134
Other (income), net				(1,636)
Income before income taxes		30,684		72,729
Income tax expense		7,499		430,572
Income (loss) from discontinued operations (net of tax)		$ 23,185		(357,843)
Depreciation and amortization				35,194
Capital expenditures				$ 15,525

Divestitures Divestitures - Add

Divestitures Divestitures - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 14, 2016	Feb. 01, 2016	Jan. 04, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2016
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Cash proceeds from divestitures, net							$ 6,857	$ 310,599
Gain (loss) on sales of businesses, net				$ 0		$ 0	$ 0	122,298
Chemetall Surface Treatment
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Cash proceeds from divestitures, net	$ 3,100,000
Working capital settlement					$ 6,900
Metal Sulfides Business
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Cash proceeds from divestitures, net			$ 137,000
Gain (loss) on sales of businesses, net									$ 11,500
Mineral Flame Retardants and Specialty Chemicals Businesses
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Cash proceeds from divestitures, net		$ 187,000
Gain (loss) on sales of businesses, net									$ 112,300
Magnifin Magnesiaprodukte GmbH & Co. KG
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Ownership percentage		50.00%
Corporate | Wafer Reclaim
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on sales of businesses, net								(1,500)
United States | Chemetall Surface Treatment
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Discrete non-cash (charge) benefit								(381,500)
Foreign | Chemetall Surface Treatment
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Discrete non-cash (charge) benefit						$ 5,400		$ (29,800)

Goodwill and Other Intangible46

Goodwill and Other Intangibles - Changes in Goodwill (Details) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance at beginning of period	$ 1,540,032
Acquisitions	(21,427)
Foreign currency translation adjustments and other	97,873
Balance at end of period	1,616,478
Reportable Segments | Lithium and Advanced Materials
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance at beginning of period	1,348,261
Acquisitions	(21,427)
Foreign currency translation adjustments and other	77,707
Balance at end of period	1,404,541
Reportable Segments | Bromine Specialties
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance at beginning of period	20,319
Acquisitions	0
Foreign currency translation adjustments and other	0
Balance at end of period	20,319
Reportable Segments | Refining Solutions
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance at beginning of period	164,866
Acquisitions	0
Foreign currency translation adjustments and other	20,166
Balance at end of period	185,032
Reportable Segments | All Other
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance at beginning of period	6,586
Acquisitions	0
Foreign currency translation adjustments and other	0
Balance at end of period	$ 6,586

Goodwill and Other Intangible47

Goodwill and Other Intangibles - Other Intangibles (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross Asset Value, Beginning of Period	$ 461,685
Acquisitions	44,378
Foreign currency translation adjustments and other	37,896
Gross Asset Value, End of Period	543,959
Accumulated Amortization, Beginning of Period	(107,121)
Amortization	(17,627)
Foreign currency translation adjustments and other	(2,798)
Accumulated Amortization, End of Period	(127,546)
Net Book Value	416,413	$ 354,564
Customer lists and relationships
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross Asset Value, Beginning of Period	387,893
Acquisitions	1,717
Foreign currency translation adjustments and other	28,461
Gross Asset Value, End of Period	418,071
Accumulated Amortization, Beginning of Period	(49,165)
Amortization	(14,811)
Foreign currency translation adjustments and other	(3,620)
Accumulated Amortization, End of Period	(67,596)
Net Book Value	350,475	338,728
Trade names and trademarks
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross Asset Value, Beginning of Period	16,514
Acquisitions	1,429
Foreign currency translation adjustments and other	913
Gross Asset Value, End of Period	18,856
Accumulated Amortization, Beginning of Period	(7,952)
Amortization	0
Foreign currency translation adjustments and other	(296)
Accumulated Amortization, End of Period	(8,248)
Net Book Value	10,608	8,562
Patents and technology
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross Asset Value, Beginning of Period	38,434
Acquisitions	25,555
Foreign currency translation adjustments and other	3,245
Gross Asset Value, End of Period	67,234
Accumulated Amortization, Beginning of Period	(31,683)
Amortization	(1,288)
Foreign currency translation adjustments and other	(1,816)
Accumulated Amortization, End of Period	(34,787)
Net Book Value	32,447	6,751
Other
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross Asset Value, Beginning of Period	18,844
Acquisitions	15,677
Foreign currency translation adjustments and other	5,277
Gross Asset Value, End of Period	39,798
Accumulated Amortization, Beginning of Period	(18,321)
Amortization	(1,528)
Foreign currency translation adjustments and other	2,934
Accumulated Amortization, End of Period	(16,915)
Net Book Value	$ 22,883	$ 523

Foreign Exchange - Additional I

Foreign Exchange - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Foreign Currency [Abstract]
Net foreign transaction and revaluation (losses) gains	$ (1.9)	$ 0.3	$ (7.6)	$ (3.1)

Income Taxes - Additional Infor

Income Taxes - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Other Income Tax Expense [Line Items]
Effective income tax rate	14.30%	11.10%	17.60%	13.80%
Release of valuation allowances			$ 10.8
Excess tax benefits	$ 2.2		6.9
Foreign rate changes
Other Income Tax Expense [Line Items]
Other tax expense			14.8
Out-of-period adjustments
Other Income Tax Expense [Line Items]
Other tax expense			$ 5.1

Earnings Per Share - Calculatio

Earnings Per Share - Calculation of Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share From Continuing Operations (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Basic earnings per share from continuing operations
Net income from continuing operations	$ 130,193	$ 114,512	$ 306,539	$ 428,334
Net income from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests	(11,523)	(9,477)	(33,323)	(28,906)
Net income from continuing operations attributable to Albemarle Corporation	$ 118,670	$ 105,035	$ 273,216	$ 399,428
Weighted-average common shares for basic earnings per share (in shares)	110,476	112,429	111,049	112,343
Basic earnings per share from continuing operations (in dollars per share)	$ 1.07	$ 0.93	$ 2.46	$ 3.56
Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations
Net income from continuing operations	$ 130,193	$ 114,512	$ 306,539	$ 428,334
Net income from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests	(11,523)	(9,477)	(33,323)	(28,906)
Net income from continuing operations attributable to Albemarle Corporation	$ 118,670	$ 105,035	$ 273,216	$ 399,428
Weighted-average common shares for basic earnings per share (in shares)	110,476	112,429	111,049	112,343
Incremental shares under stock compensation plans (in shares)	1,499	1,019	1,407	788
Weighted-average common shares outstanding - diluted (in shares)	111,975	113,448	112,456	113,131
Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations (in dollars per share)	$ 1.06	$ 0.93	$ 2.43	$ 3.53

Earnings Per Share - Additional

Earnings Per Share - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	Jun. 16, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Nov. 06, 2017	Jul. 10, 2017	Feb. 23, 2017
Earnings Per Share Disclosure [Line Items]
Increase in dividend rate, percentage							5.00%
Cash dividend, amount per share (in dollars per share)						$ 0.32	$ 0.32
Payment for repurchase of common stock			$ 250,000	$ 0
Number of shares authorized to be repurchased (in shares)			15,000,000
Shares available for repurchase (in shares)			12,658,917
Accelerated Share Repurchase Agreement
Earnings Per Share Disclosure [Line Items]
Payment for repurchase of common stock		$ 250,000
Initial Delivery | Accelerated Share Repurchase Agreement
Earnings Per Share Disclosure [Line Items]
Repurchase of common stock shares (in shares)		1,948,178
Final Settlement | Accelerated Share Repurchase Agreement
Earnings Per Share Disclosure [Line Items]
Repurchase of common stock shares (in shares)	392,905
Total Delivery | Accelerated Share Repurchase Agreement
Earnings Per Share Disclosure [Line Items]
Repurchase of common stock shares (in shares)			2,341,083
Subsequent Event
Earnings Per Share Disclosure [Line Items]
Cash dividend, amount per share (in dollars per share)					$ 0.32

Inventories (Details)

Inventories (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Finished goods	$ 420,059	$ 289,102
Raw materials and work in process	135,025	109,706
Stores, supplies and other	55,128	51,455
Total inventories	$ 610,212	$ 450,263

Inventories - Additional Inform

Inventories - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Lithium
Inventory [Line Items]
Work in process related to Lithium	$ 56	$ 47.1

Investments - Additional Inform

Investments - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	1 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Feb. 28, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Schedule of Investments [Line Items]
Termination of Tianqi Lithium Corporation option agreement	$ 13,100	$ 0
Windfield Holdings
Schedule of Investments [Line Items]
Equity method investment, ownership percentage		49.00%
Carrying value of unconsolidated investment		$ 352,000	$ 288,600
Other variable interest entities
Schedule of Investments [Line Items]
Carrying value of unconsolidated investment		$ 8,400	$ 8,800
Rockwood Lithium GmbH
Schedule of Investments [Line Items]
Ownership percentage	100.00%
Minimum | Rockwood Lithium GmbH
Schedule of Investments [Line Items]
Ownership percentage		20.00%
Maximum | Rockwood Lithium GmbH
Schedule of Investments [Line Items]
Ownership percentage		30.00%

Long-Term Debt (Details)

Long-Term Debt (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term Debt	$ 1,789,529	$ 2,369,262
Current portion of long-term debt	382,358	247,544
Long-term debt	1,407,171	2,121,718
Senior Notes | 1.875% Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term Debt	456,665	719,617
Senior Notes | 3.00% Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term Debt	0	248,714
Senior Notes | 4.15% Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term Debt	421,506	421,141
Senior Notes | 4.50% Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term Debt	174,249	347,620
Senior Notes | 5.45% Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term Debt	345,803	345,687
Commercial Paper
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term Debt	382,250	247,503
Variable-rate foreign bank loans
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term Debt	8,695	38,939
Other long-term debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term Debt	$ 361	$ 41

Long-Term Debt - Additional Inf

Long-Term Debt - Additional Information (Details) $ in Thousands, € in Millions	3 Months Ended				9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2017EUR (€)	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2016USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2016USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of long-term debt					$ 753,209	$ 382,730
Payments of debt premium			$ 45,200
Loss on early extinguishment of debt					52,801	0
Net investment hedge loss	$ (9,681)			$ (7,395)	$ (37,600)	$ (10,312)
3.00% Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, interest rate	3.00%	3.00%	3.00%		3.00%		3.00%
1.875% Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, interest rate	1.875%	1.875%	1.875%		1.875%		1.875%
4.50% Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, interest rate	4.50%	4.50%	4.50%		4.50%		4.50%
Commercial Paper
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Weighted average interest rate	1.76%				1.76%
Debt instrument maturity period					36 days
Senior Notes | 3.00% Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of long-term debt			$ 250,000
Senior Notes | 1.875% Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of long-term debt | €		€ 307
Senior Notes | 4.50% Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of long-term debt			$ 174,700

Long-Term Debt - Interest Rates

Long-Term Debt - Interest Rates (Details) $ in Thousands, € in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017EUR (€)	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2016USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of long-term debt			$ 753,209	$ 382,730
1.875% Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unamortized discount and debt issuance costs			$ 4,167		$ 7,823
Debt instrument, interest rate	1.875%	1.875%	1.875%		1.875%
3.00% Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unamortized discount and debt issuance costs			$ 0		$ 1,286
Debt instrument, interest rate	3.00%	3.00%	3.00%		3.00%
4.15% Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unamortized discount and debt issuance costs			$ 3,494		$ 3,859
Debt instrument, interest rate			4.15%		4.15%
4.50% Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unamortized discount and debt issuance costs			$ 966		$ 2,380
Debt instrument, interest rate	4.50%	4.50%	4.50%		4.50%
5.45% Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unamortized discount and debt issuance costs			$ 4,197		$ 4,313
Debt instrument, interest rate			5.45%		5.45%
Senior Notes | 1.875% Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of long-term debt | €	€ 307
Senior Notes | 3.00% Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of long-term debt		$ 250,000
Senior Notes | 4.50% Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of long-term debt		$ 174,700

Commitments and Contingencies -

Commitments and Contingencies - Activity in Recorded Environmental Liabilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017
Accrual for Environmental Loss Contingencies [Roll Forward]
Balance at beginning of period	$ 34,919
Expenditures	(1,320)
Accretion of discount	563
Foreign currency translation adjustments and other	2,384
Balance at end of period	$ 34,919	$ 36,546
Less amounts reported in Accrued expenses		2,476
Amounts reported in Other noncurrent liabilities		$ 34,070

Commitments and Contingencies59

Commitments and Contingencies - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Environmental remediation liabilities - discounted	$ 24.7	$ 22.8
Accrual for environmental loss contingencies - weighted-average discount rate	3.60%
Environmental remediation liabilities - undiscounted	$ 64.6	61.1
Potential revision on future environmental remediation costs before tax	17
Tax indemnification liability	$ 43.4	$ 38.2

Segment Information - Additiona

Segment Information - Additional Information (Details)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017segment
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Number of reportable segments	3

Segment Information - Summarize

Segment Information - Summarized Financial Information by Reportable Segments (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	$ 754,866	$ 654,010	$ 2,214,187	$ 1,980,548
Adjusted EBITDA	209,383	188,329	639,700	570,833
Net income attributable to Albemarle Corporation	118,670	128,220	273,216	41,585
Depreciation and amortization			144,087	176,499
Gain on acquisition			(6,025)	0
(Gain) loss on sales of businesses, net	0	0	0	(122,298)
Acquisition and integration related costs	0	6,749	0	44,337
Interest and financing expenses	15,792	15,946	98,895	46,860
Income tax expense	18,495	12,394	53,596	61,535
Income from discontinued operations (net of tax)	0	(23,185)	0	357,843
All Other
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	28,021	28,272	91,144	150,987
Adjusted EBITDA	306	5,470	7,906	14,810
Other		0
Reportable Segments | Lithium and Advanced Materials
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	343,557	240,424	945,791	689,950
Adjusted EBITDA	130,218	91,719	382,789	260,861
Other		0
Reportable Segments | Bromine Specialties
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	212,923	194,496	636,059	597,912
Adjusted EBITDA	63,936	51,807	194,499	179,977
Other		0
Reportable Segments | Refining Solutions
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	170,275	190,453	539,904	539,044
Adjusted EBITDA	43,120	64,960	142,777	181,620
Other		0
Reportable Segments | Reportable Segments Total
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Other		0
Corporate
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	90	365	1,289	2,655
Adjusted EBITDA	(28,197)	(25,627)	(88,271)	(66,435)
Continuing Operations
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Adjusted EBITDA	209,383	188,329	639,700	570,833
Net income attributable to Albemarle Corporation	118,670	128,220	273,216	41,585
Depreciation and amortization	49,895	47,974	144,087	141,288
Utilization of inventory markup	568		23,095
Restructuring and other, net			17,141
Gain on acquisition	1,408		(6,025)
(Gain) loss on sales of businesses, net				(122,298)
Acquisition and integration related costs	5,635	6,749	26,395	44,337
Interest and financing expenses	15,792	15,946	98,895	46,860
Income tax expense	18,495	12,394	53,596	61,535
Income from discontinued operations (net of tax)		(23,185)		357,843
Non-operating pension and OPEB items	(1,028)	(231)	(3,144)	(779)
Multiemployer plan shortfall contributions	1,646		6,586
Other	(1,698)	462	5,858	462
Continuing Operations | All Other
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Adjusted EBITDA	306	5,470	7,906	14,810
Net income attributable to Albemarle Corporation	(1,776)	3,806	1,622	133,012
Depreciation and amortization	2,082	1,664	6,284	5,629
Utilization of inventory markup	0		0
Restructuring and other, net			0
Gain on acquisition	0		0
(Gain) loss on sales of businesses, net				(123,831)
Acquisition and integration related costs	0	0	0	0
Interest and financing expenses	0	0	0	0
Income tax expense	0	0	0	0
Income from discontinued operations (net of tax)		0		0
Non-operating pension and OPEB items	0	0	0	0
Multiemployer plan shortfall contributions	0		0
Other	0		0	0
Continuing Operations | Reportable Segments | Lithium and Advanced Materials
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Adjusted EBITDA	130,218	91,719	382,789	260,861
Net income attributable to Albemarle Corporation	103,199	66,166	292,655	186,373
Depreciation and amortization	26,136	25,553	74,157	74,488
Utilization of inventory markup	568		23,095
Restructuring and other, net			0
Gain on acquisition	1,408		(6,025)
(Gain) loss on sales of businesses, net				0
Acquisition and integration related costs	0	0	0	0
Interest and financing expenses	0	0	0	0
Income tax expense	0	0	0	0
Income from discontinued operations (net of tax)		0		0
Non-operating pension and OPEB items	0	0	0	0
Multiemployer plan shortfall contributions	0		0
Other	(1,093)		(1,093)	0
Continuing Operations | Reportable Segments | Bromine Specialties
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Adjusted EBITDA	63,936	51,807	194,499	179,977
Net income attributable to Albemarle Corporation	53,760	41,621	164,193	150,221
Depreciation and amortization	10,176	10,186	30,306	29,756
Utilization of inventory markup	0		0
Restructuring and other, net			0
Gain on acquisition	0		0
(Gain) loss on sales of businesses, net				0
Acquisition and integration related costs	0	0	0	0
Interest and financing expenses	0	0	0	0
Income tax expense	0	0	0	0
Income from discontinued operations (net of tax)		0		0
Non-operating pension and OPEB items	0	0	0	0
Multiemployer plan shortfall contributions	0		0
Other	0		0	0
Continuing Operations | Reportable Segments | Refining Solutions
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Adjusted EBITDA	43,120	64,960	142,777	181,620
Net income attributable to Albemarle Corporation	34,392	55,981	115,329	154,767
Depreciation and amortization	9,978	8,979	28,698	26,853
Utilization of inventory markup	0		0
Restructuring and other, net			0
Gain on acquisition	0		0
(Gain) loss on sales of businesses, net				0
Acquisition and integration related costs	0	0	0	0
Interest and financing expenses	0	0	0	0
Income tax expense	0	0	0	0
Income from discontinued operations (net of tax)		0		0
Non-operating pension and OPEB items	0	0	0	0
Multiemployer plan shortfall contributions	0		0
Other	(1,250)		(1,250)	0
Continuing Operations | Reportable Segments | Reportable Segments Total
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Adjusted EBITDA	237,274	208,486	720,065	622,458
Net income attributable to Albemarle Corporation	191,351	163,768	572,177	491,361
Depreciation and amortization	46,290	44,718	133,161	131,097
Utilization of inventory markup	568		23,095
Restructuring and other, net			0
Gain on acquisition	1,408		(6,025)
(Gain) loss on sales of businesses, net				0
Acquisition and integration related costs	0	0	0	0
Interest and financing expenses	0	0	0	0
Income tax expense	0	0	0	0
Income from discontinued operations (net of tax)		0		0
Non-operating pension and OPEB items	0	0	0	0
Multiemployer plan shortfall contributions	0		0
Other	(2,343)		(2,343)	0
Continuing Operations | Corporate
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Adjusted EBITDA	(28,197)	(25,627)	(88,271)	(66,435)
Net income attributable to Albemarle Corporation	(70,905)	(39,354)	(300,583)	(582,788)
Depreciation and amortization	1,523	1,592	4,642	4,562
Utilization of inventory markup	0		0
Restructuring and other, net			17,141
Gain on acquisition	0		0
(Gain) loss on sales of businesses, net				1,533
Acquisition and integration related costs	5,635	6,749	26,395	44,337
Interest and financing expenses	15,792	15,946	98,895	46,860
Income tax expense	18,495	12,394	53,596	61,535
Income from discontinued operations (net of tax)		(23,185)		357,843
Non-operating pension and OPEB items	(1,028)	(231)	(3,144)	(779)
Multiemployer plan shortfall contributions	1,646		6,586
Other	$ 645	$ 462	$ 8,201	$ 462

Segment Information - Summari62

Segment Information - Summarized Financial Information by Reportable Segments (Footnote) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Feb. 01, 2017
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Loss on extinguishment of debt		$ 52,801	$ 0
Jiangxi Jiangli New Materials Science and Technology Co. Ltd.
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Inventory markup	$ 23,100	23,100
Sales de Magnesio Ltda.
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Percentage of equity interests acquired				50.00%
Cost of goods sold
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Reversal of a liability from abandoned project	1,300	1,300
Restructuring and other, net		2,900
Cost of goods sold | Jiangxi Jiangli New Materials Science and Technology Co. Ltd.
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Utilization of inventory markup	600	23,100
Selling, general and administrative expenses
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Reversal of purchase accounting accrual		1,000
Restructuring and other, net		8,400
Research and development expenses
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Fixed assets write-off			1,400
Restructuring and other, net		5,800
Other (expenses) income, net
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Reversal of a liability from previous business	1,100	1,100
Revision of tax indemnification expense	$ 700	1,900
Asset retirement obligation charges		3,200
Net gain (loss) on sale of properties		(2,100)	$ 900
Final settlement claims on previous business disposal		$ 2,000

Pension Plans and Other Postr63

Pension Plans and Other Postretirement Benefits - Domestic and Foreign Pension and Postretirement Defined Benefit Plans (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total net pension benefits (credit) cost	$ 74	$ 846	$ 67	$ 3,056
Pension Plan
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Service cost	1,067	842	3,090	3,123
Interest cost	8,375	9,115	24,983	27,978
Expected return on assets	(9,960)	(9,920)	(29,799)	(30,429)
Actuarial gain	0	0	0	(50)
Amortization of prior service benefit	29	230	102	698
Total net pension benefits (credit) cost	(489)	267	(1,624)	1,320
Postretirement Benefits
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Service cost	30	29	91	86
Interest cost	585	620	1,755	1,862
Expected return on assets	(28)	(46)	(83)	(140)
Amortization of prior service benefit	(24)	(24)	(72)	(72)
Total net pension benefits (credit) cost	$ 563	$ 579	$ 1,691	$ 1,736

Pension Plans and Other Postr64

Pension Plans and Other Postretirement Benefits - Domestic and Foreign Pension and Postretirement Defined Benefit Plans (Footnote) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2016
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]
Net pension and postretirement benefits cost	$ 3.7	$ 4.9

Pension Plans and Other Postr65

Pension Plans and Other Postretirement Benefits - Pension and Postretirement Plan Contributions (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Other postretirement benefits payments	$ 0.7	$ 0.7	$ 1.9	$ 2.3
Chemetall Surface Treatment
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Pension contributions		1		2.9
Continuing Operations
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Pension contributions	$ 2.6	$ 2.4	$ 7.7	$ 8.5

Pension Plans and Other Postr66

Pension Plans and Other Postretirement Benefits - Multiemployer Plan (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Chemetall Surface Treatment
Multiemployer Plans [Line Items]
Multiemployer plan, period contributions		$ 0.2		$ 0.6
Continuing Operations
Multiemployer Plans [Line Items]
Multiemployer plan, period contributions	$ 0.3	$ 0.3	$ 0.8	$ 0.8
Selling, general and administrative expenses | Financial Improvement Plan
Multiemployer Plans [Line Items]
Multiemployer plan, period contributions			2
Other (expenses) income, net | Financial Improvement Plan
Multiemployer Plans [Line Items]
Multiemployer plan, period contributions	$ 1.6		$ 4.6

Fair Value of Financial Instr67

Fair Value of Financial Instruments Fair Value of Long-Term Debt (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Total long-term debt, excluding debt issuance costs	$ 1,797,714	$ 2,381,370
Total long-term debt, fair value, excluding debt issuance costs	$ 1,913,900	$ 2,472,813

Fair Value of Financial Instr68

Fair Value of Financial Instruments Additional Information (Details) - Forward contracts - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2016
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]
Derivative, notional amount	$ 357.7		$ 357.7		$ 251.6
Accrued expenses
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]
Fair value foreign currency forward contracts, liabilities	0.1		0.1		$ 0.2
Other (expenses) income, net
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]
Recognized gains (losses) of foreign currency forward contracts	$ 0.8	$ 3	9	$ (1.9)
Other, net
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]
Change in the fair value of foreign currency forward contracts			(9)	1.9
Cash receipts			$ 8.9
Cash settlements				$ (2)

Fair Value Measurement - Financ

Fair Value Measurement - Financial Assets and Liabilities Accounted for at Fair Value on Recurring Basis (Details) - USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value, Level 1 to Level 2 Transfers, Amount	$ 0
Investments under executive deferred compensation plan	23,646,000	$ 22,037,000
Private equity securities	33,000	35,000
Private equity securities measured at net asset value	5,113,000	5,498,000
Obligations under executive deferred compensation plan	23,646,000	22,037,000
Foreign currency forward contracts, liabilities	25,000	182,000
Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Items (Level 1)
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments under executive deferred compensation plan	23,646,000	22,037,000
Private equity securities	33,000	35,000
Private equity securities measured at net asset value	0	0
Obligations under executive deferred compensation plan	23,646,000	22,037,000
Foreign currency forward contracts, liabilities	0	0
Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Similar Items (Level 2)
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments under executive deferred compensation plan	0	0
Private equity securities	0	0
Private equity securities measured at net asset value	0	0
Obligations under executive deferred compensation plan	0	0
Foreign currency forward contracts, liabilities	25,000	182,000
Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments under executive deferred compensation plan	0	0
Private equity securities	0	0
Private equity securities measured at net asset value	0	0
Obligations under executive deferred compensation plan	0	0
Foreign currency forward contracts, liabilities	$ 0	$ 0

Accumulated Other Comprehensi70

Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income - Components and Activity in Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income Net of Deferred Income Taxes (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Increase (Decrease) in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance			$ 3,942,604	$ 3,401,313
Other comprehensive income (loss), before reclassifications	$ 46,498	$ 40,317	161,703	85,113
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss	522	731	1,589	2,202
Total other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	47,020	41,048	163,292	87,315
Other comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests	(130)	(23)	(823)	(458)
Ending Balance	4,039,572	3,451,433	4,039,572	3,451,433
Foreign Currency Translation
Increase (Decrease) in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	(341,690)	(416,636)	(484,121)	(463,914)
Other comprehensive income (loss), before reclassifications	56,179	47,712	199,303	95,425
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss	0	0	0	0
Total other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	56,179	47,712	199,303	95,425
Other comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests	(130)	(23)	(823)	(458)
Ending Balance	(285,641)	(368,947)	(285,641)	(368,947)
Pension and Postretirement Benefits
Increase (Decrease) in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	85	(338)	76	(758)
Other comprehensive income (loss), before reclassifications	0	0	0	0
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss	(7)	206	2	626
Total other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(7)	206	2	626
Other comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests	0	0	0	0
Ending Balance	78	(132)	78	(132)
Net Investment Hedge
Increase (Decrease) in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	60,459	59,328	88,378	62,245
Other comprehensive income (loss), before reclassifications	(9,681)	(7,395)	(37,600)	(10,312)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss	0	0	0	0
Total other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(9,681)	(7,395)	(37,600)	(10,312)
Other comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests	0	0	0	0
Ending Balance	50,778	51,933	50,778	51,933
Interest Rate Swap
Increase (Decrease) in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	(15,687)	(17,810)	(16,745)	(18,861)
Other comprehensive income (loss), before reclassifications	0	0	0	0
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss	529	525	1,587	1,576
Total other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	529	525	1,587	1,576
Other comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests	0	0	0	0
Ending Balance	(15,158)	(17,285)	(15,158)	(17,285)
Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income
Increase (Decrease) in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	(296,833)	(375,456)	(412,412)	(421,288)
Total other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax			162,469	86,857
Ending Balance	$ (249,943)	$ (334,431)	$ (249,943)	$ (334,431)

Accumulated Other Comprehensi71

Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income - Amount of Income Tax (Expense) Benefit Allocated to Component of Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Equity [Abstract]
Foreign Currency Translation, Other comprehensive income (loss), before tax	$ 56,156	$ 47,787	$ 200,366	$ 96,326
Foreign Currency Translation, Income tax (expense) benefit	23	(75)	(1,063)	(901)
Foreign currency translation, Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	56,179	47,712	199,303	95,425
Pension and Postretirement Benefits, Other comprehensive income (loss), before tax	0	209	10	635
Pension and Postretirement Benefits, Income tax (expense) benefit	(7)	(3)	(8)	(9)
Pension and Postretirement Benefits, Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(7)	206	2	626
Net investment hedge, Other comprehensive income (loss), before tax	(15,266)	(11,740)	(59,292)	(16,371)
Net investment hedge, Income tax (expense) benefit	5,585	4,345	21,692	6,059
Net investment hedge, Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(9,681)	(7,395)	(37,600)	(10,312)
Interest rate swap, Other comprehensive income (loss), before tax	834	834	2,502	2,502
Interest rate swap, Income tax benefit (expense) benefit	(305)	(309)	(915)	(926)
Interest rate swap, Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	$ 529	$ 525	$ 1,587	$ 1,576

Accumulated Other Comprehensi72

Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income [Line Items]
Foreign currency translation adjustment	$ 56,179	$ 47,712	$ 199,303	$ 95,425
Windfield Holdings
Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income [Line Items]
Foreign currency translation adjustment		$ 12,500

Related Party Transactions (Det

Related Party Transactions (Details) - Unconsolidated Affiliates - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Sales to unconsolidated affiliates	$ 7,309	$ 5,047	$ 23,753	$ 19,452
Purchases from unconsolidated affiliates	$ 51,983	$ 30,591	$ 148,502	$ 93,372

Supplemental Cash Flow Inform74

Supplemental Cash Flow Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Supplemental Cash Flow Information [Abstract]
Capital expenditures included in Accounts payable	$ 53,421	$ 19,354

Recently Issued Accounting Pr75

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017
Accounting Changes and Error Corrections [Abstract]
Excess tax benefits	$ 2.2	$ 6.9