Stepan (SCL) 10-K 25 Feb 22 2021 FY Annual report Financial data

Document and Entity Information

Document and Entity Information - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Jan. 31, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021
Cover [Abstract]
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2021
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2021
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Trading Symbol	SCL
Entity Registrant Name	STEPAN COMPANY
Entity Well Known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Central Index Key	0000094049
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Shell Company	false
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Tax Identification Number	36-1823834
Entity File Number	1-4462
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	DE
Entity Address, Address Line One	1101 Skokie Boulevard
Entity Address, Address Line Two	Suite 500
Entity Address, City or Town	Northbrook
Entity Address, State or Province	IL
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	60062
City Area Code	847
Local Phone Number	446-7500
Security Exchange Name	NYSE
Title of 12(b) Security	Common Stock, $1 par value
Document Annual Report	true
Document Transition Report	false
Entity Interactive Data Current	Yes
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		22,421,100
Entity Public Float			$ 2,582,080,839
ICFR Auditor Attestation Flag	true
Auditor Name	DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP
Auditor Location	Chicago, Illinois
Auditor Firm ID	34
Documents Incorporated by Reference	Documents Incorporated by Reference Part of Form 10-K Document Incorporated Part III, Items 10-14 Portions of the Proxy Statement for Annual Meeting of Stockholders expected to be held April 26, 2022. * Based on reported ownership by all directors and executive officers at June 30, 2021.

Consolidated Statements of Inco

Consolidated Statements of Income - USD ($) shares in Thousands		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Income Statement [Abstract]
Net Sales (Note 1)	[1]	$ 2,345,966,000	$ 1,869,750,000	$ 1,858,745,000
Cost of Sales		1,950,156,000	1,486,137,000	1,519,031,000
Gross Profit		395,810,000	383,613,000	339,714,000
Operating Expenses:
Selling (Note 1)		59,186,000	55,543,000	56,956,000
Administrative (Note 1)		92,906,000	87,362,000	82,577,000
Research, development and technical services (Note 1)		62,689,000	57,986,000	55,037,000
Deferred compensation expense (Note 12)		6,895,000	9,988,000	15,140,000
Total Operating expenses		221,676,000	210,879,000	209,710,000
Business restructuring and loss on asset disposition (Note 22)		(3,353,000)	(1,212,000)	(2,744,000)
Operating Income		170,781,000	171,522,000	127,260,000
Other Income (Expense):
Interest, net (Note 6)		(5,753,000)	(5,409,000)	(5,932,000)
Other, net (Note 8)		7,509,000	4,954,000	4,571,000
Nonoperating Income (Expense), Total		1,756,000	(455,000)	(1,361,000)
Income Before Provision for Income Taxes		172,537,000	171,067,000	125,899,000
Provision for Income Taxes (Note 9)		34,642,000	43,411,000	22,798,000
Net Income		137,895,000	127,656,000	103,101,000
Net (Income) Loss Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest (Note 1)		(91,000)	(886,000)	28,000
Net Income Attributable to Stepan Company		$ 137,804,000	$ 126,770,000	$ 103,129,000
Net Income Per Common Share Attributable to Stepan Company (Note 18):
Basic		$ 6.01	$ 5.52	$ 4.47
Diluted		$ 5.92	$ 5.45	$ 4.42
Shares Used to Compute Net Income Per Common Share Attributable to Stepan Company (Note 18):
Basic		22,922	22,949	23,054
Diluted		23,287	23,256	23,316
[1]	Net sales are attributed to countries based on the location of the Company legal entity making the sale.

Consolidated Statements of Comp

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Statement Of Income And Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net Income	$ 137,895	$ 127,656	$ 103,101
Other Comprehensive Income:
Foreign currency translation adjustments (Note 19)	(28,154)	(2,973)	4,425
Defined benefit pension plans:
Net actuarial gain (loss) arising in period (net of tax expense of $2,661, tax benefit of $265 and tax expense of $1,263 for 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively)	8,188	(996)	4,112
Amortization of prior service cost included in pension expense (net of taxes of $4, $3 and $3 for 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively)	8	8	9
Amortization of actuarial loss included in pension expense (net of taxes of $1,157, $1,089 and $657 for 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively)	3,643	3,332	2,082
Net defined benefit pension plan activity (Note 19)	11,839	2,344	6,203
Cash flow hedges:
Reclassifications to income in period	(9)	(9)	(9)
Net cash flow hedge activity (Note 19)	(9)	(9)	(9)
Other Comprehensive Income	(16,324)	(638)	10,619
Comprehensive Income	121,571	127,018	113,720
Comprehensive Income Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	(122)	(959)	47
Comprehensive Income Attributable to Stepan Company	$ 121,449	$ 126,059	$ 113,767

Consolidated Statements of Co_2

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Statement Of Income And Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net actuarial gain (loss) arising in period, tax expense (benefit)	$ 2,661	$ (265)	$ 1,263
Amortization of prior service cost included in pension expense, tax	4	3	3
Amortization of actuarial loss included in pension expense, tax	$ 1,157	$ 1,089	$ 657

Consolidated Balance Sheets

Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 159,186,000	$ 349,938,000
Receivables, less allowances of $10,157 in 2021 and $10,133 in 2020	419,542,000	301,318,000
Inventories (Note 5)	305,538,000	218,783,000
Other current assets	29,102,000	35,612,000
Total current assets	913,368,000	905,651,000
Property, Plant and Equipment:
Land	50,675,000	27,135,000
Buildings and improvements	260,809,000	248,234,000
Machinery and equipment	1,541,925,000	1,476,675,000
Construction in progress	237,548,000	120,606,000
Property, Plant and Equipment, Gross	2,090,957,000	1,872,650,000
Less: Accumulated depreciation	(1,240,353,000)	(1,189,983,000)
Property, plant and equipment, net	850,604,000	682,667,000
Goodwill, net (Note 4)	97,187,000	27,972,000
Other intangible assets, net (Note 4)	60,784,000	24,068,000
Long-term investments (Note 2)	34,495,000	30,652,000
Operating lease assets (Note 7)	69,612,000	62,421,000
Other non-current assets	39,562,000	18,905,000
Total Assets	2,065,612,000	1,752,336,000
Current Liabilities:
Current maturities of long-term debt (Note 6)	40,718,000	37,857,000
Accounts payable	323,362,000	236,750,000
Accrued liabilities (Note 14)	136,396,000	141,947,000
Total current liabilities	500,476,000	416,554,000
Deferred income taxes (Note 9)	12,491,000	20,745,000
Long-term debt, less current maturities (Note 6)	322,862,000	160,812,000
Non-current operating lease liability (Note 7)	56,668,000	51,567,000
Other non-current liabilities (Note 15)	98,922,000	114,293,000
Commitments and Contingencies (Note 16)
Equity (Note 10):
Common stock, $1 par value; 60,000,000 authorized shares; 26,760,714 issued shares in 2021 and 26,658,032 issued shares in 2020	26,761,000	26,658,000
Additional paid-in capital	220,820,000	206,716,000
Accumulated other comprehensive loss (Note 19)	(153,236,000)	(136,881,000)
Retained earnings	1,133,550,000	1,023,829,000
Less: Common treasury stock, at cost, 4,340,729 shares in 2021 and 4,185,242 shares in 2020	(153,702,000)	(133,629,000)
Total Stepan Company stockholders’ equity	1,074,193,000	986,693,000
Noncontrolling interest		1,672,000
Total equity	1,074,193,000	988,365,000
Total Liabilities and Equity	$ 2,065,612,000	$ 1,752,336,000

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Pa

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Statement Of Financial Position [Abstract]
Allowances	$ 10,157	$ 10,133
Common stock, par value	$ 1	$ 1
Common stock, shares authorized	60,000,000	60,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	26,760,714	26,658,032
Treasury stock, shares	4,340,729	4,185,242

Consolidated Statements of Cash

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Cash Flows From Operating Activities
Net income	$ 137,895,000	$ 127,656,000	$ 103,101,000
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	90,876,000	81,860,000	78,701,000
Deferred compensation	6,895,000	9,988,000	15,140,000
Realized and unrealized gain on long-term investments	(2,289,000)	(3,143,000)	(3,955,000)
Stock-based compensation	11,716,000	10,080,000	8,872,000
Deferred income taxes	(33,605,000)	(4,506,000)	(5,016,000)
Other non-cash items	2,158,000	3,068,000	2,240,000
Changes in assets and liabilities, excluding effects of acquisitions:
Receivables, net	(104,231,000)	(23,417,000)	4,894,000
Inventories	(79,258,000)	(15,358,000)	28,460,000
Other current assets	(1,434,000)	(13,927,000)	(680,000)
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	44,414,000	55,739,000	(15,084,000)
Pension liabilities	(1,729,000)	(612,000)	(790,000)
Environmental and legal liabilities	450,000	(3,021,000)	2,519,000
Deferred revenues	277,000	10,809,000	26,000
Net Cash Provided By Operating Activities	72,135,000	235,216,000	218,428,000
Cash Flows From Investing Activities
Expenditures for property, plant and equipment	(194,482,000)	(125,792,000)	(105,572,000)
Proceeds from asset disposition	4,149,000
Asset acquisition (Note 20)	(3,503,000)	(2,040,000)
Business acquisitions, net of cash acquired (Note 20)	(184,473,000)	(13,519,000)	(9,000,000)
Other, net	1,480,000	2,317,000	1,905,000
Net Cash Used In Investing Activities	(376,829,000)	(139,034,000)	(112,667,000)
Cash Flows From Financing Activities
Revolving debt and bank overdrafts, net (Note 6)	2,861,000		(7,495,000)
Other debt borrowings (Note 6)	200,000,000
Other debt repayments (Note 6)	(37,858,000)	(23,571,000)	(46,429,000)
Dividends paid	(28,083,000)	(25,405,000)	(23,097,000)
Company stock repurchased	(16,969,000)	(15,253,000)	(13,184,000)
Stock option exercises	1,369,000	2,926,000	3,037,000
Other, net	(3,987,000)	(3,631,000)	(3,326,000)
Net Cash (Used In) Provided By Financing Activities	117,333,000	(64,934,000)	(90,494,000)
Effect of Exchange Rate Changes on Cash	(3,391,000)	3,307,000	(78,000)
Net Increase (Decrease) in Cash and Cash Equivalents	(190,752,000)	34,555,000	15,189,000
Cash and Cash Equivalents at Beginning of Year	349,938,000	315,383,000	300,194,000
Cash and Cash Equivalents at End of Year	159,186,000	349,938,000	315,383,000
Supplemental Cash Flow Information
Cash payments of income taxes, net of refunds/payments	92,867,000	39,017,000	29,331,000
Cash payments of interest	$ 9,542,000	$ 9,329,000	$ 12,250,000

Consolidated Statements of Equi

Consolidated Statements of Equity - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Total	Common Stock [Member]	Additional Paid-in Capital [Member]	Common Treasury Stock [Member]	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Member]	Retained Earnings [Member]	Noncontrolling Interests [Member]
Beginning Balance at Dec. 31, 2018		$ 808,185	$ 26,309	$ 182,881	$ (97,389)	$ (141,483)	$ 837,107	$ 760
Issuance of common stock under stock option plan		3,037	60	2,977
Purchase of common stock		(13,184)			(13,184)
Stock-based and deferred compensation		3,835	124	7,277	(3,566)
Net income		103,101					103,129	(28)
Other comprehensive income		10,619				10,638		(19)
Cash dividends paid:
Common stock		(23,097)					(23,097)
Other	[1]					(5,325)	5,325
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2019		892,496	26,493	193,135	(114,139)	(136,170)	922,464	713
Issuance of common stock under stock option plan		2,926	48	2,878
Purchase of common stock		(15,253)			(15,253)
Stock-based and deferred compensation		6,583	117	10,703	(4,237)
Net income		127,656					126,770	886
Other comprehensive income		(638)				(711)		73
Cash dividends paid:
Common stock		(25,405)					(25,405)
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2020		988,365	26,658	206,716	(133,629)	(136,881)	1,023,829	1,672
Issuance of common stock under stock option plan		1,369	20	1,349
Purchase of common stock		(16,969)			(16,969)
Stock-based and deferred compensation		9,734	83	12,755	(3,104)
Net income		137,895					137,804	91
Other comprehensive income		(16,324)				(16,355)		31
Cash dividends paid:
Common stock		(28,083)					(28,083)
Other	[2]	(1,794)						$ (1,794)
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2021		$ 1,074,193	$ 26,761	$ 220,820	$ (153,702)	$ (153,236)	$ 1,133,550
[1]	Reflects beginning retained earnings adjustment as a result of the Company’s first quarter 2019 adoption of ASU No. 2018-02, Income Statement-Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income.
[2]	Reflects the derecognition of noncontrolling interest due to the dissolution of the China joint venture. See Note 1, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies , of the notes to the Company’s consolidated financial statements (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K).

Consolidated Statements of Eq_2

Consolidated Statements of Equity (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Number of shares of common stock issued under stock option plan	20,435	48,389	59,799
Number of common stock shares purchased	135,103	173,956	144,457
Common stock	$ 1.250	$ 1.130	$ 1.030
Common Stock [Member]
Number of shares of common stock issued under stock option plan	20,435	48,389	59,799
Additional Paid-in Capital [Member]
Number of shares of common stock issued under stock option plan	20,435	48,389	59,799
Treasury Stock [Member]
Number of common stock shares purchased	135,103	173,956	144,457

Summary of Significant Accounti

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	1. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Nature of Operations Stepan Company’s (the Company) operations consist predominantly of the production and sale of specialty and intermediate chemicals, which are sold to other manufacturers for use in a variety of end products. Principal markets for all products are manufacturers of cleaning and washing compounds (including detergents, shampoos, fabric softeners, toothpastes and household cleaners), paints, cosmetics, food, beverages, nutritional supplements, agricultural products, plastics, furniture, automotive equipment, insulation and refrigeration. Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) requires Company management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, income and expenses at the date of the financial statements and to provide disclosures of contingent assets, liabilities and related amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Principles of Consolidation The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and all wholly and majority-owned subsidiaries in which the Company exercises controlling influence. The equity method is used to account for investments in which the Company exercises significant but noncontrolling influence. Intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated in consolidation. Prior to the fourth quarter of 2021, the Company had an 80 percent ownership interest in the Nanjing Stepan Jinling Chemical Limited Liability Company (a joint venture) and exercised controlling influence over the entity. As a result, the China joint venture results were included in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. The partner’s interest in the joint venture’s net income was reported in the net income attributable to noncontrolling interest line of the consolidated statements of income and its interest in the net assets of the joint venture was reported in the noncontrolling interest line (a component of equity separate from Company equity) of the consolidated balance sheets. The joint venture was dissolved during the fourth quarter of 2021. Business Combinations The Company makes acquisitions from time to time. When such acquisitions occur, the Company applies the accounting guidance per FASB ASC Topic 805, Business Combinations In some instances, the purchase price allocation of an acquisition is not complete by the end of a reporting period. This situation most typically arises when an acquisition is complex and/or completed very close to the end of a reporting period and all necessary information is not available by the end of the reporting period in which the acquisition occurs. In these instances, the Company reports provisional amounts for any incomplete items and makes subsequent adjustments as necessary information becomes available or determines that additional information is not obtainable. Any subsequent adjustments could have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition or results of operations as they could impact the initial fair values assigned to intangible assets and property, plant and equipment and/or their estimated economic lives. ASC 805 requires purchase price allocations to be finalized within one year from the acquisition date. Cash and Cash Equivalents The Company considers all highly liquid investments with purchased maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents. At December 31, 2021, the Company’s cash and cash equivalents totaled $159,186,000 including $46,689,000 in money market funds, each of which was rated AAAm by Standard and Poor’s, Aaa-mf by Moody’s and AAAmmf by Fitch. Cash in U.S. demand deposit accounts totaled $25,253,000 and cash of the Company’s non-U.S. subsidiaries held outside the U.S. totaled $87,244,000 as of December 31, 2021. At December 31, 2020, the Company’s cash and cash equivalents totaled $349,938,000 including $123,695,000 in money market funds, each of which was rated AAAm by Standard and Poor’s, Aaa-mf by Moody’s and AAAmmf by Fitch. Cash in U.S. demand deposit accounts totaled $ 76,164,000 and cash of the Company’s non-U.S. subsidiaries held outside the U.S. totaled $ 150,079,000 as of December 31, 2020. Receivables and Credit Risk/Losses Receivables are stated net of allowances for doubtful accounts and other allowances and primarily include trade receivables from customers, as well as nontrade receivables from suppliers, governmental tax agencies and others. The Company is exposed to both credit risk and losses on accounts receivable balances. The Company’s credit risk and loss exposure predominately relates to the sale of products to its customers. When extending credit to customers the Company evaluates a customer’s credit worthiness based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative factors, inclusive of, but not limited to, a customer’s credit rating from external providers, financial condition and past payment experience. The Company performs credit reviews on all customers at inception and on a scheduled basis thereafter dependent on customer risk and the level of credit extended. Payment terms extended are short term in duration, typically ranging from 30 to 60 days. The majority of the Company’s sales are made to large companies that are able to weather periodic changes in economic conditions. This risk of losses is further mitigated by the Company’s diverse customer base, which is dispersed over various geographic regions and industrial sectors. No single customer comprised more than 10 percent of the Company’s consolidated net sales in 2021, 2020 or 2019. The Company maintains allowances for potential credit losses. With the adoption of ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses, The following is an analysis of the allowance for doubtful accounts and other accounts receivable allowances for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019: (In thousands) 2021 2020 2019 Balance at January 1 $ 10,133 $ 9,325 $ 9,654 Provision charged to income 943 864 29 Accounts written off, net of recoveries (919 ) (56 ) (358 ) Balance at December 31 $ 10,157 $ 10,133 $ 9,325 Inventories Inventories are valued at cost, which is not in excess of market value, and include material, labor and plant overhead costs. Currently, the first in, first out (FIFO) method is used to determine the cost of the Company’s inventory. Property, Plant and Equipment Depreciation of property, plant and equipment is provided on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Lives used for calculating depreciation are generally 30 years for buildings and 15 years for building improvements. For assets classified as machinery and equipment, lives generally used for calculating depreciation expense range from 10 to 15 years for manufacturing equipment, five to 10 years for furniture and fixtures, three to five years for vehicles and three to 10 years for computer equipment and software. Manufacturing of chemicals is capital intensive and a large majority of the assets included within machinery and equipment represent manufacturing equipment. Major renewals and betterments are capitalized in the property accounts, while maintenance and repairs ($75,351,000, $69,234,000, and $58,464,000 in 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively), which do not renew or extend the life of the respective assets, are charged to operations as incurred. Land is not depreciated. The cost of property retired or sold, and the related accumulated depreciation, are removed from the accounts and any resulting gain or loss is reflected in income. Long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment when conditions exist that indicate the carrying amount of the assets may not be fully recoverable. Such conditions could include significant adverse changes in the business environment, significant declines in forecasted operations or an approved plan to discontinue an asset or an asset group before the end of its useful life. Included in the computer equipment and software component of machinery and equipment are costs related to the acquisition and development of internal-use software. Capitalized costs for internal-use software include external direct costs of materials and services consumed in obtaining and developing the software. For development projects where major internal resources are committed, payroll and payroll-related costs incurred during the application development phase of the project are also capitalized. The capitalized costs are amortized over the useful lives of the software, which are generally three to 10 years. Costs incurred in the preliminary project phase are expensed. The Company adopted ASU No. 2018-15, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other-Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40) Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement that is a Service Contract Interest charges on borrowings applicable to major construction projects are capitalized. Fair Value Measurements GAAP defines fair value 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. Furthermore, GAAP establishes a framework, in the form of a three-level hierarchy, for measuring fair value that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The following describes the hierarchy levels: Level 1 - quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities. Level 2 - inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are directly or indirectly observable for the asset or liability, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data. Level 3 - unobservable inputs which reflect the entity’s own assumptions about the assumptions market participants use in pricing the assets and liabilities. The Company applies the fair value measurement provisions of GAAP to any of its financial assets and liabilities that are carried at fair value on the consolidated balance sheets (see Note 2, Fair Value Measurements (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K) Fair Value Measurements (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K) Postretirement Benefit Plans (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K) The Company also applies fair value measurements to nonfinancial assets and liabilities recorded in conjunction with business combinations and as part of impairment reviews for goodwill and other long-lived assets. Revenue Recognition The Company’s contracts typically have a single performance obligation that is satisfied at the time product is shipped and control passes to the customer. For a small portion of the business, performance obligations are deemed satisfied when product is delivered to a customer location. For arrangements where the Company consigns product to a customer location, revenue is recognized when the customer uses the inventory. The Company accounts for shipping and handling as activities to fulfill a promise to transfer a good. As such, shipping and handling fees billed to customers in a sales transaction are recorded in Net Sales and shipping and handling costs incurred are recorded in Cost of Sales. Volume and cash discounts due customers are estimated and recorded in the same period as the sales to which the discounts relate and are reported as reductions of revenue in the consolidated statements of income. See Note 21 , Revenue from Contracts with Customers , of the notes to the Company’s consolidated financial statements (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K) for more details. Cost of Sales Cost of sales is comprised of raw material costs (including inbound freight expense to deliver the raw materials), manufacturing plant labor expenses and various manufacturing overhead expenses, such as utilities, maintenance, operating supplies, amortization and manufacturing asset depreciation expenses. Cost of sales also includes outbound shipping and handling expenses, inter-plant transfer costs, warehouse expenses and rail car rental expenses. Operating Expenses Selling expense is comprised of salaries and related fringe benefit expenses for marketing and sales personnel and operating costs, such as outside agent commissions, automobile rental and travel-related expenses, which support the sales and marketing functions. Bad debt charges and any depreciation expenses related to marketing assets (e.g., computers) are also classified as selling expense. Administrative expense is comprised of salaries and related fringe benefit expenses and operating costs for the Company’s various administrative functions, which include information services, finance, legal, and human resources. The majority of environmental remediation expenses are also classified as administrative expense. The Company’s research and development costs are expensed as incurred. These expenses are aimed at discovery and commercialization of new knowledge with the intent that such effort will be useful in developing a new product or in bringing about a significant improvement to an existing product or process. Total research and development expenses were $38,778,000, $35,999,000, and $34,139,000 Compensation expense or income related to the Company’s deferred compensation plans is presented in the deferred compensation expense line in the Consolidated Statements of Income. For more details, see Note 12, Deferred Compensation, (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K) Environmental Expenditures Environmental expenditures that relate to current operations are typically recorded in cost of sales. Expenditures that mitigate or prevent environmental contamination and that benefit future operations are capitalized as assets and depreciated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets, which are typically 10 years. Estimated future expenditures that relate to an existing condition caused by past operations, and which do not contribute to current or future revenue generation, are recorded as liabilities, with the corresponding charge typically recorded in administrative expenses, when environmental assessments and/or remedial efforts are probable and the cost or range of possible costs can be reasonably estimated. When no amount within the range is a better estimate than any other amount, the minimum amount in the range is accrued. Estimating the possible costs of remediation requires making assumptions related to the nature and extent of contamination and the methods and resulting costs of remediation. Some of the factors on which the Company bases its estimates include information provided by feasibility studies, potentially responsible party negotiations and the development of remedial action plans. Legal costs related to environmental matters are expensed as incurred. See Note 16, Contingencies (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K) Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets The Company’s intangible assets include patents, agreements not to compete, trademarks, customer lists and relationships, technological and manufacturing know-how, supply contracts and goodwill, all of which were acquired as part of business or product line acquisitions. Intangible assets other than goodwill are determined to have either finite or indefinite useful lives. The Company currently has no indefinite-life intangible assets other than goodwill. The values for intangible assets with finite lives are amortized over the useful lives of the assets. Currently, the useful lives for the Company’s finite-lived intangible assets are as follows: patents – 15 years; non-compete agreements – three years; trademarks – eight to 11 years; customer relationships – 12 to 20 years and know-how – seven to 20 years. In addition, finite-life intangible assets are tested for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an intangible asset may not be recoverable. Goodwill is not amortized but is tested for impairment at least annually, or more frequently, if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit to which goodwill relates below the reporting unit’s carrying value. See Note 4, Goodwill and Other Intangibles the notes to the Company’s consolidated financial statements (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K) for detailed information about goodwill and other intangible assets. Income Taxes Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method, which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the financial statements. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined on the basis of the differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. Deferred tax assets are recognized to the extent that we believe these assets are more likely than not to be realized. In making such a determination, we consider all available positive and negative evidence, including future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, projected future taxable income, tax-planning strategies, and results of recent operations. If we determine that we would be able to realize our deferred tax assets in the future in excess of their net recorded amount, we would make an adjustment to the deferred tax asset valuation allowance, which would reduce the provision for income taxes. Uncertain tax positions are recorded in accordance with ASC 740, Income Taxes The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits within the income tax expense line in the accompanying Consolidated Statement of Operations. Accrued interest and penalties are included within the related tax liability line in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. See Note 9 , Income Taxes (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K) Translation of Foreign Currencies For the Company’s consolidated foreign subsidiaries whose functional currency is the local foreign currency, assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars at exchange rates in effect at year end and revenues and expenses are translated at average exchange rates for the year. Any resulting translation adjustments are included in the consolidated balance sheets in the accumulated other comprehensive loss line of stockholders’ equity. Gains or losses on foreign currency transactions are reflected in the other, net caption of the consolidated statements of income. The Company has four foreign subsidiaries whose functional currencies are the U.S. dollar. For these subsidiaries, nonmonetary assets and liabilities are translated at historical rates, monetary assets and liabilities are translated at exchange rates in effect at year end, revenues and expenses are translated at average exchange rates for the year and translation gains and losses are included in the other, net caption of the consolidated statements of income. Stock-Based Compensation The Company grants stock options, stock awards (including performance-based stock awards) and SARs to certain employees under its incentive compensation plans. The Company calculates the fair values of stock options, stock awards and SARs on the date such instruments are granted. The fair values of the stock options and stock awards are then recognized as compensation expense over the vesting periods of the instruments. The Company’s SARs granted prior to 2015 are cash-settled, and SARs granted in 2015 and later are stock-settled. The cash-settled SARs are accounted for as liabilities that must be re-measured at fair value at the end of each reporting period. Compensation expense for each reporting period is calculated as the period-to-period change (or portion of the change, depending on the proportion of the vesting period that has been completed at the reporting date) in the fair value of the cash-settled SARs. Compensation expense for the stock-settled SARs is calculated in the same way as compensation expense for stock options. See Note 11, Stock-based Compensation (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K) Earnings Per Share Basic earnings per share amounts are computed as net income attributable to the Company divided by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding. Diluted earnings per share amounts are based on the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding plus the weighted-average of net common shares (under the treasury stock method) that would be outstanding assuming the exercise of outstanding stock options and stock-settled SARs, the vesting of unvested stock awards that have no performance or market condition and the issuance of contingent performance stock awards. See Note 18, Earnings Per Share (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K) Comprehensive Income and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Comprehensive income includes net income and all other non-owner changes in equity that are not reported in net income. Comprehensive income is disclosed in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income. Accumulated other comprehensive income (AOCI) is reported as a component of stockholders’ equity in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. See Note 19, Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K) Segment Reporting The Company reports financial and descriptive information about its reportable operating segments. Operating segments are components of the Company that have separate financial information that is regularly evaluated by the chief operating decision maker to assess segment performance and allocate resources. The Company discloses segment revenue, operating income, assets, capital expenditures and depreciation and amortization expenses. Enterprise-wide financial information about the geographic locations in which the Company earns revenues and holds assets is also disclosed. See Note 17, Segment Reporting (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K) Derivative Instruments Derivative instruments are recognized in the consolidated balance sheets as either assets or liabilities measured at fair value. For derivative instruments that are not designated as hedging instruments, changes in the fair values of the derivative instruments are recognized currently in earnings. For derivative instruments designated as hedging instruments, depending on the nature of the hedge, changes in the fair values of the derivative instruments are either offset in earnings against changes in the fair values of the hedged items or recognized in AOCI until the hedged transaction is recognized in earnings. At the time a hedging relationship is designated, the Company establishes the method it will use for assessing the effectiveness of the hedge and the measurement approach for determining the ineffective aspect of the hedge. Company policy prohibits the use of derivative instruments for trading or speculative purposes. See Note 3, Derivative Instruments (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K) At December 31, 2021, the Company held open forward contracts for the purchase of 1.4 million dekatherms of natural gas in 2022 at a cost of $5,712,000. The Company uses forward contracts to minimize its exposure to volatile natural gas prices. Because the Company anticipates taking delivery of the natural gas for use in its operations, the forward contracts qualify for the normal purchase exception provided under U.S. GAAP for derivative instruments. The Company has elected the exception for such contracts. As a result, the forward contracts are not accounted for as derivative instruments. The cost of natural gas is charged to expense at the time the natural gas is delivered and used. Recent Accounting Pronouncements In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740), Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848) Facilitation of the Effect of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting In October 2021, the FASB issued ASU No. 2021-08, Business Combinations (Topic 805) Accounting for Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities from Contracts with Customers , Revenue from Contracts with Customers 606 to recognize and measure contract assets and contract liabilities in a business combination. The amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 31, 2022 and should be applied prospectively. The Company is in the process of assessing the impact that adoption of ASU No. 2021-08 may have on its financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Fair Value Measurements

Fair Value Measurements	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value Measurements	2. Fair Value Measurements The following were the financial instruments held by the Company at December 31, 2021 and 2020, and the methods and assumptions used to estimate the instruments’ fair values: Cash and cash equivalents Carrying value approximated fair value because of the short maturity of the instruments. Fair value of cash and cash equivalents is a Level 1 measurement. Derivative assets and liabilities Derivative assets and liabilities include the foreign currency exchange contracts discussed in Note 3, Derivative Instruments (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K) See the table that follows the financial instrument descriptions for the reported fair values of derivative assets and liabilities. Long-term investments Long-term investments include the mutual fund assets the Company held to fund a portion of its deferred compensation liabilities and all of its non-qualified supplemental executive defined contribution obligations. See the defined contribution plans section of Note 13, Postretirement Benefit Plans (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K) See the table that follows the financial instrument descriptions for the reported fair value of long-term investments. Debt obligations The fair value of debt with original maturities greater than one year reflects the combined present values of scheduled principal and interest payments for each of the various loans, individually discounted at rates equivalent to those which could be obtained by the Company for new debt issues with durations equal to the average life to maturity of each loan. The fair values of the remaining Company debt obligations approximated their carrying values due to the short-term nature of the debt. The Company’s fair value measurements for debt fall within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy. At December 31, 2021 and 2020, the fair values and related carrying values of debt, including current maturities, were as follows (the fair value and carrying value amounts are presented without regard to unamortized debt issuance costs of $710,000, and $617,000 (In thousands) December 31 2021 2020 Fair value $ 369,456 $ 210,370 Carrying value 364,290 199,286 The following tables present financial assets and liabilities, excluding cash and cash equivalents, measured on a recurring basis at fair value as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, and the level within the fair value hierarchy in which the fair value measurement falls: (In thousands) December 2021 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Mutual fund assets $ 34,495 $ 34,495 $ — $ — Derivative assets: Foreign currency contracts 436 — 436 — Total assets at fair value $ 34,931 $ 34,495 $ 436 $ — Derivative liabilities: Foreign currency contracts $ 338 $ — $ 338 $ — (In thousands) December 2020 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Mutual fund assets $ 30,652 $ 30,652 $ — $ — Derivative assets: Foreign currency contracts 335 — 335 — Total assets at fair value $ 30,987 $ 30,652 $ 335 $ — Derivative liabilities: Foreign currency contracts $ 566 $ — $ 566 $ —

Derivative Instruments

Derivative Instruments	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative Instruments	3. Derivative Instruments The Company is exposed to certain risks relating to its ongoing business operations. The primary risk managed by the use of derivative instruments is foreign currency exchange risk. The Company holds forward foreign currency exchange contracts that are not designated as any type of accounting hedge as defined by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. The Company uses these contracts to manage its exposure to exchange rate fluctuations on certain Company subsidiary cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable and other obligation balances that are denominated in currencies other than the entities’ functional currencies. The forward foreign exchange contracts are recognized on the balance sheet as either an asset or a liability measured at fair value. Gains and losses arising from recording the foreign exchange contracts at fair value are reported in earnings as offsets to the losses and gains reported in earnings arising from the re-measurement of the receivable and payable balances into the applicable functional currencies. At December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company had open forward foreign currency exchange contracts, all with durations of one to three months, to buy or sell foreign currencies with a U.S. dollar equivalent of $51,542,000 and $48,336,000, respectively. The fair values of the derivative instruments held by the Company on December 31, 2021, and December 31, 2020, are disclosed in Note 2, Fair Value Measurements (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K) Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K)

Goodwill and Other Intangible A

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets	4. The changes in the carrying value of goodwill for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, were as follows: (In thousands) Surfactants Segment Polymer Segment Specialty Products Segment Total 2021 2020 2021 2020 2021 2020 2021 2020 Balance as of January 1 Goodwill $ 25,537 $ 23,664 $ 5,419 $ 5,406 $ 483 $ 483 $ 31,439 $ 29,553 Accumulated impairment loss (3,467 ) (3,467 ) — — — — (3,467 ) (3,467 ) Goodwill, net 22,070 20,197 5,419 5,406 483 483 27,972 26,086 Goodwill acquired (1) — 4,225 72,467 — — — 72,467 4,225 Goodwill measurement period adjustment (1) 940 (336 ) — — — — 940 (336 ) Foreign currency translation (788 ) (2,016 ) (3,404 ) 13 — — (4,192 ) (2,003 ) Balance as of December 31 Goodwill 25,689 25,537 74,482 5,419 483 483 100,654 31,439 Accumulated impairment loss (3,467 ) (3,467 ) — — — — (3,467 ) (3,467 ) Goodwill, net $ 22,222 $ 22,070 $ 74,482 $ 5,419 $ 483 $ 483 $ 97,187 $ 27,972 (1) See Note 20, Acquisitions , of the notes to the Company’s consolidated financial statements (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K) for information regarding the goodwill acquired in a business combination. The Company tests its goodwill balances for impairment in the second quarter of each calendar year. The 2021 and 2020 tests indicated no impairment. The following table presents the components of other intangible assets, all of which have finite lives, as of December 31, 2021 and 2020. The year-over-year changes in gross carrying values mainly resulted from acquisitions that took place in 2021 and the effects of foreign currency translation. (In thousands) Gross Carrying Value Accumulated Amortization December 31 December 31 2021 2020 2021 2020 Other Intangible Assets: Patents (2) $ 7,411 $ 7,411 $ 6,139 $ 5,713 Non-compete agreements (2) 594 623 404 270 Trademarks (2) 12,013 4,087 4,160 2,905 Customer lists/relationships (2) 44,447 21,424 9,557 6,842 Supply contract 1,472 1,579 1,472 1,579 Know-how (1)(2) 27,029 14,183 10,450 7,930 Total $ 92,966 $ 49,307 $ 32,182 $ 25,239 (1) Know-how includes intellectual property rights covering proprietary information, written formulae, trade secrets or secret processes, inventions and developmental products (whether patentable or not), discoveries, improvements, compositions, manufacturing processes, manuals, specifications and technical data (2) The 2020 balances include intangible assets acquired as part of the Company’s Clariant (Mexico) and Logos Technologies acquisitions in 2020. The 2021 balances include intangible assets acquired as part of the Company’s INVISTA acquisition in January 2021. See Note 20, Acquisitions , of the notes to the Company’s consolidated financial statements (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K) for additional details. Aggregate amortization expense for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, was $7,292,000, $3,621,000, and $3,399,000, respectively. Estimated amortization expense for identifiable intangibles assets for each of the five succeeding fiscal years is as follows: (In thousands) For year ended 12/31/22 $ 6,918 For year ended 12/31/23 6,891 For year ended 12/31/24 6,609 For year ended 12/31/25 6,168 For year ended 12/31/26 5,845

Inventories

Inventories	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Inventories	5. Inventories The composition of inventories was as follows: December 31 (In thousands) 2021 2020 Finished products $ 184,010 $ 148,878 Raw materials 121,528 69,905 Total inventories $ 305,538 $ 218,783

Debt

Debt	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Debt	6. Debt Debt comprised the following at December 31, 2021 and 2020: (In thousands) Maturity Dates December 31, 2021 December 31, 2020 Unsecured private placement notes 3.95% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of $230 and $273 for 2021 and 2020, respectively) 2022-2027 $ 85,485 $ 99,727 3.86% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of 181 and $236 for 2021 and 2020, respectively) 2022-2025 56,962 71,193 4.86% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of $69 and $108 for 2021 and 2020 respectively) 2022-2023 18,502 27,749 2.30% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of $100 and $0 for 2021 and 2020, respectively) 2024-2028 49,900 — 2.37% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of $108 and $0 for 2021 and 2020, respectively) 2024-2028 49,892 — 2.73% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of $22 and $0 for 2021 and 2020, respectively) 2025-2031 99,978 — Debt of foreign subsidiaries Unsecured bank debt, foreign currency 2022 2,861 — Total debt $ 363,580 $ 198,669 Less current maturities 40,718 37,857 Long-term debt $ 322,862 $ 160,812 The Company’s long-term debt financing is currently comprised of certain unsecured private placement notes issued to insurance companies, totaling $360,719,000 as of December 31, 2021. These notes are denominated in U.S. dollars and have fixed interest rates ranging from 2.30 percent to 4.86 percent. The notes had original maturities of seven to 12 years with mandatory amortization of principal beginning four, five and six years after issuance. The Company will be required to make amortization payments on the currently outstanding notes from 2022 to 2031. On June 10, 2021, the Company entered into the Prudential note purchase agreement pursuant to which it issued and sold $50,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of its Series 2021-A Notes. The Series 2021-A Notes bear interest at a fixed rate of 2.30%, with interest to be paid semi-annually and with equal annual principal payments beginning on June 10, 2024 and continuing through final maturity on June 10, 2028. On December 10, 2021, pursuant to the Prudential note purchase agreement, the Company issued and sold $ 50,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of its Series 2021-D Notes. The Series 2021-D Notes bear interest at a fixed rate of 2.73 %, with interest to be paid semi-annually and with equal annual principal payments beginning on December 10, 2025 and continuing through final maturity on December 10, 2031. On June 10, 2021, the Company entered into the NYL note purchase agreement pursuant to which, on September 23, 2021, the Company issued and sold $50,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of its Series 2021-B Notes. The Series 2021-B Notes bear interest at a fixed rate of 2.37% with interest to be paid semi-annually and with equal annual principal payments beginning on September 23, 2024 and continuing through final maturity on September 23, 2028. On December 10, 2021, pursuant to the NYL note purchase agreement, the Company issued and sold $50,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of its Series 2021-C Notes. The Series 2021-C Notes bear interest at a fixed rate of 2.73% with interest to be paid semi-annually and with equal annual principal payments beginning on December 10, 2025 and continuing through final maturity on December 10, 2031. The proceeds of the issuance of the Series 2021-A Notes, Series 2021-B Notes, Series 2021-C Notes and Series 2021-D Notes are being used for capital expenditures, to pay down existing debt and for other corporate purposes. The Prudential note purchase agreement and the NYL note purchase agreement require the maintenance of certain financial ratios, contain covenants that are substantially similar to the Company’s existing long-term debt and provide for customary events of default. The Company has a committed $350,000,000 multi-currency revolving credit agreement that expires on January 30, 2023. The Company maintains import letters of credit and standby letters of credit under its workers’ compensation insurance agreements and for other purposes, as needed from time to time, which are issued under the revolving credit agreement. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had outstanding letters of credit totaling $6,720,000 and no outstanding borrowings under the revolving credit agreement. There was $343,280,000 Loans under the credit agreement may be incurred, at the discretion of the Company, with terms to maturity of one month, three months or six months. The Company may choose from two interest rate options: (1) LIBOR applicable to each currency plus spreads ranging from 1.25 percent to 1.875 percent, depending on the Company’s net leverage ratio, or (2) the prime rate plus 0.25 percent to 0.875 percent, depending on the Company’s net leverage ratio. The credit agreement requires the Company to pay a commitment fee ranging from 0.15 percent to 0.325 percent per annum, which also depends on the Company’s net leverage ratio. The credit agreement requires the maintenance of certain financial ratios and compliance with certain other covenants that are similar to the Company’s existing debt agreements, including net worth, interest coverage and leverage financial covenants and limitations on restricted payments, indebtedness and liens. The Company’s foreign subsidiaries had $2,861,000 of unsecured debt at December 31, 2021. The Company’s loan agreements contain provisions, which, among others, require maintenance of certain financial ratios and place limitations on additional debt, investments and payment of dividends. Based on the loan agreement provisions that place limitations on dividend payments, unrestricted retained earnings (i.e., retained earnings available for dividend distribution) were $468,095,000 and $373,884,000 at December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Debt at December 31, 2021, matures as follows: $40,718,000 in 2022; $37,857,000 in 2023; $48,572,000 in 2024; $62,858,000 in 2025; $48,572,000 in 2026 and $125,713,000 after 2026. Debt maturing in 2022 includes $37,857,000 of scheduled repayments under long-term debt agreements. . Net interest expense for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, comprised the following: (In thousands) 2021 2020 2019 Interest expense $ 10,145 $ 9,859 $ 12,744 Interest income (1,255 ) (2,171 ) (5,717 ) 8,890 7,688 7,027 Capitalized interest (3,137 ) (2,279 ) (1,095 ) Interest expense, net $ 5,753 $ 5,409 $ 5,932

Leases

Leases	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Leases [Abstract]
Leases	7. Leases The Company’s operating leases are primarily comprised of real estate, railcar, storage tank, warehouse, auto, trailer and manufacturing/office equipment leases. Real estate and railcars comprise approximately 60 percent and 25 percent, respectively, of the Company’s consolidated right of use (ROU) asset balance. Except for real estate, typical lease terms range from one to ten years. Real estate lease terms typically range from one to fifty years . The Company’s four principal real estate leases consist of the office lease for the corporate headquarters in Northbrook, Illinois and land leases in the Philippines, Singapore and Lake Providence, Louisiana . As of December 31, 2021, the Company had railcar and storage tank leases valued at approximately $ 1,208,000 , that had not commenced. These leases will commence in the first quarter of 2022. As most of the Company’s leases do not provide an implicit borrowing rate, the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate (IBR) based on the information available at the commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. IBRs were specifically determined for the United States, Philippines, Singapore, Brazil and China, typically for five-year increments. The U.S. IBR was used for all other countries as the leases in these countries are not material. The total value of leases that reside in the five countries identified above represents approximately 98 percent of the Company’s consolidated ROU asset balance. Lease cost is recognized in both the Cost of Sales and Operating Expenses sections of the Consolidated Statements of Income. (In thousands) Year ended December 31, 2021 Year ended December 31, 2020 Lease Cost Operating lease cost $ 15,630 $ 11,821 Short-term lease cost 6,570 4,922 Variable lease cost 892 1,135 Total lease cost $ 23,092 $ 17,878 Other Information Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities: Operating cash flow from operating leases $ 14,885 $ 11,843 Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for operating lease liabilities 19,610 27,766 The following table outlines maturities of lease liabilities as of December 31, 2021: (In thousands) Undiscounted Cash Flows: 2022 $ 15,573 2023 12,679 2024 8,055 2025 5,946 2026 4,329 Subsequent to 2026 36,439 Total Undiscounted Cash Flows $ 83,021 Less: Imputed interest (12,447 ) Present value $ 70,574 Current operating lease liabilities (1) 13,906 Non-current operating lease liabilities 56,668 Total lease liabilities $ 70,574 (1) This item is included in Accrued liabilities line on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet. Weighted-average remaining lease term-operating leases 10 Years Weighted-average discount rate-operating leases 2.9 %

Other, Net

Other, Net	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Other Income And Expenses [Abstract]
Other, Net	8. Other, Net Other, net in the Consolidated Statements of Income included the following for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019: (In thousands) 2021 2020 2019 Foreign exchange gains $ 501 $ 1,367 $ 123 Investment income 2,886 1,681 968 Realized and unrealized gains on investments 2,289 3,143 3,955 Net periodic benefit cost 302 (874 ) (351 ) Other retirement obligation 559 (363 ) (694 ) Gain on sale of asset — — 570 Gain on dissolution of the China joint venture 972 — — Other, net $ 7,509 $ 4,954 $ 4,571

Income Taxes

Income Taxes	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	9. Income Taxes The provisions for taxes on income and the related income before taxes for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, were as follows: (In thousands) 2021 2020 2019 Taxes on Income Federal Current $ 35,057 $ 21,889 $ 9,998 Deferred (25,653 ) (3,453 ) (2,879 ) State Current 9,320 4,305 2,248 Deferred (6,556 ) (562 ) (1,783 ) Foreign Current 23,870 21,723 15,568 Deferred (1,396 ) (491 ) (354 ) Total $ 34,642 $ 43,411 $ 22,798 Income before Taxes Domestic $ 77,696 $ 81,906 $ 63,399 Foreign 94,841 89,161 62,500 Total $ 172,537 $ 171,067 $ 125,899 The variations between the effective and statutory U.S. federal income tax rates are summarized as follows: (In thousands) 2021 Amount % 2020 Amount % 2019 Amount % Federal income tax provision at statutory tax rate $ 36,233 21.0 $ 35,924 21.0 $ 26,439 21.0 State income tax provision, less applicable federal tax benefit (1) 2,184 1.3 2,956 1.7 367 0.3 Foreign income taxed at different rates 2,356 1.4 1,964 1.1 623 0.5 U.S. taxation of foreign earnings (2) (134 ) (0.1 ) 4,134 2.4 2,349 1.9 Unrecognized tax benefits 1,775 1.0 1,454 0.8 2,954 2.3 Prior years return to provision true-up (3) (3,314 ) (1.9 ) (588 ) (0.3 ) (1,740 ) (1.4 ) Stock based compensation, excess tax benefits (1,287 ) (0.7 ) (1,816 ) (1.1 ) (1,633 ) (1.3 ) U.S. tax credits (4) (2,692 ) (1.6 ) (1,831 ) (1.1 ) (6,412 ) (5.1 ) Non-deductible expenses and other items, net (479 ) (0.3 ) 1,214 0.9 (149 ) (0.1 ) Total income tax provision $ 34,642 20.1 $ 43,411 25.4 $ 22,798 18.1 (1) For 2019, amount includes incremental state research credits for the tax years 2015 - 2019 that were identified as part of a research and development tax credit study. (2) Includes cost of global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI) in 2021, 2020 and 2019 plus other taxes paid or withheld on cash repatriated from foreign countries in 2021, 2020 and 2019. For 2021, includes the benefit of separate limitation loss foreign tax credit attributes, related to prior years, that were utilized in 2021. ( 3 ) For 2021, amount resulted from a higher federal research credit, higher foreign-derived intangible income (FDII), and lower GILTI related to the 2020 tax year. ( 4 ) For 2019, amount includes incremental federal research credits for 2015 - 2019 that were identified as part of a research and development tax credit study. Also includes a federal tax rate change due to the classification of certain 2016 and 2017 depreciable fixed assets as deductible research costs. At December 31, 2021 and 2020, the tax effects of significant temporary differences representing deferred tax assets and liabilities were as follows: (In thousands) 2021 2020 Deferred Tax Assets: Pensions $ 537 $ 4,935 Deferred revenue 3,444 3,073 Other accruals and reserves 13,331 14,960 Legal and environmental accruals 7,385 7,055 Deferred compensation 16,210 16,222 Bad debt and rebate reserves 2,706 2,821 Non-U.S. subsidiaries net operating loss carryforwards 1,494 2,495 Amortization of intangibles 5,092 — Inventories 3,108 — Tax credit carryforwards 2,829 4,713 $ 56,136 $ 56,274 Deferred Tax Liabilities: Depreciation $ (42,299 ) $ (62,986 ) Unrealized foreign exchange loss (2,908 ) (2,444 ) Amortization of intangibles — (842 ) Inventories — (2,504 ) Other (1,614 ) (386 ) $ (46,821 ) $ (69,162 ) Valuation Allowance $ (862 ) $ (896 ) Net Deferred Tax Assets (Liabilities) $ 8,453 $ (13,784 ) Reconciliation to Consolidated Balance Sheet: Non-current deferred tax assets (in other non-current assets) 20,944 6,961 Non-current deferred tax liabilities (12,491 ) (20,745 ) Net Deferred Tax Assets (Liabilities) $ 8,453 $ (13,784 ) Earnings generated by a foreign subsidiary are presumed to ultimately be transferred to the parent company. Therefore, the establishment of deferred taxes may be required with respect to the excess of the investment value for financial reporting over the tax basis of investments in those foreign subsidiaries (also referred to as book-over-tax outside basis differences). A company may overcome this presumption and forgo recording a deferred tax liability in its financial statements if it can assert that management has the intent and ability to indefinitely reinvest the earnings of its foreign subsidiaries. Pursuant to the 2017 U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (Tax Act) The Company evaluated its indefinite reinvestment assertion with regards to certain accumulated foreign earnings as of December 31, 2021. The Company does not consider the undistributed earnings of its Canadian subsidiary to be indefinitely reinvested in foreign operations to the extent of the subsidiary’s paid-up capital (PUC) as determined under Canadian tax law which is used to determine tax-free distributions for Canadian tax purposes. The Company also does not consider the undistributed earnings of one of its Dutch subsidiaries, and one of its Singapore subsidiaries to be indefinitely reinvested in foreign operations. A distribution from any of these subsidiaries should not result in any significant foreign taxes to the extent of the distribution limitations discussed above and therefore, the Company has not recognized a deferred tax liability for these undistributed earnings as of December 31, 2021. In 2021, the Company dissolved its China joint venture that prior to dissolution had not been considered indefinitely reinvested. The dissolution resulted in $142,000 of additional income tax expense in 2021. its remaining foreign subsidiaries to be indefinitely reinvested in foreign operations. At this time, the determination of deferred tax liabilities on this amount is not practicable . The Company had non-U.S. tax loss carryforwards of $3,351,000 (pretax) as of December 31, 2021, and $6,551,000 as of December 31, 2020, that are available for use by the Company between 2022 and 2029. The Company had tax credit carryforwards of $2,829,000 as of December 31, 2021, and $4,713,000 as of December 31, 2020, that are available for use by the Company between 2022 and 2034. The Company had non-U.S. capital loss carryforwards of $638,000 as of December 31, 2021, and $633,000 as of December 31, 2020. The Company’s capital loss carryforwards do not expire. As of December 31, 2021, and 2020, the Company had valuation allowances of $862,000 and $896,000, respectively, which were attributable to deferred tax assets in Canada, India, the Philippines and Singapore. The realization of deferred tax assets is dependent on the generation of sufficient taxable income in the appropriate tax jurisdictions. The Company believes that it is more likely than not that the related deferred tax assets will not be realized. As of December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, unrecognized tax benefits totaled $7,292,000, $4,735,000 and $3,273,000, respectively. The amount of unrecognized tax benefits that, if recognized, would favorably affect the Company’s effective income tax rate in any future periods, net of the federal benefit on state issues, was approximately $6,973,000, $4,545,000 and $3,105,000 at December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The Company does not believe that the amount of unrecognized tax benefits related to its current uncertain tax positions will change significantly over the next 12 months. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. In 2021, the Company recognized net interest and penalty expense of $260,000 compared to $31,000 of net interest and penalty expense in 2020 and $19,000 of net interest and penalty expense in 2019. At December 31, 2021 the liability for interest and penalties was $340,000 compared to $80,000 at December 31, 2020. The Company files income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and various states and foreign jurisdictions. The Company is not subject to U.S. federal income tax examinations by tax authorities for years before 2016. Some foreign jurisdictions and various U.S. states jurisdictions may be subject to examination back to 2014. During 2021, the Internal Revenue Service started its audit of the 2016-2019 tax years. As of December 31, 2021, these audits were still open and the Company had not been notified of any significant proposed adjustments. Below are reconciliations of the January 1 and December 31 balances of unrecognized tax benefits for 2021, 2020 and 2019: (In thousands) 2021 2020 2019 Unrecognized tax benefits, opening balance $ 4,735 $ 3,273 $ 168 Gross increases – tax positions in prior period 938 190 2,760 Gross increases – current period tax positions 1,662 1,288 355 Foreign currency translation (14 ) 15 7 Lapse of statute of limitations (29 ) (31 ) (17 ) Unrecognized tax benefits, ending balance $ 7,292 $ 4,735 $ 3,273

Stockholders' Equity

Stockholders' Equity	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Equity [Abstract]
Stockholders' Equity	10. Stockholders’ Equity At December 31, 2021 and 2020, treasury stock consisted of 4,340,729 shares and 4,185,242 shares of common stock, respectively. During 2021, 135,103 shares of Company common stock were purchased in the open market. In addition, 26,875 shares were received to settle employees’ minimum statutory withholding taxes related to performance stock awards, exercised SARs and deferred compensation distributions. Also, 6,491 shares of treasury stock were distributed to participants under the Company’s deferred compensation plan.

Stock-based Compensation

Stock-based Compensation	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]
Stock-based Compensation	11. Stock-based Compensation On December 31, 2021, the Company had outstanding stock options, stock awards and stock appreciation rights (SARs) awarded under its 2011 Incentive Compensation Plan (2011 Plan). Stock options, stock awards and SARs are currently granted to Company executives and other key employees. In addition, stock awards are currently granted to non-employee directors of the Company. The 2011 Plan authorized the award of 2,600,000 shares of the Company’s common stock for stock options, SARs and stock awards. At December 31, 2021, there were 528,479 shares available for grant under the 2011 Plan. Compensation expense recorded in the consolidated statements of income for all plans was $11,716,000, $10,080,000, and $8,872,000 for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The increase in stock-based compensation in 2021 versus 2020 was primarily due to higher compensation expenses related to performance awards. Management’s assessment that higher profitability performance targets for certain grants would be achieved led to the increase of compensation expenses for performance awards. The total income tax benefit recognized in the income statement for share-based compensation arrangements was $2,867,000, $2,390,000, and $1,501,000 Stock Options Under all plans, stock option awards are granted with an exercise price equal to the market price of the Company’s stock at the date of grant. The market price is defined and calculated as the average of the opening and closing prices for Company common stock on the grant date as reported in the New York Stock Exchange – Composite Transactions. Stock option awards granted prior to 2017 generally cliff vest after two years. Starting in 2017, stock options have a three-year one-third For the Years Ended December 31 2021 2020 2019 Expected dividend yield 1.30% 1.31% 1.32% Expected volatility 31.81% 26.00% 26.98% Expected term 7.3 years 7.3 years 7.3 years Risk-free interest rate 0.96% 1.47% 2.53% A summary of stock option activity for the year ended December 31, 2021 is presented below: Shares Weighted- Average Exercise Price Weighted- Average Remaining Contractual Term Aggregate Intrinsic ($000) Options Outstanding at January 1, 2021 392,550 $ 74.24 Granted 66,352 123.70 Exercised (20,435 ) 66.95 Forfeited (2,501 ) 107.86 Outstanding at December 31, 2021 435,966 81.92 6.18 $ 18,474 Vested or expected to vest at December 31, 2021 429,507 81.42 6.14 18,415 Exercisable at December 31, 2021 363,297 75.34 5.67 17,783 The weighted-average grant-date fair values of options awarded during the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, were $36.49, $25.90, and $26.49, respectively. The total intrinsic values of options exercised during the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019 were $1,287,000, $2,534,000, and $2,518,000, respectively. As of December 31, 2021, the total unrecognized compensation cost for unvested stock options was $2,229,000. That cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.7 years. Cash received from stock option exercises under the Company’s stock option plans for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019 was $1,369,000, $2,926,000, and $3,037,000, respectively. The actual tax benefit realized for the tax deductions from stock option exercises totaled $172,000, $339,000, and $348,000 for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Stock Awards In 2019, 2020, and 2021, the Company granted stock awards under the 2011 Plan. Most Company stock awards are granted in the form of performance awards. The performance stock awards vest only upon the Company’s achievement of certain Board of Directors approved levels of financial performance by the end of specified measurement periods. The number of Company shares of common stock ultimately distributed, if any, is contingent upon the Company’s actual financial performance attained by the end of the measurement period relative to the Board of Directors approved targets. The fair value of performance stock awards equals the grant-date market price of the Company’s common stock, discounted for the estimated amount of dividends that would not be received during the measurement period. Compensation expense is recorded each reporting period based on the probable number of awards that will ultimately vest given the projected level of financial performance. If at the end of the measurement period the performance objectives are not met, no compensation cost is recognized and any compensation expense recorded in prior periods is reversed. Periodically, the Company also grants stock awards that have no performance conditions associated with their vesting. These stock awards vest based on the service time established for the given grant. In addition, the Company grants stock awards that have no performance conditions associated with their vesting to non-employee directors of the Company. A summary of stock award activity for the year ended December 31, 2021, is presented below: Shares Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value Stock Awards Unvested at January 1, 2021 107,351 $ 94.66 Granted 40,127 119.76 Vested (48,613 ) 88.93 Forfeited/Modified due to change of assumptions 4,413 82.30 Unvested at December 31, 2021 103,278 61.30 The weighted-average grant-date fair values of stock awards granted during the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, were $119.76, $98.46, and $89.12, respectively. As of December 31, 2021, under the current Company assumption as to the number of stock award shares that will vest at the measurement periods ended December 31, 2022 and 2023, there was $4,971,000 of unrecognized compensation cost for unvested stock awards. That cost is expected to be recognized over a period of 1.6 years. SARs At December 31, 2021, the Company had both cash-settled and Company stock-settled SARs outstanding. SARs granted prior to 2015 are cash-settled, and SARs granted in 2015 and later are stock-settled. SARs granted prior to 2017 cliff vest after two years. Starting in 2017, SARs have a three-year one-third The following is a summary of SARs activity for the year ended December 31, 2021: Shares Weighted- Average Exercise Price Weighted- Average Remaining Contractual Term Aggregate Intrinsic Value ($000) SARs Outstanding at January 1, 2021 653,498 $ 80.64 Granted 143,104 123.68 Exercised (62,118 ) 65.97 Forfeited (7,497 ) 107.86 Outstanding at December 31, 2021 726,987 90.06 6.83 $ 24,885 The weighted-average grant-date fair values of SARs granted during the years 2021, 2020 and 2019 were $36.49, $25.88, and $26.43, respectively. The fair value for each SARs award was estimated using the Black-Scholes valuation model incorporating the same assumptions as noted for stock options. As of December 31, 2021, and 2020, the liability for cash-settled SARs recorded on the consolidated balance sheet (non-current liabilities) was $1,502,000 and $2,368,000, respectively. At December 31, 2021, there was $4,828,000 In general, it is the Company’s policy to issue new shares of its common stock upon the exercise of stock options and stock-settled SARs or the vesting of stock awards.

Deferred Compensation

Deferred Compensation	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Compensation Related Costs [Abstract]
Deferred Compensation	12. Deferred Compensation The Company sponsors deferred compensation plans that allow management employees to defer receipt of their annual bonuses and outside directors to defer receipt of their fees until retirement, departure from the Company or as otherwise elected. Compensation expense and the related deferred compensation obligation are recorded when the underlying compensation is earned. Over time, the deferred obligation may increase or decrease based on the performance results of investment options chosen by the plan participants. The investment options include Company common stock and a limited selection of mutual funds. The Company maintains sufficient shares of treasury stock to cover the equivalent number of shares that result from participants elections of the Company common stock investment option. As a result, the Company periodically purchases its common shares in the open market or in private transactions. The Company purchases shares of the applicable mutual funds to fund the portion of its deferred compensation liabilities tied to such investments. Some plan distributions may be made in cash or Company common stock at the option of the participant. Other plan distributions can only be made in Company common stock. For deferred compensation obligations that may be settled in cash or Company common stock at the option of the participant, the Company must record appreciation in the market values of the investment choices made by participants as additional compensation expense. Conversely, declines in the market values of the investment choices reduce compensation expense. Increases and decreases of compensation expense that result from fluctuations in the underlying investments are recorded as part of operating expenses in the consolidated statements of income. The obligations that must be settled only in Company common stock are treated as equity instruments; therefore, fluctuations in the market price of the underlying Company stock do not affect earnings. The additional compensation expense or income resulting from the changes in the market values and earnings of the selected investment options was $6,895,000 expense in 2021, $9,988,000 expense in 2020 and $15,140,000 expense in 2019. The main factor in the decrease of the 2021 deferred compensation expense versus 2020 deferred compensation expense was a $4.97 per share decrease in the market price of the Company’s common stock in 2021 versus a $16.88 per share increase in the price of stock in 2020. The Company’s deferred compensation liability was $61,219,000

Postretirement Benefit Plans

Postretirement Benefit Plans	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Compensation And Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]
Postretirement Benefit Plans	13. Postretirement Benefit Plans Defined Benefit Plans The Company sponsors various funded qualified and unfunded non-qualified defined benefit pension plans, the most significant of which cover employees in the U.S. and U.K. locations. The various U.S. defined benefit pension plans were amended during the years 2005-2008 to freeze the plans by stopping the accrual of service benefits. The U.K. defined benefit pension plan was frozen in 2006. Benefits earned through the freeze dates are available to participants when they retire, in accordance with the terms of the plans. The Company established defined contribution plans to replace the frozen defined benefit pension plans. Obligations and Funded Status at December 31 (In thousands) United States United Kingdom 2021 2020 2021 2020 Change in benefit obligation Benefit obligation at beginning of year $ 187,371 $ 176,499 $ 25,526 $ 21,850 Interest cost 4,671 5,668 357 445 Actuarial loss (income) (8,682 ) 13,327 (1,171 ) 3,032 Benefits paid (8,497 ) (8,123 ) (1,198 ) (657 ) Foreign exchange impact — — (238 ) 856 Benefit obligation at end of year $ 174,863 $ 187,371 $ 23,276 $ 25,526 (In thousands) United States United Kingdom 2021 2020 2021 2020 Change in plan assets Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year $ 175,336 $ 160,423 $ 28,504 $ 24,357 Actual return on plan assets 11,459 22,738 (78 ) 3,320 Employer contributions 276 298 526 526 Benefits paid (8,497 ) (8,123 ) (1,198 ) (657 ) Foreign exchange impact — — (290 ) 958 Fair value of plan assets at end of year $ 178,574 $ 175,336 $ 27,464 $ 28,504 Over (Under) funded status at end of year $ 3,711 $ (12,035 ) $ 4,188 $ 2,978 The amounts recognized in the consolidated balance sheets at December 31 consisted of: (In thousands) United States United Kingdom 2021 2020 2021 2020 Non-current asset $ 7,166 $ 3,470 $ 4,188 $ 2,978 Current liability (290 ) (288 ) — — Non-current liability (3,165 ) (15,217 ) — — Net amount recognized $ 3,711 $ (12,035 ) $ 4,188 $ 2,978 The amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income at December 31 consisted of: (In thousands) United States United Kingdom 2021 2020 2021 2020 Net actuarial loss $ 19,508 $ 33,745 $ 3,767 $ 4,653 Below is information for pension plans with projected benefit obligations in excess of plan assets at December 31: (In thousands) United States United Kingdom 2021 2020 2021 2020 Projected benefit obligation $ — $ 146,848 $ — $ — Accumulated benefit obligation — 146,848 — — Fair value of plan assets — 135,070 — — Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost and Other Amounts Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income Net periodic benefit costs for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, were as follows: (In thousands) United States United Kingdom 2021 2020 2019 2021 2020 2019 Interest cost $ 4,671 $ 5,668 $ 6,616 $ 357 $ 445 $ 554 Expected return on plan assets (10,348 ) (9,747 ) (9,450 ) (320 ) (548 ) (787 ) Amortization of net actuarial loss 4,444 4,262 2,490 129 79 244 Net periodic benefit cost $ (1,233 ) $ 183 $ (344 ) $ 166 $ (24 ) $ 11 Other changes in plan assets and benefit obligations recognized in other comprehensive income for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, were as follows: (In thousands) United States United Kingdom 2021 2020 2019 2021 2020 2019 Net actuarial (gain) loss $ (9,793 ) $ 336 $ (5,174 ) $ (757 ) $ 272 $ (1,144 ) Amortization of net actuarial loss (4,444 ) (4,262 ) (2,490 ) (129 ) (79 ) (244 ) Total recognized in other comprehensive income $ (14,237 ) $ (3,926 ) $ (7,664 ) $ (886 ) $ 193 $ (1,388 ) Total recognized in net periodic benefit cost and other comprehensive income $ (15,470 ) $ (3,743 ) $ (8,008 ) $ (720 ) $ 169 $ (1,377 ) Estimated Future Benefit Payments (In thousands) United States United Kingdom 2022 $ 8,949 $ 551 2023 9,283 594 2024 9,601 624 2025 9,829 652 2026 9,982 697 2027-2031 50,512 4,044 Assumptions The weighted-average assumptions used to determine benefit obligations at December 31 were as follows: United States United Kingdom 2021 2020 2021 2020 Discount rate 2.90 % 2.60 % 1.80 % 1.40 % The weighted-average assumptions used to determine net periodic benefit costs for years ended December 31 were as follows: United States United Kingdom 2021 2020 2019 2021 2020 2019 Discount rate 2.60 % 3.30 % 4.30 % 1.40 % 2.10 % 2.80 % Expected long-term return on plan assets 6.75 % 6.75 % 6.75 % 1.13 % 2.30 % 3.82 % In addition to the above assumptions, the Company uses a market-related value of assets approach to calculate the expected return on plan assets component of U.S. net periodic benefit cost. The market-related value equals the fair value of plan assets with five-year smoothing of asset gains or losses. Asset gains are subtracted or losses added in the following way: 80 percent of the prior year’s gain or loss; 60 percent of the second preceding year’s gain or loss; 40 percent of the third preceding year’s gain or loss; and 20 percent of the fourth preceding year’s gain or loss. Gains or losses for the year are calculated as the difference between the expected fair value of assets and the actual fair value of assets. Investment Strategies and Policies U.S. Plans Plan assets are predominantly invested using a combination of active and passive investment strategies. An investment management firm hires and monitors underlying investment management firms for each asset category. Equity managers within each category cover a range of investment styles and approaches, including both active and passive, and are combined in a way that controls for capitalization, style biases, and country exposure versus benchmark indexes. While active equity managers focus primarily on stock selection to improve returns, fixed income managers seek to reduce the volatility of the plan’s funded status by matching the duration with the plan’s liability while seeking to improve returns through security selection, sector allocation and yield curve management. Real estate exposure is now categorized within mid cap equity. Risk is diversified among multiple asset categories, managers, styles, and securities. The investment management firm recommends asset allocations based on the time horizon available for investment, funded status, the nature of the plan cash flows and liabilities and other factors. The asset allocation targets are approved by the Company’s Plan Committee. Allowable investment categories include: Equities: Common stocks of large, medium, and small companies (company stock), including both U.S. and non-U.S. based companies. The long-term target allocation for equities, excluding Company stock, is approximately 25 Fixed Income (Debt): Bonds or notes issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, and to a lesser extent, by non-U.S. governments, or by their agencies or branches, mortgage-backed securities, including collateralized mortgage obligations, corporate bonds, municipal bonds and dollar-denominated debt securities issued in the U.S. by non-U.S. banks and corporations. A small percentage of the fixed income assets may be in debt securities that are below investment grade. The target allocation for fixed income is 63 percent. The fixed income portfolio has a duration similar to the plan’s liability stream and is designated to perform consistent with the movement of the plan’s liabilities. Employer Securities: The retirement plans also hold shares of the Company’s common stock, which are purchased or sold by the trustee from time to time, as directed by the Plan Committee. At the direction of the Plan Committee, the plans sold 31,362 In addition to these primary investment types, excess cash may be invested in futures in order to efficiently achieve more fully invested portfolio positions. Otherwise, a small number of investment managers may make limited use of derivatives, including futures contracts, options on futures and interest rate swaps in place of direct investment in securities to efficiently achieve equivalent market positions. Derivatives are not used to leverage portfolios. The target allocation for cash is two percent of plan assets. U.K. Plan The objective of the U.K. defined benefit pension fund investment strategy is to maximize the long-term rate of return on plan assets within a medium level of risk in order to minimize the cost of providing pension benefits. To that end, the plan assets are invested in an actively managed pooled fund of funds that diversifies its holdings among equity securities, debt securities, property and cash. Essentially, the plan is to hold equity instruments to back the benefits of participants yet to retire and bonds and cash to back current pensioners. Although there are no formal target allocations for the plan assets, the overall strategy is to achieve a mix of investments for long-term growth and near-term benefit payments with a wide diversification of asset types. Equity securities are selected from U.K., European, U.S. and emerging market companies. Bonds include U.K. and other countries’ government notes and corporate debt of U.K and non-U.K. companies. There are no specific prohibited investments, but the current managed fund will not allocate assets to derivatives or other financial hedging instruments. Plan trustees meet regularly with the fund manager to assess the fund’s performance and to reassess investment strategy. At December 31, 2021, the pension asset allocation was 13 percent equities, 74 percent fixed income, four percent insurance contracts, and nine percent cash. Included in plan assets are insurance contracts purchased by the plan trustees to provide pension payments for specific retirees. In past years, at the time a plan participant retired, the plan trustee would periodically purchase insurance contracts to cover the future payments due the retiree. This practice is no longer followed. The contracts are revocable, and the related plan obligations are not considered settled. Therefore, the plan assets and obligations include the insured amounts. Plan Assets U.S. Plans The Company’s asset allocations for its U.S. pension plans at December 31, 2021 and 2020, by asset category, were as follows: December 31, 2021 (In thousands) Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Cash and Cash Equivalents $ 10,918 $ — $ — $ 10,918 Equity Securities U.S. Equities 25,083 — — 25,083 Non-U.S. Equities 12,544 — — 12,544 Employer Securities 25,204 — — 25,204 Total Equities 62,831 — — 62,831 Fixed Income Securities U.S. Corporate Bonds — 69,073 — 69,073 U.S. Government and Agency Bonds 20,072 2,845 — 22,917 Other Bonds — 12,835 — 12,835 Total Fixed Income 20,072 84,753 — 104,825 Total $ 93,821 $ 84,753 $ — $ 178,574 December 31, 2020 (In thousands) Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Cash and Cash Equivalents $ 7,056 $ — $ — $ 7,056 Equity Securities U.S. Equities 54,805 — — 54,805 Non-U.S. Equities 23,155 — — 23,155 Employer Securities 27,938 — — 27,938 Total Equities 105,898 — — 105,898 Fixed Income Securities U.S. Corporate Bonds — 41,489 — 41,489 U.S. Government and Agency Bonds 11,152 1,570 — 12,722 Other Bonds — 8,171 — 8,171 Total Fixed Income 11,152 51,230 — 62,382 Total $ 124,106 $ 51,230 $ — $ 175,336 Plan Asset Valuation Methodology Following is a description of the valuation methodologies used for plan assets measured at fair value. Individual equity securities, including employer securities, are valued by Standard & Poor’s Securities Evaluations as determined by quoted market prices on the New York Stock Exchange or other active markets. Both market pricing and future cash flow analysis may be used in the pricing process as follows: Level 1 – Equities are valued according to the exchange-quoted market prices of the underlying investments. Level 1 fixed income securities are U.S. government securities and are valued according to quoted prices from active markets. Level 2 – Fixed income investments without equivalent trading exchanges are valued primarily through a technique known as “future cash flow approach” which is based on what bondholders can reasonably expect to receive based upon an issuer’s current financial condition. Pricing analysts prepare cash-flow forecasts and utilize one or two pricing models to arrive at an evaluated price. Evaluated bid modeling includes factors such as the interest rate on the coupon, maturity, rating, cash flow projections and other factors. Level 3 – no investments held during 2021 or 2020 were categorized as Level 3. U.K. Plan The Company’s asset allocations for its U.K. pension plans at December 31, 2021 and 2020, by asset category, were as follows: December 31, 2021 (In thousands) Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Cash — $ 2,414 $ — $ 2,414 Equity Securities Pooled Pension Funds — 3,715 — 3,715 Fixed Income Pooled Pension Funds — 20,332 — 20,332 Insurance Contracts — — 1,003 1,003 Total $ — $ 26,461 $ 1,003 $ 27,464 December 31, 2020 (In thousands) Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Cash $ — $ 2,576 $ — $ 2,576 Equity Securities Pooled Pension Funds — 3,603 — 3,603 Fixed Income Pooled Pension Funds — 21,166 — 21,166 Insurance Contracts — — 1,159 1,159 Total $ — $ 27,345 $ 1,159 $ 28,504 Units of each of the pooled funds are valued by the trustee based on quoted market prices of the underlying investments (the underlying assets are either exchange traded or have readily available markets). Fair value changes within asset categories for which fair value measurements use significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) were as follows during 2021 and 2020: (In thousands) Insurance Fair value, December 31, 2019 $ 1,205 Sale proceeds (benefit payments) (119 ) Change in unrealized gain 41 Foreign exchange impact 32 Fair value, December 31, 2020 $ 1,159 Sale proceeds (benefit payments) (131 ) Change in unrealized gain (15 ) Foreign exchange impact (10 ) Fair value, December 31, 2021 $ 1,003 Long-term Rate of Return for Plan Assets U.S. Plans The overall expected long-term rate of return on assets of 6.75 percent that was used to develop the 2021 pension expense is based on plan asset allocation, capital markets forecasts and expected benefits of active investment management. For fixed income, the expected return is 4.13 percent. This assumption includes the yield on the five-year zero-coupon U.S. Treasury bond as the base rate along with historical data from the U.S. Treasury yield curve. For equities, the expected return is 7.81 percent for U.S. and international equities. This return is based on a blended average of three different statistical models that each incorporates multiple factors including, for example, inflation, Gross Domestic Product and the Fed Funds Target Rate. The overall investment return forecast reflects the target allocations and the capital markets forecasts for each asset category, plus a premium for active asset management expected over the long-term. U.K. Plan The overall expected long-term return on plan assets is a weighted-average of the expected long-term returns for equity securities, debt securities and other assets. The redemption yield at the measurement date on U.K. government fixed interest bonds and the yield on corporate bonds are used as proxies for the return on the debt portfolio. The returns for equities and property are estimated as a premium of 3.7 percent added to the risk-free rate. Cash is assumed to have a long-term return of percent. Other Defined Benefit Plans The Company maintains funded and unfunded defined benefit plans in other foreign locations. The liabilities and expenses associated with these plans, individually and collectively, are not material to the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Discount rates for these plans are determined based on local interest rates and plan participant data. Cash Flows As a result of pension funding relief included in the Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2014, the Company does not expect to make any 2022 contributions to the funded U.S. qualified defined benefit plans. The Company expects to contribute $290,000 Defined Contribution Plans The Company sponsors retirement savings defined contribution retirement plans that cover eligible U.S. and U.K. employees. The Company’s U.S. retirement plans include two qualified plans, one of which is a 401(k) plan and one of which is an employee stock ownership plan, and one non-qualified supplemental executive plan. Prior to 2018, the Company made profit sharing contributions into the qualified retirement plans for its U.S. employees and starting in 2018 made profit sharing contributions into the qualified retirement plans for U.S. employees and for certain non-U.S. employees. Profit sharing contributions were determined using a formula applied to Company earnings. In 2019, 2020 and 2021, profit sharing contributions for U.S. employees were made to the employee stock ownership plan. Profit sharing contributions are allocated to participant accounts on the basis of participant base earnings Defined contribution expenses for the Company’s qualified defined contribution plans and statutory profit sharing contributions were as follows: (In thousands) 2021 2020 2019 Retirement contributions $ 8,134 $ 8,035 $ 7,328 Profit sharing contributions 5,081 6,107 4,702 Total $ 13,215 $ 14,142 $ 12,030 The Company has a rabbi trust to fund the obligations of its non-qualified supplemental executive defined contribution plans (supplemental plans). The trust comprises various mutual fund investments selected by the participants of the supplemental plans. In accordance with the accounting guidance for rabbi trust arrangements, the assets of the trust and the obligations of the supplemental plans are reported on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet. The Company elected the fair value option for the mutual fund investment assets so that offsetting changes in the mutual fund values and defined contribution plan obligations would be recorded in earnings in the same period. Therefore, the mutual funds are reported at fair value with any subsequent changes in fair value recorded in the income statement. The supplemental plan liabilities increase (i.e., supplemental plan expense is recognized) when the value of the trust assets appreciate and decrease (i.e., supplemental plan income is recognized) when the value of the trust assets declines. At December 31, 2021 and 2020, the trust asset balances were $2,146,000 and $1,778,000, respectively, and the supplemental plan liability balances were $2,221,000 and $1,853,000, respectively. The differences between the trust asset balances and the supplemental liability balances were due to estimated liabilities that were not funded until after the end of the year when the actual liabilities were determined. Certain foreign locations are required by law to make profit sharing contributions to employees based on statutory formulas. For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, the Company recognized $219,000, $1,679,000 and $935,000, respectively, of statutory profit sharing expense that is included in the table above. In all Company locations, approximately 77 percent of union and non-union employees are eligible for either the Company’s sponsored or statutory profit sharing contributions and 100 percent of U.S. based union and non-union employees are eligible for the Company’s sponsored profit sharing contribution.

Accrued Liabilities

Accrued Liabilities	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Payables And Accruals [Abstract]
Accrued Liabilities	14. Accrued Liabilities The composition of accrued liabilities was as follows: December 31 (In thousands) 2021 2020 Accrued payroll and benefits $ 70,983 $ 79,070 Accrued customer rebates 21,030 23,628 Other accrued liabilities 44,383 39,249 Total accrued liabilities $ 136,396 $ 141,947

Other Non-Current Liabilities

Other Non-Current Liabilities	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Other Liabilities Disclosure [Abstract]
Other Non-Current Liabilities	15. Other Non-Current Liabilities The composition of other non-current liabilities was as follows: December 31 (In thousands) 2021 2020 Deferred revenue $ 9,979 $ 11,276 Environmental and legal matters 17,663 17,921 Deferred compensation liability 50,122 51,508 Pension liability 4,552 17,229 Other non-current liabilities 16,606 16,359 Total other non-current liabilities $ 98,922 $ 114,293

Contingencies

Contingencies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Contingencies	16. Contingencies There are a variety of legal proceedings pending or threatened against the Company that occur in the normal course of the Company’s business, the majority of which relate to environmental assessment, protection and remediation matters. Some of these proceedings may result in fines, penalties, judgments or costs being assessed against the Company at some future time. The Company’s operations are subject to extensive local, state and federal regulations, including the U.S. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) and the Superfund amendments of 1986 (Superfund) as well as comparable regulations applicable to the Company’s foreign locations. Over the years, the Company has received requests for information related to or has been named by government authorities as a potentially responsible party (PRP) at a number of sites where cleanup costs have been or may be incurred by the Company under CERCLA and similar state statutes. In addition, damages are being claimed against the Company in general liability actions for alleged personal injury or property damage in the case of some disposal and plant sites. The Company believes that it has made adequate provisions for the costs it is likely to incur with respect to these sites and claims. In determining the appropriate level of environmental reserves, the Company considers several factors such as information obtained from investigatory studies; changes in the scope of remediation; the interpretation, application and enforcement of laws and regulations; changes in the costs of remediation programs; the development of alternative cleanup technologies and methods; and the relative level of the Company’s involvement at various sites for which the Company is allegedly associated. The level of annual expenditures for remedial, monitoring and investigatory activities will change in the future as major components of planned remediation activities are completed and the scope, timing and costs of existing activities are changed. As of December 31, 2021, the Company estimated a range of possible environmental losses and legal losses of $23,127,000 For certain sites, the Company has responded to information requests made by federal, state or local government agencies but has received no response confirming or denying the Company’s stated positions. As such, estimates of the total costs, or range of possible costs, of remediation, if any, or the Company’s share of such costs, if any, cannot be determined with respect to these sites. Consequently, the Company is unable to predict the effect thereof on the Company’s financial position, cash flows and results of operations. Based upon the Company’s present knowledge with respect to its involvement at these sites, the possibility of other viable entities’ responsibilities for cleanup, and the extended period over which any costs would be incurred, management believes that the Company has no material liability at these sites and that these matters, individually and in the aggregate, will not have a material effect on the Company’s financial position. However, in the event of one or more adverse determinations with respect to such sites in any annual or interim period, the effect on the Company’s cash flows and results of operations for those periods could be material. Following are summaries of the Company’s major contingencies at December 31, 2021: Maywood, New Jersey Site The Company’s property in Maywood, New Jersey and property formerly owned by the Company adjacent to its current site and other nearby properties (collectively, the Maywood site) were listed on the National Priorities List in September 1993 pursuant to the provisions of CERCLA because of alleged chemical contamination. Pursuant to (i) a September 21, 1987 Administrative Order on Consent entered into between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the Company for property formerly owned by the Company at the Maywood site and (ii) the issuance of an order on November 12, 2004 by the USEPA to the Company for property currently owned by the Company at the Maywood site, the Company has completed various Remedial Investigation Feasibility Studies (RI/FS), and on September 24, 2014, USEPA issued its Record of Decision (ROD) for chemically-contaminated soil at the Maywood site, which requires the Company to perform remedial cleanup of the soil and buried waste. The USEPA has not yet issued a ROD for chemically-contaminated groundwater at the Maywood site. Based on the most current information available, the Company believes its recorded liability is reasonable having considered the range of estimated costs of remediation for the Maywood site. The estimate of the cost of remediation for the Maywood site could change as the Company continues to hold discussions with the USEPA, as the design of the remedial action is finalized, if a groundwater ROD is issued or if other PRPs are identified. The ultimate amount for which the Company is liable could differ materially from the Company’s current recorded liability. In April 2015, the Company entered into an Administrative Settlement Agreement and Administrative Order on Consent with USEPA which requires payment of certain costs and performance of certain investigative and design work for chemically-contaminated soil. In addition, under the terms of a settlement agreement reached on November 12, 2004, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Company agreed to fulfill the terms of a Cooperative Agreement reached in 1985. Under the Cooperative Agreement, the United States is responsible for the removal of radioactive waste at the Maywood site, including past and future remediation costs at the site. As such, the Company recorded no liability related to this settlement agreement. D’Imperio Property Site During the mid-1970’s, Jerome Lightman and the Lightman Drum Company disposed of hazardous substances generated by the Company at several sites in New Jersey, including the D’Imperio site. The Company was named as a PRP in an October 2, 1998 lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey that involved the D’Imperio Site. In 2021, the PRPs were provided with updated remediation cost estimates by the PRP group technical consultant and project manager which the Company considered in its determination of its range of estimated possible losses and liability balance. The changes in range of possible losses and liability balance were immaterial. Remediation work continues at the D’Imperio site. Based on current information, the Company believes that its recorded liability is reasonable having considered the range of estimated cost of remediation for the D’Imperio site. Depending on the ultimate cost of the remediation at this site, the amount for which the Company is liable could differ materially from the current recorded liability. Wilmington Site The Company is currently contractually obligated to contribute to the environmental response costs associated with the Company’s formerly-owned site in Wilmington, Massachusetts (the Wilmington site). Remediation at this site is being managed by its current owner to whom the Company sold the property in 1980. Under the Company’s October 1, 1993 agreement with the current owner of the Wilmington site, once total site remediation costs exceed certain levels, the Company is obligated to contribute up to five percent of future response costs associated with this site with no limitation on the ultimate amount of contributions. The Company has paid the current owner $3,243,000 for the Company’s portion of environmental response costs at the Wilmington site through December 31, 2021. The Company has recorded a liability for its portion of the estimated remediation costs for the site. Depending on the ultimate cost of the remediation at this site, the amount for which the Company is liable could differ materially from the current recorded liability. The Company and other prior owners of the Wilmington site also entered into an agreement in April 2004 waiving certain statute of limitations defenses for claims that may be filed by the Town of Wilmington, Massachusetts, in connection with this site. While the Company has denied any liability for any such claims, the Company agreed to this waiver while the parties continue to discuss the resolution of any potential claim which may be filed. Other U.S. Sites Through the regular environmental monitoring of its plant production sites, the Company discovered levels of chemical contamination that were above thresholds allowed by law at its Millsdale, Illinois and Fieldsboro, New Jersey plants. The Company voluntarily reported its results to the applicable state environmental agencies. As a result, the Company is required to perform self-remediation of the affected areas. Based on current information, the Company believes that its recorded liability for the remediation of the affected areas is appropriate based on an estimate of expected costs. However, actual costs could differ materially from current recorded liabilities.

Segment Reporting

Segment Reporting	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Segment Reporting	17. Segment Reporting The Company has three reportable segments: Surfactants, Polymers and Specialty Products. Each segment provides distinct products and requires separate management due to unique markets, technologies and production processes. Surfactants are used in a variety of consumer and industrial cleaning and disinfection products as well as in agricultural products, lubricating ingredients, oil field chemicals and other specialized applications. Polymers are used primarily in plastics, building materials, refrigeration systems and CASE applications. Specialty Products are used in food, flavoring, nutritional supplement and pharmaceutical applications. The Company evaluates the performance of its segments and allocates resources based on operating income before interest expense, other income/expense items and income tax provision. The accounting policies of the reportable segments are the same as those described in the summary of significant accounting policies. The following is segment data for the three years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019: (In thousands) Surfactants Polymers Specialty Products Segment Totals 2021 Net sales $ 1,562,795 $ 713,440 $ 69,731 $ 2,345,966 Operating income 165,999 73,591 14,178 253,768 Assets 1,245,207 556,799 78,100 1,880,106 Capital expenditures 154,953 29,077 4,976 189,006 Depreciation and amortization expenses 51,375 30,598 5,836 87,809 2020 Net sales $ 1,351,686 $ 452,277 $ 65,787 $ 1,869,750 Operating income 169,101 68,214 13,966 251,281 Assets 1,018,555 361,219 92,964 1,472,738 Capital expenditures 88,484 26,719 5,960 121,163 Depreciation and amortization expenses 49,429 22,873 5,686 77,988 2019 Net sales $ 1,272,723 $ 512,347 $ 73,675 $ 1,858,745 Operating income 122,780 69,567 16,415 208,762 Assets 907,032 338,179 86,718 1,331,929 Capital expenditures 69,725 29,188 4,441 103,354 Depreciation and amortization expenses 48,422 22,151 5,483 76,056 Below are reconciliations of segment data to the consolidated financial statements: (In thousands) 2021 2020 2019 Operating income - segment totals $ 253,768 $ 251,281 $ 208,762 Business restructuring and asset disposition (1) (3,353 ) (1,212 ) (2,744 ) Unallocated corporate expenses (2) (79,634 ) (78,547 ) (78,758 ) Total operating income 170,781 171,522 127,260 Interest expense, net (5,753 ) (5,409 ) (5,932 ) Other, net 7,509 4,954 4,571 Consolidated income before income taxes $ 172,537 $ 171,067 $ 125,899 Assets - segment totals $ 1,880,106 $ 1,472,738 $ 1,331,929 Unallocated corporate assets 185,506 279,598 247,438 Consolidated assets $ 2,065,612 $ 1,752,336 $ 1,579,367 Capital expenditures - segment totals $ 189,006 $ 121,163 $ 103,354 Unallocated corporate expenditures 5,476 4,629 2,218 Consolidated capital expenditures $ 194,482 $ 125,792 $ 105,572 Depreciation and amortization expenses – segment totals $ 87,809 $ 77,988 $ 76,056 Unallocated corporate depreciation expenses 3,067 3,872 2,645 Consolidated depreciation and amortization expenses $ 90,876 $ 81,860 $ 78,701 (1) See Note 22, Business Restructuring (2) Unallocated corporate expenses are primarily comprised of corporate administrative expenses (e.g., corporate finance, legal, human resources, information systems, deferred compensation and environmental remediation) that are not included in segment operating income and not used to evaluate segment performance . Below is certain Company-wide geographic data for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019: (In thousands) 2021 2020 2019 Net sales (1) United States $ 1,297,650 $ 1,117,695 $ 1,115,993 France 179,746 141,516 145,933 Poland 198,883 147,289 156,391 United Kingdom 208,780 93,115 96,842 Brazil 136,799 105,639 102,590 Mexico 127,944 100,763 83,160 All other countries 196,164 163,733 157,836 Total $ 2,345,966 $ 1,869,750 $ 1,858,745 Long-lived assets (2) United States $ 668,362 $ 499,260 $ 462,199 Netherlands 85,931 — — Germany 41,438 39,759 30,084 Singapore 23,507 25,815 28,741 Brazil 35,294 35,786 46,740 China 30,991 27,300 27,201 United Kingdom 38,634 24,335 21,551 Mexico 45,384 39,482 21,959 All other countries 39,034 42,970 42,280 Total $ 1,008,575 $ 734,707 $ 680,755 (1) Net sales are attributed to countries based on the location of the Company legal entity making the sale. (2) Includes net property, plant and equipment, goodwill and other intangible assets.

Earnings Per Share

Earnings Per Share	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Earnings Per Share	18. Earnings Per Share Below is the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019: (In thousands, except per share amounts) 2021 2020 2019 Computation of Basic Earnings per Share Net income attributable to Stepan Company $ 137,804 $ 126,770 $ 103,129 Weighted-average number of shares outstanding 22,922 22,949 23,054 Basic earnings per share $ 6.01 $ 5.52 $ 4.47 Computation of Diluted Earnings per Share Net income attributable to Stepan Company $ 137,804 $ 126,770 $ 103,129 Weighted-average number of shares outstanding 22,922 22,949 23,054 Add weighted-average net shares from assumed exercise of options (under treasury share method) (1) 138 112 97 Add weighted-average net shares related to unvested stock awards (under treasury share method) 1 1 2 Add weighted-average net shares from assumed exercise of SARs (under treasury share method) 166 145 125 Add weighted-average contingently issuable net shares related to performance stock awards (under treasury share method) 60 49 38 Weighted-average shares applicable to diluted earnings 23,287 23,256 23,316 Diluted earnings per share $ 5.92 $ 5.45 $ 4.42 (1) Options/SARs to purchase 103,182, 127,434 and 107,125 shares of common stock were excluded from the computations of diluted earnings per share for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The options’/SARs’ exercise prices were greater than the average market price for the common stock and inclusion of the instruments would have had an antidilutive effect on the computations of the earnings per share.

Accumulated Other Comprehensive

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Equity [Abstract]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	19. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) Below is the change in the Company’s accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (AOCI) balance by component (net of income taxes) for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019: (In thousands) Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments Defined Benefit Pension Plan Adjustments Cash Flow Hedge Adjustments Total Balance at December 31, 2018 $ (108,481 ) $ (33,083 ) $ 81 $ (141,483 ) Other comprehensive income before reclassifications 4,444 4,112 — 8,556 Amounts reclassified from AOCI — 2,091 (9 ) 2,082 Remeasurement adjustment related to the Tax Act (1) — (5,325 ) 0 (5,325 ) Net current period other comprehensive income 4,444 878 (9 ) 5,313 Balance at December 31, 2019 $ (104,037 ) $ (32,205 ) $ 72 $ (136,170 ) Other comprehensive income before reclassifications (3,046 ) (996 ) — (4,042 ) Amounts reclassified from AOCI — 3,340 (9 ) 3,331 Net current period other comprehensive income (3,046 ) 2,344 (9 ) (711 ) Balance at December 31, 2020 $ (107,083 ) $ (29,861 ) $ 63 $ (136,881 ) Other comprehensive income before reclassifications (28,185 ) 8,188 — (19,997 ) Amounts reclassified from AOCI — 3,651 (9 ) 3,642 Net current period other comprehensive income (28,185 ) 11,839 (9 ) (16,355 ) Balance at December 31, 2021 $ (135,268 ) $ (18,022 ) $ 54 $ (153,236 ) (1) Represents reclassification of the stranded tax effects resulting from the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (Tax Act) from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) to retained earnings in accordance with ASU 2018-02. Amounts reclassified out of AOCI for the three years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, is displayed below: Amounts Reclassified from AOCI (1) (In thousands) Affected Line Item in Consolidated 2021 2020 2019 Statements of Income Amortization of defined pension items: Prior service cost $ (12 ) $ (11 ) $ (12 ) Actuarial loss (4,800 ) (4,421 ) (2,739 ) $ (4,812 ) (4,432 ) (2,751 ) Total before tax (2) 1,161 1,092 660 Tax benefit $ (3,651 ) $ (3,340 ) $ (2,091 ) Net of tax Gains and losses on cash flow hedges: Foreign exchange contracts $ 9 $ 9 $ 9 Cost of sales 9 9 9 Total before tax — — — Tax benefit $ 9 $ 9 $ 9 Net of tax Total reclassifications for the period $ (3,642 ) $ (3,331 ) $ (2,082 ) Net of tax (1) Amounts in parentheses denote expense to statement of income. (2) This component of accumulated other comprehensive income is included in the computation of net periodic benefit cost (see Note 13, Postretirement Benefit Plans , of the notes to the Company’s consolidated financial statements for details regarding net periodic benefit costs for the Company’s U.S. and U.K. defined benefit plans).

Acquisitions

Acquisitions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Acquisitions	20. Acquisitions 2021 Acquisitions INVISTA Acquisition On January 29, 2021, the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries Stepan Holdings Netherlands B.V. and Stepan UK Limited (collectively, “Stepan”) entered into a Stock and Asset Purchase Agreement with Arteva Specialties B.V., INV Performance Surfaces, LLC, INVISTA Textiles (U.K.) Limited, INV Management Services, LLC, and INVISTA Equities, LLC (collectively, “INVISTA”) to acquire INVISTA's aromatic polyester polyol business and associated assets. Included in the transaction were two manufacturing sites, one in Wilmington, North Carolina (U.S.) and the other in Vlissingen, Netherlands, along with intellectual property, customer relationships, inventory and working capital. This acquisition expanded the Company’s manufacturing capabilities in both the United States and Europe and enhances its business continuity capabilities for the market. The Company believes that INVISTA’s available spare capacity, combined with debottlenecking opportunities for both plants, will allow Stepan to support future market growth in a capital efficient way. The purchase price was $165,000,000, plus $21,560,000 of working capital and $3,000,000 of associated value-added taxes (VAT), and was paid in cash. Immaterial working capital adjustments were finalized and paid during the second quarter of 2021. The working capital acquired included $5,900,000 of cash. The acquisition has been accounted for as a business combination, and the acquired operations are included in the Company’s Polymer segment in 2021. The assets acquired and liabilities assumed as part of the acquisition were measured and recorded at estimated fair value. The principle valuation techniques employed included cost and market approaches (PP&E), relief from royalty method under the income approach (trade name and technology/know-how) and multi-period excess earnings method under the income approach (customer relationships). The Company finalized the purchase price allocation during the third quarter of 2021. The following table summarizes the purchase price allocation for the major components of the acquisition: (In thousands) Assets: Property, plant and equipment $ 54,200 Identifiable intangibles assets 46,000 Goodwill 64,800 Total assets acquired $ 165,000 The acquired goodwill includes proprietary and intellectual property, brand recognition, business continuity benefits and marketing, manufacturing and supply chain synergies of the new business with the Company’s existing Polymer business. The acquired goodwill has been assigned to the Polymers segment and is deductible for tax purposes. Identifiable intangible assets included technology and manufacturing know-how ($ 13,000,000 ), trademarks ($ 8,000,000 ) and customer relationships ($ 25,000,000 ). The amortization periods for know-how and trademarks have been estimated to be in the range of 7 to 8 years . The amortization period for customer relationships has been estimated to be in the range of 12 to 14 years . As of December 31, 2021, in addition to the purchase price, the Company also paid $ of acquisition-related expenses that primarily included legal, consulting, valuation and accounting services. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2021, the Company incurred $ of acquisition-related expenses. These costs were included in the Administrative expenses line in the Company’s condensed consolidated statement of income. The following table reflects pro forma financial information prepared under the assumption that the acquisition of the INVISTA aromatic polyester polyol business occurred on January 1, 2020. Pro Forma Financial Information Unaudited Twelve Months Ended December 31 (In thousands) 2021 2020 Net Sales $ 2,358,405 $ 1,971,750 Net Income Attributable to Stepan Company $ 140,869 $ 133,291 The supplemental pro forma information is presented for illustrative purposes only and may not be indicative of the consolidated results that would have been achieved by the Company had the acquisition occurred on January 1, 2020. Furthermore, future results may vary materially from the results reflected in the pro forma information. The pro forma results include adjustments primarily related to amortization of acquired intangible assets, depreciation of the fair value adjustment related to acquired plant assets, tax expense and management assumptions related to INVISTA’s legacy carved-out financial statements. In addition, non-recurring adjustments to pro forma net income include $1,890,000 of acquisition-related expenses. Such expenses were excluded from 2021 pro forma net income and included in 2020 pro forma net income. Fermentation Plant Acquisition On February 2, 2021, the Company acquired a fermentation plant, located in Lake Providence, Louisiana (U.S.). The Company believes this plant complements the rhamnolipid-based bio-surfactant technology the Company acquired from Logos Technologies in March 2020. Fermentation is a new platform technology for the Company and the Company is focusing efforts to further develop, integrate, produce and commercialize these unique surfactants moving forward. Bio-surfactants, produced via fermentation, are attractive due to their biodegradability, low toxicity, and in some cases, unique antimicrobial properties. These bio-surfactants offer synergies in several strategic end use markets including oilfield, agriculture, personal care and household, industrial and institutional. The acquisition of this industrial scale fermentation plant represents the latest step in the Company’s bio-surfactant commercialization efforts. The purchase price was $3,500,000 and was paid in cash. This acquisition has been accounted for as an asset acquisition. 2020 Acquisitions Clariant (Mexico) Acquisition On September 17, 2020, the Company through its subsidiaries in Mexico, acquired Clariant (Mexico) S.A. de C.V.’s (Clariant) anionic business located in Santa Clara, Mexico. The acquisition did not include the purchase of a manufacturing site. The business acquired has been integrated into the Company’s two existing manufacturing sites in Mexico (Matamoros and Ecatepec). The purchase price of the acquisition was $14,000,000, plus associated value-added taxes (VAT). As of December 31, 2021, $14,308,000, inclusive of $308,000 net VAT, had been paid with cash on hand. The acquisition was accounted for as a business combination and the assets were measured and recorded at their estimated fair value. The acquired goodwill is not tax deductible. All assets acquired are included in the Company’s Surfactants segment. The following table summarizes the purchase price allocation for the acquisition: (In thousands) Assets: Identifiable intangible assets: Customer lists $ 8,000 Trademarks and know-how 1,300 Non-compete agreement 300 Goodwill 5,165 Property, plant and equipment 175 Total assets acquired $ 14,940 Liabilities: Other non-current liabilities 940 Total liabilities assumed 940 Net assets acquired $ 14,000 Logos Technologies Acquisition On March 13, 2020, the Company acquired certain assets of Logos Technologies LLC's NatSurFact® business, a rhamnolipid-based line of bio-surfactants derived from renewable sources. These bio-surfactants offer synergies in several strategic end use markets including oilfield, agriculture, personal care and household, industrial and institutional. The acquisition was accounted for as an asset acquisition. The purchase price of the acquisition was $2,040,000 and was paid with cash on hand. All assets acquired are included in the Company’s Surfactants segment. The assets acquired were primarily intangibles, including trademarks and know-how ($1,392,000) and patents ($464,000). Additionally, $184,000 of laboratory equipment was acquired. 2019 Acquisition On December 17, 2019, the Company acquired an oilfield demulsifier product line. The purchase price of the acquisition was $9,000,000 and was paid with cash on hand. This acquisition was accounted for as a business combination and the assets were measured and recorded at their estimated fair values. The primary assets acquired were intangibles, mostly comprised of goodwill ($3,161,000), product know-how ($3,300,000) and customer relationships ($1,900,000). A small amount of inventory was also acquired. All of the acquired assets are included within the Company’s Surfactants segment. The average amortization period for the identifiable intangibles assets is 20 years. Pro forma financial information has not been included because revenues and earnings of the Company’s consolidated entity would not have been materially different than reported had the acquisition date been January 1, 2019. The acquired business did not impact the Company’s 2019 financial results.

Revenue from Contracts with Cus

Revenue from Contracts with Customers	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Revenue From Contract With Customer [Abstract]
Revenue from Contracts with Customers	21. Revenue from Contracts with Customers The Company deems a contract with a customer to exist when a purchase order is received from a customer for a specified quantity of product or products and the Company acknowledges receipt of such purchase order. In some instances the Company has entered into manufacturing supply agreements with customers but these agreements typically do not bind a customer to any purchase volume requirements and thus an obligation is not created until the customer submits a purchase order to the Company. The Company’s contracts typically have a single performance obligation that is satisfied at the time product is shipped and control passes to the customer. For a small portion of the business, performance obligations are deemed satisfied when product is delivered to a customer location. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had $1,376,000 of contract liabilities and no contract assets. A contract liability would typically arise when an advance or deposit is received from a customer before the Company recognizes revenue. In practice, this is rare as it would require a customer to make a payment prior to a performance obligation being satisfied. When such situations do arise, the Company m aintain s a deferred revenue liability until the time a performance obligation has been satisfied. The Company recognized $ 773,000 of revenue in the current period from pre-existing contract liabilities at December 31, 20 2 0 . During 202 0 the Company recognized $ 10,709,000 of d eferred revenue associated with a payment received to defray the cost of capital expenditures necessary to service a customer’s future product needs. This deferred revenue will be recognized over the period of the contract . As of December 31 , 2021, no revenue has been recognized from this contract . The tables below provide a geographic disaggregation of net sales for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019. The Company’s business segmentation by geographic region most effectively captures the nature and economic characteristics of the Company’s revenue streams impacted by economic factors. 2021 (In thousands) Surfactants Polymers Specialty Products Total Geographic Market North America $ 904,469 $ 364,382 $ 59,461 $ 1,328,312 Europe 288,735 302,137 9,152 600,024 Latin America 299,601 3,823 1,118 304,542 Asia 69,990 43,098 — 113,088 Total $ 1,562,795 $ 713,440 $ 69,731 $ 2,345,966 2020 (In thousands) Surfactants Polymers Specialty Products Total Geographic Market North America $ 826,841 $ 265,700 $ 56,455 1,148,996 Europe 234,631 147,289 9,332 391,252 Latin America 234,568 2,498 — 237,066 Asia 55,646 36,790 — 92,436 Total $ 1,351,686 $ 452,277 $ 65,787 $ 1,869,750 2019 (In thousands) Surfactants Polymers Specialty Products Total Geographic Market North America $ 766,341 $ 314,549 $ 61,501 1,142,391 Europe 240,711 158,455 12,174 411,340 Latin America 212,405 3,304 — 215,709 Asia 53,266 36,039 — 89,305 Total $ 1,272,723 $ 512,347 $ 73,675 $ 1,858,745

Business Restructuring and Asse

Business Restructuring and Asset Disposition	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Restructuring And Related Activities [Abstract]
Business Restructuring and Asset Disposition	22. Business Restructuring and Asset Disposition 2019 Restructuring In 2019, the Company restructured its Specialty Products office in the Netherlands and eliminated select positions from the site’s supply chain, quality control and research and development areas. This restructuring was designed to better align the number of personnel with current business requirements and reduce costs at the site. As a result, severance and early lease termination expenses of $554,000 and $122,000, respectively, were recognized during the year ended December 31, 2019. 2018 Restructuring During the third quarter of 2018, the Company approved a plan to shut down surfactants operations at its German plant site. As of December 31, 2021, an aggregate of $2,392,000 shut down related expense had been recognized at the site. This aggregate expense is comprised of $1,404,000 of asset and spare part write downs recognized in 2018 and $988,000 of cumulative decommissioning costs. The Company recognized $79,000 and $909,000 in decommissioning expenses in 2020 and 2019, respectively. 2016 Restructuring In May 2016, the Company announced plans to shut down its Long Mills, Ontario, Canada (Longford Mills) manufacturing facility, a part of the Surfactant reportable segment, by December 31, 2016. The shutdown plan was implemented to improve the Company’s asset utilization in North America and to reduce the Company’s fixed cost base. Manufacturing operations at the Longford Mills plant ceased by the end of 2016, and production of goods manufactured at the facility was transferred to the Company’s other North American production sites. As of December 31, 2021, $9,250,000 of aggregate restructuring expense had been recognized, reflecting $1,644,000 of termination benefits for approximately 30 employees and $7,606,000 for other expenses, principally site decommissioning costs. The Company recognized restructuring expenses of $633,000, $1,133,000 and $1,410,000 in 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Asset Disposition In the fourth quarter 2021, the Company sold one of its corporate headquarter buildings and recognized a $2,720,000 loss on the sale of the building. The loss is reflected in the Business restructuring and asset disposition line on the Company’s consolidated statements of income.

Insurance Recovery

Insurance Recovery	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Insurance Recovery [Abstract]
Insurance Recovery	23. Insurance Recovery Millsdale, Illinois site On January 19, 2020, the Company experienced a power disruption that impacted its Millsdale, Illinois facility. This power outage combined with below freezing temperatures, led to significant production and operational challenges that impacted both Surfactants and Polymers produced at the site. The Millsdale facility operated on a partial basis and used existing inventories to serve its customers. On February 17, 2020, power outage-related operational issues impacted the Millsdale site’s waste water treatment plant and forced the Company to stop production at the site. As a result, the Company declared force majeure for the supply of phthalic anhydride (Polymers) and certain surfactant product lines. All production lines were fully operational prior to the end of the 2020 first quarter. During the second half of 2020, the Company finalized an insurance settlement related to this incident and recognized an $18,000,000 pre-tax insurance recovery. This insurance recovery was recognized as a reduction of expenses within cost of sales in the consolidated financial statement of income for the year ended December 31, 2020. The Surfactant and Polymer segments recorded $5,200,000 and $12,800,000, respectively, in insurance recovery. Ecatepec, Mexico site The Company received insurance recovery proceeds of $8,965,000 in December 2019 for damaged equipment, incremental supply chain expenses and business interruption losses pertaining to the first quarter 2019 sulfonation equipment failure at the Company’s plant in Ecatepec, Mexico. The insurance recovery was recorded as reduction of cost of sales in the consolidated statement of income for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Customer Claims

Customer Claims	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Customer Claims	24. Customer Claims In the fourth quarter of 2016, the Company established a reserve for two customer claims, which alleged that product manufactured by the Company may have caused performance problems with the customers’ products. The combined amount of the reserve was $7,367,000, which was recorded as a reduction of net sales in the year ended December 31, 2016. Both claims related to the Company’s Surfactant segment. In the fourth quarter of 2017, the Company paid $2,709,000 for one of the claims and reversed the remainder of the reserve for the claim. The claim reversal was recorded within net sales. The second claim for $703,000 was paid in the second quarter of 2019 and was covered by insurance.

Noncash Investing and Financing

Noncash Investing and Financing Activities	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Supplemental Cash Flow Elements [Abstract]
Noncash Investing and Financing Activities	25. Noncash Investing and Financing Activities Noncash investing activities included liabilities (accounts payable) incurred for property, plant and equipment expenditures of approximately $36,588,000, $17,946,000, and $16,890,000 that were unpaid at December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Noncash financing activities included 60,132 shares of Company common stock (valued at $7,286,000), 58,282 shares of Company common stock (valued at $5,485,000) and 96,095 shares of Company common stock (valued at $8,893,000) issued in connection with the Company’s stock award plan in 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Summary of Significant Accoun_2

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Nature of Operations	Nature of Operations Stepan Company’s (the Company) operations consist predominantly of the production and sale of specialty and intermediate chemicals, which are sold to other manufacturers for use in a variety of end products. Principal markets for all products are manufacturers of cleaning and washing compounds (including detergents, shampoos, fabric softeners, toothpastes and household cleaners), paints, cosmetics, food, beverages, nutritional supplements, agricultural products, plastics, furniture, automotive equipment, insulation and refrigeration.
Use of Estimates	Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) requires Company management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, income and expenses at the date of the financial statements and to provide disclosures of contingent assets, liabilities and related amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Principles of Consolidation	Principles of Consolidation The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and all wholly and majority-owned subsidiaries in which the Company exercises controlling influence. The equity method is used to account for investments in which the Company exercises significant but noncontrolling influence. Intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated in consolidation. Prior to the fourth quarter of 2021, the Company had an 80 percent ownership interest in the Nanjing Stepan Jinling Chemical Limited Liability Company (a joint venture) and exercised controlling influence over the entity. As a result, the China joint venture results were included in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. The partner’s interest in the joint venture’s net income was reported in the net income attributable to noncontrolling interest line of the consolidated statements of income and its interest in the net assets of the joint venture was reported in the noncontrolling interest line (a component of equity separate from Company equity) of the consolidated balance sheets. The joint venture was dissolved during the fourth quarter of 2021.
Business Combinations	Business Combinations The Company makes acquisitions from time to time. When such acquisitions occur, the Company applies the accounting guidance per FASB ASC Topic 805, Business Combinations In some instances, the purchase price allocation of an acquisition is not complete by the end of a reporting period. This situation most typically arises when an acquisition is complex and/or completed very close to the end of a reporting period and all necessary information is not available by the end of the reporting period in which the acquisition occurs. In these instances, the Company reports provisional amounts for any incomplete items and makes subsequent adjustments as necessary information becomes available or determines that additional information is not obtainable. Any subsequent adjustments could have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition or results of operations as they could impact the initial fair values assigned to intangible assets and property, plant and equipment and/or their estimated economic lives. ASC 805 requires purchase price allocations to be finalized within one year from the acquisition date.
Cash and Cash Equivalents	Cash and Cash Equivalents The Company considers all highly liquid investments with purchased maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents. At December 31, 2021, the Company’s cash and cash equivalents totaled $159,186,000 including $46,689,000 in money market funds, each of which was rated AAAm by Standard and Poor’s, Aaa-mf by Moody’s and AAAmmf by Fitch. Cash in U.S. demand deposit accounts totaled $25,253,000 and cash of the Company’s non-U.S. subsidiaries held outside the U.S. totaled $87,244,000 as of December 31, 2021. At December 31, 2020, the Company’s cash and cash equivalents totaled $349,938,000 including $123,695,000 in money market funds, each of which was rated AAAm by Standard and Poor’s, Aaa-mf by Moody’s and AAAmmf by Fitch. Cash in U.S. demand deposit accounts totaled $ 76,164,000 and cash of the Company’s non-U.S. subsidiaries held outside the U.S. totaled $ 150,079,000 as of December 31, 2020.
Receivables and Credit Risk/Losses	Receivables and Credit Risk/Losses Receivables are stated net of allowances for doubtful accounts and other allowances and primarily include trade receivables from customers, as well as nontrade receivables from suppliers, governmental tax agencies and others. The Company is exposed to both credit risk and losses on accounts receivable balances. The Company’s credit risk and loss exposure predominately relates to the sale of products to its customers. When extending credit to customers the Company evaluates a customer’s credit worthiness based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative factors, inclusive of, but not limited to, a customer’s credit rating from external providers, financial condition and past payment experience. The Company performs credit reviews on all customers at inception and on a scheduled basis thereafter dependent on customer risk and the level of credit extended. Payment terms extended are short term in duration, typically ranging from 30 to 60 days. The majority of the Company’s sales are made to large companies that are able to weather periodic changes in economic conditions. This risk of losses is further mitigated by the Company’s diverse customer base, which is dispersed over various geographic regions and industrial sectors. No single customer comprised more than 10 percent of the Company’s consolidated net sales in 2021, 2020 or 2019. The Company maintains allowances for potential credit losses. With the adoption of ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses, The following is an analysis of the allowance for doubtful accounts and other accounts receivable allowances for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019: (In thousands) 2021 2020 2019 Balance at January 1 $ 10,133 $ 9,325 $ 9,654 Provision charged to income 943 864 29 Accounts written off, net of recoveries (919 ) (56 ) (358 ) Balance at December 31 $ 10,157 $ 10,133 $ 9,325
Inventories	Inventories Inventories are valued at cost, which is not in excess of market value, and include material, labor and plant overhead costs. Currently, the first in, first out (FIFO) method is used to determine the cost of the Company’s inventory.
Property, Plant and Equipment	Property, Plant and Equipment Depreciation of property, plant and equipment is provided on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Lives used for calculating depreciation are generally 30 years for buildings and 15 years for building improvements. For assets classified as machinery and equipment, lives generally used for calculating depreciation expense range from 10 to 15 years for manufacturing equipment, five to 10 years for furniture and fixtures, three to five years for vehicles and three to 10 years for computer equipment and software. Manufacturing of chemicals is capital intensive and a large majority of the assets included within machinery and equipment represent manufacturing equipment. Major renewals and betterments are capitalized in the property accounts, while maintenance and repairs ($75,351,000, $69,234,000, and $58,464,000 in 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively), which do not renew or extend the life of the respective assets, are charged to operations as incurred. Land is not depreciated. The cost of property retired or sold, and the related accumulated depreciation, are removed from the accounts and any resulting gain or loss is reflected in income. Long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment when conditions exist that indicate the carrying amount of the assets may not be fully recoverable. Such conditions could include significant adverse changes in the business environment, significant declines in forecasted operations or an approved plan to discontinue an asset or an asset group before the end of its useful life. Included in the computer equipment and software component of machinery and equipment are costs related to the acquisition and development of internal-use software. Capitalized costs for internal-use software include external direct costs of materials and services consumed in obtaining and developing the software. For development projects where major internal resources are committed, payroll and payroll-related costs incurred during the application development phase of the project are also capitalized. The capitalized costs are amortized over the useful lives of the software, which are generally three to 10 years. Costs incurred in the preliminary project phase are expensed. The Company adopted ASU No. 2018-15, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other-Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40) Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement that is a Service Contract Interest charges on borrowings applicable to major construction projects are capitalized.
Fair Value Measurements	Fair Value Measurements GAAP defines fair value 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. Furthermore, GAAP establishes a framework, in the form of a three-level hierarchy, for measuring fair value that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The following describes the hierarchy levels: Level 1 - quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities. Level 2 - inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are directly or indirectly observable for the asset or liability, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data. Level 3 - unobservable inputs which reflect the entity’s own assumptions about the assumptions market participants use in pricing the assets and liabilities. The Company applies the fair value measurement provisions of GAAP to any of its financial assets and liabilities that are carried at fair value on the consolidated balance sheets (see Note 2, Fair Value Measurements (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K) Fair Value Measurements (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K) Postretirement Benefit Plans (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K) The Company also applies fair value measurements to nonfinancial assets and liabilities recorded in conjunction with business combinations and as part of impairment reviews for goodwill and other long-lived assets.
Revenue Recognition	Revenue Recognition The Company’s contracts typically have a single performance obligation that is satisfied at the time product is shipped and control passes to the customer. For a small portion of the business, performance obligations are deemed satisfied when product is delivered to a customer location. For arrangements where the Company consigns product to a customer location, revenue is recognized when the customer uses the inventory. The Company accounts for shipping and handling as activities to fulfill a promise to transfer a good. As such, shipping and handling fees billed to customers in a sales transaction are recorded in Net Sales and shipping and handling costs incurred are recorded in Cost of Sales. Volume and cash discounts due customers are estimated and recorded in the same period as the sales to which the discounts relate and are reported as reductions of revenue in the consolidated statements of income. See Note 21 , Revenue from Contracts with Customers , of the notes to the Company’s consolidated financial statements (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K) for more details.
Cost of Sales	Cost of Sales Cost of sales is comprised of raw material costs (including inbound freight expense to deliver the raw materials), manufacturing plant labor expenses and various manufacturing overhead expenses, such as utilities, maintenance, operating supplies, amortization and manufacturing asset depreciation expenses. Cost of sales also includes outbound shipping and handling expenses, inter-plant transfer costs, warehouse expenses and rail car rental expenses.
Operating Expenses	Operating Expenses Selling expense is comprised of salaries and related fringe benefit expenses for marketing and sales personnel and operating costs, such as outside agent commissions, automobile rental and travel-related expenses, which support the sales and marketing functions. Bad debt charges and any depreciation expenses related to marketing assets (e.g., computers) are also classified as selling expense. Administrative expense is comprised of salaries and related fringe benefit expenses and operating costs for the Company’s various administrative functions, which include information services, finance, legal, and human resources. The majority of environmental remediation expenses are also classified as administrative expense. The Company’s research and development costs are expensed as incurred. These expenses are aimed at discovery and commercialization of new knowledge with the intent that such effort will be useful in developing a new product or in bringing about a significant improvement to an existing product or process. Total research and development expenses were $38,778,000, $35,999,000, and $34,139,000 Compensation expense or income related to the Company’s deferred compensation plans is presented in the deferred compensation expense line in the Consolidated Statements of Income. For more details, see Note 12, Deferred Compensation, (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K)
Environmental Expenditures	Environmental Expenditures Environmental expenditures that relate to current operations are typically recorded in cost of sales. Expenditures that mitigate or prevent environmental contamination and that benefit future operations are capitalized as assets and depreciated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets, which are typically 10 years. Estimated future expenditures that relate to an existing condition caused by past operations, and which do not contribute to current or future revenue generation, are recorded as liabilities, with the corresponding charge typically recorded in administrative expenses, when environmental assessments and/or remedial efforts are probable and the cost or range of possible costs can be reasonably estimated. When no amount within the range is a better estimate than any other amount, the minimum amount in the range is accrued. Estimating the possible costs of remediation requires making assumptions related to the nature and extent of contamination and the methods and resulting costs of remediation. Some of the factors on which the Company bases its estimates include information provided by feasibility studies, potentially responsible party negotiations and the development of remedial action plans. Legal costs related to environmental matters are expensed as incurred. See Note 16, Contingencies (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K)
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets	Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets The Company’s intangible assets include patents, agreements not to compete, trademarks, customer lists and relationships, technological and manufacturing know-how, supply contracts and goodwill, all of which were acquired as part of business or product line acquisitions. Intangible assets other than goodwill are determined to have either finite or indefinite useful lives. The Company currently has no indefinite-life intangible assets other than goodwill. The values for intangible assets with finite lives are amortized over the useful lives of the assets. Currently, the useful lives for the Company’s finite-lived intangible assets are as follows: patents – 15 years; non-compete agreements – three years; trademarks – eight to 11 years; customer relationships – 12 to 20 years and know-how – seven to 20 years. In addition, finite-life intangible assets are tested for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an intangible asset may not be recoverable. Goodwill is not amortized but is tested for impairment at least annually, or more frequently, if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit to which goodwill relates below the reporting unit’s carrying value. See Note 4, Goodwill and Other Intangibles the notes to the Company’s consolidated financial statements (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K) for detailed information about goodwill and other intangible assets.
Income Taxes	Income Taxes Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method, which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the financial statements. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined on the basis of the differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. Deferred tax assets are recognized to the extent that we believe these assets are more likely than not to be realized. In making such a determination, we consider all available positive and negative evidence, including future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, projected future taxable income, tax-planning strategies, and results of recent operations. If we determine that we would be able to realize our deferred tax assets in the future in excess of their net recorded amount, we would make an adjustment to the deferred tax asset valuation allowance, which would reduce the provision for income taxes. Uncertain tax positions are recorded in accordance with ASC 740, Income Taxes The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits within the income tax expense line in the accompanying Consolidated Statement of Operations. Accrued interest and penalties are included within the related tax liability line in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. See Note 9 , Income Taxes (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K)
Translation of Foreign Currencies	Translation of Foreign Currencies For the Company’s consolidated foreign subsidiaries whose functional currency is the local foreign currency, assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars at exchange rates in effect at year end and revenues and expenses are translated at average exchange rates for the year. Any resulting translation adjustments are included in the consolidated balance sheets in the accumulated other comprehensive loss line of stockholders’ equity. Gains or losses on foreign currency transactions are reflected in the other, net caption of the consolidated statements of income. The Company has four foreign subsidiaries whose functional currencies are the U.S. dollar. For these subsidiaries, nonmonetary assets and liabilities are translated at historical rates, monetary assets and liabilities are translated at exchange rates in effect at year end, revenues and expenses are translated at average exchange rates for the year and translation gains and losses are included in the other, net caption of the consolidated statements of income.
Stock-Based Compensation	Stock-Based Compensation The Company grants stock options, stock awards (including performance-based stock awards) and SARs to certain employees under its incentive compensation plans. The Company calculates the fair values of stock options, stock awards and SARs on the date such instruments are granted. The fair values of the stock options and stock awards are then recognized as compensation expense over the vesting periods of the instruments. The Company’s SARs granted prior to 2015 are cash-settled, and SARs granted in 2015 and later are stock-settled. The cash-settled SARs are accounted for as liabilities that must be re-measured at fair value at the end of each reporting period. Compensation expense for each reporting period is calculated as the period-to-period change (or portion of the change, depending on the proportion of the vesting period that has been completed at the reporting date) in the fair value of the cash-settled SARs. Compensation expense for the stock-settled SARs is calculated in the same way as compensation expense for stock options. See Note 11, Stock-based Compensation (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K)
Earnings Per Share	Earnings Per Share Basic earnings per share amounts are computed as net income attributable to the Company divided by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding. Diluted earnings per share amounts are based on the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding plus the weighted-average of net common shares (under the treasury stock method) that would be outstanding assuming the exercise of outstanding stock options and stock-settled SARs, the vesting of unvested stock awards that have no performance or market condition and the issuance of contingent performance stock awards. See Note 18, Earnings Per Share (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K)
Comprehensive Income and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	Comprehensive Income and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Comprehensive income includes net income and all other non-owner changes in equity that are not reported in net income. Comprehensive income is disclosed in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income. Accumulated other comprehensive income (AOCI) is reported as a component of stockholders’ equity in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. See Note 19, Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K)
Segment Reporting	Segment Reporting The Company reports financial and descriptive information about its reportable operating segments. Operating segments are components of the Company that have separate financial information that is regularly evaluated by the chief operating decision maker to assess segment performance and allocate resources. The Company discloses segment revenue, operating income, assets, capital expenditures and depreciation and amortization expenses. Enterprise-wide financial information about the geographic locations in which the Company earns revenues and holds assets is also disclosed. See Note 17, Segment Reporting (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K)
Derivative Instruments	Derivative Instruments Derivative instruments are recognized in the consolidated balance sheets as either assets or liabilities measured at fair value. For derivative instruments that are not designated as hedging instruments, changes in the fair values of the derivative instruments are recognized currently in earnings. For derivative instruments designated as hedging instruments, depending on the nature of the hedge, changes in the fair values of the derivative instruments are either offset in earnings against changes in the fair values of the hedged items or recognized in AOCI until the hedged transaction is recognized in earnings. At the time a hedging relationship is designated, the Company establishes the method it will use for assessing the effectiveness of the hedge and the measurement approach for determining the ineffective aspect of the hedge. Company policy prohibits the use of derivative instruments for trading or speculative purposes. See Note 3, Derivative Instruments (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K) At December 31, 2021, the Company held open forward contracts for the purchase of 1.4 million dekatherms of natural gas in 2022 at a cost of $5,712,000. The Company uses forward contracts to minimize its exposure to volatile natural gas prices. Because the Company anticipates taking delivery of the natural gas for use in its operations, the forward contracts qualify for the normal purchase exception provided under U.S. GAAP for derivative instruments. The Company has elected the exception for such contracts. As a result, the forward contracts are not accounted for as derivative instruments. The cost of natural gas is charged to expense at the time the natural gas is delivered and used.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	Recent Accounting Pronouncements In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740), Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848) Facilitation of the Effect of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting In October 2021, the FASB issued ASU No. 2021-08, Business Combinations (Topic 805) Accounting for Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities from Contracts with Customers , Revenue from Contracts with Customers 606 to recognize and measure contract assets and contract liabilities in a business combination. The amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 31, 2022 and should be applied prospectively. The Company is in the process of assessing the impact that adoption of ASU No. 2021-08 may have on its financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Summary of Significant Accoun_3

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts and Other Accounts Receivable Allowance	The following is an analysis of the allowance for doubtful accounts and other accounts receivable allowances for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019: (In thousands) 2021 2020 2019 Balance at January 1 $ 10,133 $ 9,325 $ 9,654 Provision charged to income 943 864 29 Accounts written off, net of recoveries (919 ) (56 ) (358 ) Balance at December 31 $ 10,157 $ 10,133 $ 9,325

Fair Value Measurements (Tables

Fair Value Measurements (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Values and Related Carrying Values of Debt	At December 31, 2021 and 2020, the fair values and related carrying values of debt, including current maturities, were as follows (the fair value and carrying value amounts are presented without regard to unamortized debt issuance costs of $710,000, and $617,000 (In thousands) December 31 2021 2020 Fair value $ 369,456 $ 210,370 Carrying value 364,290 199,286
Financial Assets and Liabilities, Excluding Cash and Cash Equivalents, Measured on a Recurring Basis at Fair Value	The following tables present financial assets and liabilities, excluding cash and cash equivalents, measured on a recurring basis at fair value as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, and the level within the fair value hierarchy in which the fair value measurement falls: (In thousands) December 2021 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Mutual fund assets $ 34,495 $ 34,495 $ — $ — Derivative assets: Foreign currency contracts 436 — 436 — Total assets at fair value $ 34,931 $ 34,495 $ 436 $ — Derivative liabilities: Foreign currency contracts $ 338 $ — $ 338 $ — (In thousands) December 2020 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Mutual fund assets $ 30,652 $ 30,652 $ — $ — Derivative assets: Foreign currency contracts 335 — 335 — Total assets at fair value $ 30,987 $ 30,652 $ 335 $ — Derivative liabilities: Foreign currency contracts $ 566 $ — $ 566 $ —

Goodwill and Other Intangible_2

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Changes in Carrying Value of Goodwill	The changes in the carrying value of goodwill for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, were as follows: (In thousands) Surfactants Segment Polymer Segment Specialty Products Segment Total 2021 2020 2021 2020 2021 2020 2021 2020 Balance as of January 1 Goodwill $ 25,537 $ 23,664 $ 5,419 $ 5,406 $ 483 $ 483 $ 31,439 $ 29,553 Accumulated impairment loss (3,467 ) (3,467 ) — — — — (3,467 ) (3,467 ) Goodwill, net 22,070 20,197 5,419 5,406 483 483 27,972 26,086 Goodwill acquired (1) — 4,225 72,467 — — — 72,467 4,225 Goodwill measurement period adjustment (1) 940 (336 ) — — — — 940 (336 ) Foreign currency translation (788 ) (2,016 ) (3,404 ) 13 — — (4,192 ) (2,003 ) Balance as of December 31 Goodwill 25,689 25,537 74,482 5,419 483 483 100,654 31,439 Accumulated impairment loss (3,467 ) (3,467 ) — — — — (3,467 ) (3,467 ) Goodwill, net $ 22,222 $ 22,070 $ 74,482 $ 5,419 $ 483 $ 483 $ 97,187 $ 27,972 (1) See Note 20, Acquisitions , of the notes to the Company’s consolidated financial statements (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K) for information regarding the goodwill acquired in a business combination.
Components of Other Intangible Assets and Changes in Gross Carrying Values	The following table presents the components of other intangible assets, all of which have finite lives, as of December 31, 2021 and 2020. The year-over-year changes in gross carrying values mainly resulted from acquisitions that took place in 2021 and the effects of foreign currency translation. (In thousands) Gross Carrying Value Accumulated Amortization December 31 December 31 2021 2020 2021 2020 Other Intangible Assets: Patents (2) $ 7,411 $ 7,411 $ 6,139 $ 5,713 Non-compete agreements (2) 594 623 404 270 Trademarks (2) 12,013 4,087 4,160 2,905 Customer lists/relationships (2) 44,447 21,424 9,557 6,842 Supply contract 1,472 1,579 1,472 1,579 Know-how (1)(2) 27,029 14,183 10,450 7,930 Total $ 92,966 $ 49,307 $ 32,182 $ 25,239 (1) Know-how includes intellectual property rights covering proprietary information, written formulae, trade secrets or secret processes, inventions and developmental products (whether patentable or not), discoveries, improvements, compositions, manufacturing processes, manuals, specifications and technical data (2) The 2020 balances include intangible assets acquired as part of the Company’s Clariant (Mexico) and Logos Technologies acquisitions in 2020. The 2021 balances include intangible assets acquired as part of the Company’s INVISTA acquisition in January 2021. See Note 20, Acquisitions , of the notes to the Company’s consolidated financial statements (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K) for additional details.
Estimated Amortization Expense for Identifiable Intangibles Assets	Estimated amortization expense for identifiable intangibles assets for each of the five succeeding fiscal years is as follows: (In thousands) For year ended 12/31/22 $ 6,918 For year ended 12/31/23 6,891 For year ended 12/31/24 6,609 For year ended 12/31/25 6,168 For year ended 12/31/26 5,845

Inventories (Tables)

Inventories (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Composition of Inventories	The composition of inventories was as follows: December 31 (In thousands) 2021 2020 Finished products $ 184,010 $ 148,878 Raw materials 121,528 69,905 Total inventories $ 305,538 $ 218,783

Debt (Tables)

Debt (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Debt	Debt comprised the following at December 31, 2021 and 2020: (In thousands) Maturity Dates December 31, 2021 December 31, 2020 Unsecured private placement notes 3.95% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of $230 and $273 for 2021 and 2020, respectively) 2022-2027 $ 85,485 $ 99,727 3.86% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of 181 and $236 for 2021 and 2020, respectively) 2022-2025 56,962 71,193 4.86% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of $69 and $108 for 2021 and 2020 respectively) 2022-2023 18,502 27,749 2.30% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of $100 and $0 for 2021 and 2020, respectively) 2024-2028 49,900 — 2.37% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of $108 and $0 for 2021 and 2020, respectively) 2024-2028 49,892 — 2.73% (net of unamortized debt issuance cost of $22 and $0 for 2021 and 2020, respectively) 2025-2031 99,978 — Debt of foreign subsidiaries Unsecured bank debt, foreign currency 2022 2,861 — Total debt $ 363,580 $ 198,669 Less current maturities 40,718 37,857 Long-term debt $ 322,862 $ 160,812
Schedule of Net Interest Expense	Net interest expense for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, comprised the following: (In thousands) 2021 2020 2019 Interest expense $ 10,145 $ 9,859 $ 12,744 Interest income (1,255 ) (2,171 ) (5,717 ) 8,890 7,688 7,027 Capitalized interest (3,137 ) (2,279 ) (1,095 ) Interest expense, net $ 5,753 $ 5,409 $ 5,932

Leases (Tables)

Leases (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Leases [Abstract]
Schedule of Lease Cost Included in Cost of Sale and Operating Expenses	Lease cost is recognized in both the Cost of Sales and Operating Expenses sections of the Consolidated Statements of Income. (In thousands) Year ended December 31, 2021 Year ended December 31, 2020 Lease Cost Operating lease cost $ 15,630 $ 11,821 Short-term lease cost 6,570 4,922 Variable lease cost 892 1,135 Total lease cost $ 23,092 $ 17,878 Other Information Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities: Operating cash flow from operating leases $ 14,885 $ 11,843 Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for operating lease liabilities 19,610 27,766
Schedule of Maturities of Lease Liabilities	(In thousands) Undiscounted Cash Flows: 2022 $ 15,573 2023 12,679 2024 8,055 2025 5,946 2026 4,329 Subsequent to 2026 36,439 Total Undiscounted Cash Flows $ 83,021 Less: Imputed interest (12,447 ) Present value $ 70,574 Current operating lease liabilities (1) 13,906 Non-current operating lease liabilities 56,668 Total lease liabilities $ 70,574 (1) This item is included in Accrued liabilities line on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet.
Schedule of Operating Leases Weighted Average, Remaining Lease Term and Discount Rate	Weighted-average remaining lease term-operating leases 10 Years Weighted-average discount rate-operating leases 2.9 %

Other, Net (Tables)

Other, Net (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Other Income And Expenses [Abstract]
Other Net in Consolidated Statements of Income	Other, net in the Consolidated Statements of Income included the following for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019: (In thousands) 2021 2020 2019 Foreign exchange gains $ 501 $ 1,367 $ 123 Investment income 2,886 1,681 968 Realized and unrealized gains on investments 2,289 3,143 3,955 Net periodic benefit cost 302 (874 ) (351 ) Other retirement obligation 559 (363 ) (694 ) Gain on sale of asset — — 570 Gain on dissolution of the China joint venture 972 — — Other, net $ 7,509 $ 4,954 $ 4,571

Income Taxes (Tables)

Income Taxes (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Provision for Taxes on Income and Other Related Income Before Taxes	The provisions for taxes on income and the related income before taxes for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, were as follows: (In thousands) 2021 2020 2019 Taxes on Income Federal Current $ 35,057 $ 21,889 $ 9,998 Deferred (25,653 ) (3,453 ) (2,879 ) State Current 9,320 4,305 2,248 Deferred (6,556 ) (562 ) (1,783 ) Foreign Current 23,870 21,723 15,568 Deferred (1,396 ) (491 ) (354 ) Total $ 34,642 $ 43,411 $ 22,798 Income before Taxes Domestic $ 77,696 $ 81,906 $ 63,399 Foreign 94,841 89,161 62,500 Total $ 172,537 $ 171,067 $ 125,899
Summary of Variations Between the Effective and Statutory U.S. Federal Income Tax Rates	The variations between the effective and statutory U.S. federal income tax rates are summarized as follows: (In thousands) 2021 Amount % 2020 Amount % 2019 Amount % Federal income tax provision at statutory tax rate $ 36,233 21.0 $ 35,924 21.0 $ 26,439 21.0 State income tax provision, less applicable federal tax benefit (1) 2,184 1.3 2,956 1.7 367 0.3 Foreign income taxed at different rates 2,356 1.4 1,964 1.1 623 0.5 U.S. taxation of foreign earnings (2) (134 ) (0.1 ) 4,134 2.4 2,349 1.9 Unrecognized tax benefits 1,775 1.0 1,454 0.8 2,954 2.3 Prior years return to provision true-up (3) (3,314 ) (1.9 ) (588 ) (0.3 ) (1,740 ) (1.4 ) Stock based compensation, excess tax benefits (1,287 ) (0.7 ) (1,816 ) (1.1 ) (1,633 ) (1.3 ) U.S. tax credits (4) (2,692 ) (1.6 ) (1,831 ) (1.1 ) (6,412 ) (5.1 ) Non-deductible expenses and other items, net (479 ) (0.3 ) 1,214 0.9 (149 ) (0.1 ) Total income tax provision $ 34,642 20.1 $ 43,411 25.4 $ 22,798 18.1 (1) For 2019, amount includes incremental state research credits for the tax years 2015 - 2019 that were identified as part of a research and development tax credit study. (2) Includes cost of global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI) in 2021, 2020 and 2019 plus other taxes paid or withheld on cash repatriated from foreign countries in 2021, 2020 and 2019. For 2021, includes the benefit of separate limitation loss foreign tax credit attributes, related to prior years, that were utilized in 2021. ( 3 ) For 2021, amount resulted from a higher federal research credit, higher foreign-derived intangible income (FDII), and lower GILTI related to the 2020 tax year. ( 4 ) For 2019, amount includes incremental federal research credits for 2015 - 2019 that were identified as part of a research and development tax credit study. Also includes a federal tax rate change due to the classification of certain 2016 and 2017 depreciable fixed assets as deductible research costs.
Schedule Showing Tax Effects of Significant Temporary Differences Representing Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities	At December 31, 2021 and 2020, the tax effects of significant temporary differences representing deferred tax assets and liabilities were as follows: (In thousands) 2021 2020 Deferred Tax Assets: Pensions $ 537 $ 4,935 Deferred revenue 3,444 3,073 Other accruals and reserves 13,331 14,960 Legal and environmental accruals 7,385 7,055 Deferred compensation 16,210 16,222 Bad debt and rebate reserves 2,706 2,821 Non-U.S. subsidiaries net operating loss carryforwards 1,494 2,495 Amortization of intangibles 5,092 — Inventories 3,108 — Tax credit carryforwards 2,829 4,713 $ 56,136 $ 56,274 Deferred Tax Liabilities: Depreciation $ (42,299 ) $ (62,986 ) Unrealized foreign exchange loss (2,908 ) (2,444 ) Amortization of intangibles — (842 ) Inventories — (2,504 ) Other (1,614 ) (386 ) $ (46,821 ) $ (69,162 ) Valuation Allowance $ (862 ) $ (896 ) Net Deferred Tax Assets (Liabilities) $ 8,453 $ (13,784 ) Reconciliation to Consolidated Balance Sheet: Non-current deferred tax assets (in other non-current assets) 20,944 6,961 Non-current deferred tax liabilities (12,491 ) (20,745 ) Net Deferred Tax Assets (Liabilities) $ 8,453 $ (13,784 )
Schedule of Reconciliations of Unrecognized Tax Benefits	Below are reconciliations of the January 1 and December 31 balances of unrecognized tax benefits for 2021, 2020 and 2019: (In thousands) 2021 2020 2019 Unrecognized tax benefits, opening balance $ 4,735 $ 3,273 $ 168 Gross increases – tax positions in prior period 938 190 2,760 Gross increases – current period tax positions 1,662 1,288 355 Foreign currency translation (14 ) 15 7 Lapse of statute of limitations (29 ) (31 ) (17 ) Unrecognized tax benefits, ending balance $ 7,292 $ 4,735 $ 3,273

Stock-based Compensation (Table

Stock-based Compensation (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]
Fair Value Assumptions for Stock Options	The following are the weighted-average assumptions used to calculate the grant-date fair values of stock option awards granted in the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019: For the Years Ended December 31 2021 2020 2019 Expected dividend yield 1.30% 1.31% 1.32% Expected volatility 31.81% 26.00% 26.98% Expected term 7.3 years 7.3 years 7.3 years Risk-free interest rate 0.96% 1.47% 2.53%
Summary of Stock Option Activity	A summary of stock option activity for the year ended December 31, 2021 is presented below: Shares Weighted- Average Exercise Price Weighted- Average Remaining Contractual Term Aggregate Intrinsic ($000) Options Outstanding at January 1, 2021 392,550 $ 74.24 Granted 66,352 123.70 Exercised (20,435 ) 66.95 Forfeited (2,501 ) 107.86 Outstanding at December 31, 2021 435,966 81.92 6.18 $ 18,474 Vested or expected to vest at December 31, 2021 429,507 81.42 6.14 18,415 Exercisable at December 31, 2021 363,297 75.34 5.67 17,783
Summary of Stock Award Activity	A summary of stock award activity for the year ended December 31, 2021, is presented below: Shares Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value Stock Awards Unvested at January 1, 2021 107,351 $ 94.66 Granted 40,127 119.76 Vested (48,613 ) 88.93 Forfeited/Modified due to change of assumptions 4,413 82.30 Unvested at December 31, 2021 103,278 61.30
Summary of SARs Activity	The following is a summary of SARs activity for the year ended December 31, 2021: Shares Weighted- Average Exercise Price Weighted- Average Remaining Contractual Term Aggregate Intrinsic Value ($000) SARs Outstanding at January 1, 2021 653,498 $ 80.64 Granted 143,104 123.68 Exercised (62,118 ) 65.97 Forfeited (7,497 ) 107.86 Outstanding at December 31, 2021 726,987 90.06 6.83 $ 24,885

Postretirement Benefit Plans (T

Postretirement Benefit Plans (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Obligations and Funded Status	Obligations and Funded Status at December 31 (In thousands) United States United Kingdom 2021 2020 2021 2020 Change in benefit obligation Benefit obligation at beginning of year $ 187,371 $ 176,499 $ 25,526 $ 21,850 Interest cost 4,671 5,668 357 445 Actuarial loss (income) (8,682 ) 13,327 (1,171 ) 3,032 Benefits paid (8,497 ) (8,123 ) (1,198 ) (657 ) Foreign exchange impact — — (238 ) 856 Benefit obligation at end of year $ 174,863 $ 187,371 $ 23,276 $ 25,526 (In thousands) United States United Kingdom 2021 2020 2021 2020 Change in plan assets Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year $ 175,336 $ 160,423 $ 28,504 $ 24,357 Actual return on plan assets 11,459 22,738 (78 ) 3,320 Employer contributions 276 298 526 526 Benefits paid (8,497 ) (8,123 ) (1,198 ) (657 ) Foreign exchange impact — — (290 ) 958 Fair value of plan assets at end of year $ 178,574 $ 175,336 $ 27,464 $ 28,504 Over (Under) funded status at end of year $ 3,711 $ (12,035 ) $ 4,188 $ 2,978
Schedule of Amounts Recognized in Balance Sheets	The amounts recognized in the consolidated balance sheets at December 31 consisted of: (In thousands) United States United Kingdom 2021 2020 2021 2020 Non-current asset $ 7,166 $ 3,470 $ 4,188 $ 2,978 Current liability (290 ) (288 ) — — Non-current liability (3,165 ) (15,217 ) — — Net amount recognized $ 3,711 $ (12,035 ) $ 4,188 $ 2,978
Amounts Recognized in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	The amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income at December 31 consisted of: (In thousands) United States United Kingdom 2021 2020 2021 2020 Net actuarial loss $ 19,508 $ 33,745 $ 3,767 $ 4,653
Information for Pension Plans with Projected Benefit Obligations in Excess of Plan Assets	Below is information for pension plans with projected benefit obligations in excess of plan assets at December 31: (In thousands) United States United Kingdom 2021 2020 2021 2020 Projected benefit obligation $ — $ 146,848 $ — $ — Accumulated benefit obligation — 146,848 — — Fair value of plan assets — 135,070 — —
Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost	Net periodic benefit costs for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, were as follows: (In thousands) United States United Kingdom 2021 2020 2019 2021 2020 2019 Interest cost $ 4,671 $ 5,668 $ 6,616 $ 357 $ 445 $ 554 Expected return on plan assets (10,348 ) (9,747 ) (9,450 ) (320 ) (548 ) (787 ) Amortization of net actuarial loss 4,444 4,262 2,490 129 79 244 Net periodic benefit cost $ (1,233 ) $ 183 $ (344 ) $ 166 $ (24 ) $ 11
Other Changes in Plan Assets and Benefit Obligations Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income	Other changes in plan assets and benefit obligations recognized in other comprehensive income for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, were as follows: (In thousands) United States United Kingdom 2021 2020 2019 2021 2020 2019 Net actuarial (gain) loss $ (9,793 ) $ 336 $ (5,174 ) $ (757 ) $ 272 $ (1,144 ) Amortization of net actuarial loss (4,444 ) (4,262 ) (2,490 ) (129 ) (79 ) (244 ) Total recognized in other comprehensive income $ (14,237 ) $ (3,926 ) $ (7,664 ) $ (886 ) $ 193 $ (1,388 ) Total recognized in net periodic benefit cost and other comprehensive income $ (15,470 ) $ (3,743 ) $ (8,008 ) $ (720 ) $ 169 $ (1,377 )
Estimated Future Benefit Payments	Estimated Future Benefit Payments (In thousands) United States United Kingdom 2022 $ 8,949 $ 551 2023 9,283 594 2024 9,601 624 2025 9,829 652 2026 9,982 697 2027-2031 50,512 4,044
Defined Contribution Expenses for Company's Qualified Defined Contribution Plans and Statutory Profit Sharing Contributions	Defined contribution expenses for the Company’s qualified defined contribution plans and statutory profit sharing contributions were as follows: (In thousands) 2021 2020 2019 Retirement contributions $ 8,134 $ 8,035 $ 7,328 Profit sharing contributions 5,081 6,107 4,702 Total $ 13,215 $ 14,142 $ 12,030
United States [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Company's Asset Allocations for its U.S. and U.K Pension Plans	The Company’s asset allocations for its U.S. pension plans at December 31, 2021 and 2020, by asset category, were as follows: December 31, 2021 (In thousands) Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Cash and Cash Equivalents $ 10,918 $ — $ — $ 10,918 Equity Securities U.S. Equities 25,083 — — 25,083 Non-U.S. Equities 12,544 — — 12,544 Employer Securities 25,204 — — 25,204 Total Equities 62,831 — — 62,831 Fixed Income Securities U.S. Corporate Bonds — 69,073 — 69,073 U.S. Government and Agency Bonds 20,072 2,845 — 22,917 Other Bonds — 12,835 — 12,835 Total Fixed Income 20,072 84,753 — 104,825 Total $ 93,821 $ 84,753 $ — $ 178,574 December 31, 2020 (In thousands) Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Cash and Cash Equivalents $ 7,056 $ — $ — $ 7,056 Equity Securities U.S. Equities 54,805 — — 54,805 Non-U.S. Equities 23,155 — — 23,155 Employer Securities 27,938 — — 27,938 Total Equities 105,898 — — 105,898 Fixed Income Securities U.S. Corporate Bonds — 41,489 — 41,489 U.S. Government and Agency Bonds 11,152 1,570 — 12,722 Other Bonds — 8,171 — 8,171 Total Fixed Income 11,152 51,230 — 62,382 Total $ 124,106 $ 51,230 $ — $ 175,336
United Kingdom [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Company's Asset Allocations for its U.S. and U.K Pension Plans	The Company’s asset allocations for its U.K. pension plans at December 31, 2021 and 2020, by asset category, were as follows: December 31, 2021 (In thousands) Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Cash — $ 2,414 $ — $ 2,414 Equity Securities Pooled Pension Funds — 3,715 — 3,715 Fixed Income Pooled Pension Funds — 20,332 — 20,332 Insurance Contracts — — 1,003 1,003 Total $ — $ 26,461 $ 1,003 $ 27,464 December 31, 2020 (In thousands) Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Cash $ — $ 2,576 $ — $ 2,576 Equity Securities Pooled Pension Funds — 3,603 — 3,603 Fixed Income Pooled Pension Funds — 21,166 — 21,166 Insurance Contracts — — 1,159 1,159 Total $ — $ 27,345 $ 1,159 $ 28,504
Fair Value Changes within Asset Categories for which Fair Value Measurements Use Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Defined Benefit United States Plans and United Kingdom Plans	Fair value changes within asset categories for which fair value measurements use significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) were as follows during 2021 and 2020: (In thousands) Insurance Fair value, December 31, 2019 $ 1,205 Sale proceeds (benefit payments) (119 ) Change in unrealized gain 41 Foreign exchange impact 32 Fair value, December 31, 2020 $ 1,159 Sale proceeds (benefit payments) (131 ) Change in unrealized gain (15 ) Foreign exchange impact (10 ) Fair value, December 31, 2021 $ 1,003
Defined Benefit Plan Periodic Costs [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Weighted-Average Assumptions Used to Determine Benefit Obligations/Net Periodic Benefit Costs	The weighted-average assumptions used to determine net periodic benefit costs for years ended December 31 were as follows: United States United Kingdom 2021 2020 2019 2021 2020 2019 Discount rate 2.60 % 3.30 % 4.30 % 1.40 % 2.10 % 2.80 % Expected long-term return on plan assets 6.75 % 6.75 % 6.75 % 1.13 % 2.30 % 3.82 %
Benefit Obligation [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Weighted-Average Assumptions Used to Determine Benefit Obligations/Net Periodic Benefit Costs	The weighted-average assumptions used to determine benefit obligations at December 31 were as follows: United States United Kingdom 2021 2020 2021 2020 Discount rate 2.90 % 2.60 % 1.80 % 1.40 %

Accrued Liabilities (Tables)

Accrued Liabilities (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Payables And Accruals [Abstract]
Composition of Accrued Liabilities	The composition of accrued liabilities was as follows: December 31 (In thousands) 2021 2020 Accrued payroll and benefits $ 70,983 $ 79,070 Accrued customer rebates 21,030 23,628 Other accrued liabilities 44,383 39,249 Total accrued liabilities $ 136,396 $ 141,947

Other Non-Current Liabilities (

Other Non-Current Liabilities (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Other Liabilities Disclosure [Abstract]
Composition of Other Non-Current Liabilities	The composition of other non-current liabilities was as follows: December 31 (In thousands) 2021 2020 Deferred revenue $ 9,979 $ 11,276 Environmental and legal matters 17,663 17,921 Deferred compensation liability 50,122 51,508 Pension liability 4,552 17,229 Other non-current liabilities 16,606 16,359 Total other non-current liabilities $ 98,922 $ 114,293

Segment Reporting (Tables)

Segment Reporting (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Operating Segment	The following is segment data for the three years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019: (In thousands) Surfactants Polymers Specialty Products Segment Totals 2021 Net sales $ 1,562,795 $ 713,440 $ 69,731 $ 2,345,966 Operating income 165,999 73,591 14,178 253,768 Assets 1,245,207 556,799 78,100 1,880,106 Capital expenditures 154,953 29,077 4,976 189,006 Depreciation and amortization expenses 51,375 30,598 5,836 87,809 2020 Net sales $ 1,351,686 $ 452,277 $ 65,787 $ 1,869,750 Operating income 169,101 68,214 13,966 251,281 Assets 1,018,555 361,219 92,964 1,472,738 Capital expenditures 88,484 26,719 5,960 121,163 Depreciation and amortization expenses 49,429 22,873 5,686 77,988 2019 Net sales $ 1,272,723 $ 512,347 $ 73,675 $ 1,858,745 Operating income 122,780 69,567 16,415 208,762 Assets 907,032 338,179 86,718 1,331,929 Capital expenditures 69,725 29,188 4,441 103,354 Depreciation and amortization expenses 48,422 22,151 5,483 76,056
Reconciliation of Segment Information to Consolidated Financial Statements	Below are reconciliations of segment data to the consolidated financial statements: (In thousands) 2021 2020 2019 Operating income - segment totals $ 253,768 $ 251,281 $ 208,762 Business restructuring and asset disposition (1) (3,353 ) (1,212 ) (2,744 ) Unallocated corporate expenses (2) (79,634 ) (78,547 ) (78,758 ) Total operating income 170,781 171,522 127,260 Interest expense, net (5,753 ) (5,409 ) (5,932 ) Other, net 7,509 4,954 4,571 Consolidated income before income taxes $ 172,537 $ 171,067 $ 125,899 Assets - segment totals $ 1,880,106 $ 1,472,738 $ 1,331,929 Unallocated corporate assets 185,506 279,598 247,438 Consolidated assets $ 2,065,612 $ 1,752,336 $ 1,579,367 Capital expenditures - segment totals $ 189,006 $ 121,163 $ 103,354 Unallocated corporate expenditures 5,476 4,629 2,218 Consolidated capital expenditures $ 194,482 $ 125,792 $ 105,572 Depreciation and amortization expenses – segment totals $ 87,809 $ 77,988 $ 76,056 Unallocated corporate depreciation expenses 3,067 3,872 2,645 Consolidated depreciation and amortization expenses $ 90,876 $ 81,860 $ 78,701 (1) See Note 22, Business Restructuring (2) Unallocated corporate expenses are primarily comprised of corporate administrative expenses (e.g., corporate finance, legal, human resources, information systems, deferred compensation and environmental remediation) that are not included in segment operating income and not used to evaluate segment performance .
Summary of company-wide geographic data	Below is certain Company-wide geographic data for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019: (In thousands) 2021 2020 2019 Net sales (1) United States $ 1,297,650 $ 1,117,695 $ 1,115,993 France 179,746 141,516 145,933 Poland 198,883 147,289 156,391 United Kingdom 208,780 93,115 96,842 Brazil 136,799 105,639 102,590 Mexico 127,944 100,763 83,160 All other countries 196,164 163,733 157,836 Total $ 2,345,966 $ 1,869,750 $ 1,858,745 Long-lived assets (2) United States $ 668,362 $ 499,260 $ 462,199 Netherlands 85,931 — — Germany 41,438 39,759 30,084 Singapore 23,507 25,815 28,741 Brazil 35,294 35,786 46,740 China 30,991 27,300 27,201 United Kingdom 38,634 24,335 21,551 Mexico 45,384 39,482 21,959 All other countries 39,034 42,970 42,280 Total $ 1,008,575 $ 734,707 $ 680,755 (1) Net sales are attributed to countries based on the location of the Company legal entity making the sale. (2) Includes net property, plant and equipment, goodwill and other intangible assets.

Earnings Per Share (Tables)

Earnings Per Share (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Computation of Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share	Below is the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019: (In thousands, except per share amounts) 2021 2020 2019 Computation of Basic Earnings per Share Net income attributable to Stepan Company $ 137,804 $ 126,770 $ 103,129 Weighted-average number of shares outstanding 22,922 22,949 23,054 Basic earnings per share $ 6.01 $ 5.52 $ 4.47 Computation of Diluted Earnings per Share Net income attributable to Stepan Company $ 137,804 $ 126,770 $ 103,129 Weighted-average number of shares outstanding 22,922 22,949 23,054 Add weighted-average net shares from assumed exercise of options (under treasury share method) (1) 138 112 97 Add weighted-average net shares related to unvested stock awards (under treasury share method) 1 1 2 Add weighted-average net shares from assumed exercise of SARs (under treasury share method) 166 145 125 Add weighted-average contingently issuable net shares related to performance stock awards (under treasury share method) 60 49 38 Weighted-average shares applicable to diluted earnings 23,287 23,256 23,316 Diluted earnings per share $ 5.92 $ 5.45 $ 4.42 (1) Options/SARs to purchase 103,182, 127,434 and 107,125 shares of common stock were excluded from the computations of diluted earnings per share for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The options’/SARs’ exercise prices were greater than the average market price for the common stock and inclusion of the instruments would have had an antidilutive effect on the computations of the earnings per share.

Accumulated Other Comprehensi_2

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Equity [Abstract]
Summary of Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	Below is the change in the Company’s accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (AOCI) balance by component (net of income taxes) for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019: (In thousands) Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments Defined Benefit Pension Plan Adjustments Cash Flow Hedge Adjustments Total Balance at December 31, 2018 $ (108,481 ) $ (33,083 ) $ 81 $ (141,483 ) Other comprehensive income before reclassifications 4,444 4,112 — 8,556 Amounts reclassified from AOCI — 2,091 (9 ) 2,082 Remeasurement adjustment related to the Tax Act (1) — (5,325 ) 0 (5,325 ) Net current period other comprehensive income 4,444 878 (9 ) 5,313 Balance at December 31, 2019 $ (104,037 ) $ (32,205 ) $ 72 $ (136,170 ) Other comprehensive income before reclassifications (3,046 ) (996 ) — (4,042 ) Amounts reclassified from AOCI — 3,340 (9 ) 3,331 Net current period other comprehensive income (3,046 ) 2,344 (9 ) (711 ) Balance at December 31, 2020 $ (107,083 ) $ (29,861 ) $ 63 $ (136,881 ) Other comprehensive income before reclassifications (28,185 ) 8,188 — (19,997 ) Amounts reclassified from AOCI — 3,651 (9 ) 3,642 Net current period other comprehensive income (28,185 ) 11,839 (9 ) (16,355 ) Balance at December 31, 2021 $ (135,268 ) $ (18,022 ) $ 54 $ (153,236 ) (1) Represents reclassification of the stranded tax effects resulting from the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (Tax Act) from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) to retained earnings in accordance with ASU 2018-02.
Summary of Amounts Reclassified Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	Amounts reclassified out of AOCI for the three years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, is displayed below: Amounts Reclassified from AOCI (1) (In thousands) Affected Line Item in Consolidated 2021 2020 2019 Statements of Income Amortization of defined pension items: Prior service cost $ (12 ) $ (11 ) $ (12 ) Actuarial loss (4,800 ) (4,421 ) (2,739 ) $ (4,812 ) (4,432 ) (2,751 ) Total before tax (2) 1,161 1,092 660 Tax benefit $ (3,651 ) $ (3,340 ) $ (2,091 ) Net of tax Gains and losses on cash flow hedges: Foreign exchange contracts $ 9 $ 9 $ 9 Cost of sales 9 9 9 Total before tax — — — Tax benefit $ 9 $ 9 $ 9 Net of tax Total reclassifications for the period $ (3,642 ) $ (3,331 ) $ (2,082 ) Net of tax (1) Amounts in parentheses denote expense to statement of income. (2) This component of accumulated other comprehensive income is included in the computation of net periodic benefit cost (see Note 13, Postretirement Benefit Plans , of the notes to the Company’s consolidated financial statements for details regarding net periodic benefit costs for the Company’s U.S. and U.K. defined benefit plans).

Acquisitions (Tables)

Acquisitions (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
2021 Acquisitions [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Summary of Purchase Price Allocation for Acquisition	The following table summarizes the purchase price allocation for the major components of the acquisition: (In thousands) Assets: Property, plant and equipment $ 54,200 Identifiable intangibles assets 46,000 Goodwill 64,800 Total assets acquired $ 165,000
Summary of Pro forma Financial Information	The following table reflects pro forma financial information prepared under the assumption that the acquisition of the INVISTA aromatic polyester polyol business occurred on January 1, 2020. Pro Forma Financial Information Unaudited Twelve Months Ended December 31 (In thousands) 2021 2020 Net Sales $ 2,358,405 $ 1,971,750 Net Income Attributable to Stepan Company $ 140,869 $ 133,291
2020 Acquisitions [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Summary of Purchase Price Allocation for Acquisition	The following table summarizes the purchase price allocation for the acquisition: (In thousands) Assets: Identifiable intangible assets: Customer lists $ 8,000 Trademarks and know-how 1,300 Non-compete agreement 300 Goodwill 5,165 Property, plant and equipment 175 Total assets acquired $ 14,940 Liabilities: Other non-current liabilities 940 Total liabilities assumed 940 Net assets acquired $ 14,000

Revenue from Contracts with C_2

Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Revenue From Contract With Customer [Abstract]
Geographic Disaggregation of Net Sales	The tables below provide a geographic disaggregation of net sales for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019. The Company’s business segmentation by geographic region most effectively captures the nature and economic characteristics of the Company’s revenue streams impacted by economic factors. 2021 (In thousands) Surfactants Polymers Specialty Products Total Geographic Market North America $ 904,469 $ 364,382 $ 59,461 $ 1,328,312 Europe 288,735 302,137 9,152 600,024 Latin America 299,601 3,823 1,118 304,542 Asia 69,990 43,098 — 113,088 Total $ 1,562,795 $ 713,440 $ 69,731 $ 2,345,966 2020 (In thousands) Surfactants Polymers Specialty Products Total Geographic Market North America $ 826,841 $ 265,700 $ 56,455 1,148,996 Europe 234,631 147,289 9,332 391,252 Latin America 234,568 2,498 — 237,066 Asia 55,646 36,790 — 92,436 Total $ 1,351,686 $ 452,277 $ 65,787 $ 1,869,750 2019 (In thousands) Surfactants Polymers Specialty Products Total Geographic Market North America $ 766,341 $ 314,549 $ 61,501 1,142,391 Europe 240,711 158,455 12,174 411,340 Latin America 212,405 3,304 — 215,709 Asia 53,266 36,039 — 89,305 Total $ 1,272,723 $ 512,347 $ 73,675 $ 1,858,745

Summary of Significant Accoun_4

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Detail) MMBTU in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021USD ($)MMBTUCustomerSubsidiary	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)Customer	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)Customer
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 159,186,000	$ 349,938,000
Single customer comprised more than 10 percent of the Company's consolidated net sales | Customer	0	0	0
Cost of maintenance and repairs	$ 75,351,000	$ 69,234,000	$ 58,464,000
Total research and development expenses	$ 38,778,000	35,999,000	$ 34,139,000
Capitalized Environmental expenditures depreciation period	10 years
Indefinite-life intangible assets	$ 0
Number of foreign subsidiaries | Subsidiary	4
Natural Gas [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Volume in derivative contract | MMBTU	1.4
Purchased Contract Price	$ 5,712,000
Building [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Lives used for calculating depreciation expense	30 years
Building Improvements [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Lives used for calculating depreciation expense	15 years
Minimum [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Concentration risk Payment terms extended	30 days
Percentage of Tax benefit recognized	50.00%
Minimum [Member] | Patents [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible asset, useful life	15 years
Minimum [Member] | Non-compete Agreements [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible asset, useful life	3 years
Minimum [Member] | Trademarks [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible asset, useful life	8 years
Minimum [Member] | Customer Relationships [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible asset, useful life	12 years
Minimum [Member] | Know-how [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible asset, useful life	7 years
Minimum [Member] | Manufacturing Equipment [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Lives used for calculating depreciation expense	10 years
Minimum [Member] | Furniture and Fixtures [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Lives used for calculating depreciation expense	5 years
Minimum [Member] | Vehicles [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Lives used for calculating depreciation expense	3 years
Minimum [Member] | Computers Equipment And Software [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Lives used for calculating depreciation expense	3 years
Maximum [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Concentration risk Payment terms extended	60 days
Maximum [Member] | Trademarks [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible asset, useful life	11 years
Maximum [Member] | Customer Relationships [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible asset, useful life	20 years
Maximum [Member] | Know-how [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible asset, useful life	20 years
Maximum [Member] | Manufacturing Equipment [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Lives used for calculating depreciation expense	15 years
Maximum [Member] | Furniture and Fixtures [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Lives used for calculating depreciation expense	10 years
Maximum [Member] | Vehicles [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Lives used for calculating depreciation expense	5 years
Maximum [Member] | Computers Equipment And Software [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Lives used for calculating depreciation expense	10 years
Money Market Funds [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 46,689,000	123,695,000
Demand Deposit [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	25,253,000	76,164,000
Non-U.S. Subsidiaries [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 87,244,000	$ 150,079,000
Nanjing Stepan Jinling Chemical Limited Liability Company [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policy [Line Items]
Ownership percentage	80.00%

Summary of Significant Accoun_5

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Allowance for Doubtful Accounts and Other Accounts Receivable Allowances (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Allowance For Doubtful Accounts Receivable Rollforward
Allowance, balance at the beginning	$ 10,133	$ 9,325	$ 9,654
Provision charged to income	943	864	29
Accounts written off, net of recoveries	(919)	(56)	(358)
Allowance, balance at ending	$ 10,157	$ 10,133	$ 9,325

Fair Value Measurements - Addit

Fair Value Measurements - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Unamortized debt issuance cost	$ 710,000	$ 617,000

Fair Value Measurements - Fair

Fair Value Measurements - Fair Values and Related Carrying Values of Debt (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Carrying value	$ 364,290	$ 199,286
Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair value	$ 369,456	$ 210,370

Fair Value Measurements - Finan

Fair Value Measurements - Financial Assets and Liabilities, Excluding Cash and Cash Equivalents, Measured on a Recurring Basis at Fair Value (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Mutual fund assets	$ 34,495	$ 30,652
Derivative assets:
Foreign currency contracts	436	335
Total assets at fair value	34,931	30,987
Derivative liabilities:
Foreign currency contracts	338	566
Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Mutual fund assets	34,495	30,652
Derivative assets:
Total assets at fair value	34,495	30,652
Level 2 [Member]
Derivative assets:
Foreign currency contracts	436	335
Total assets at fair value	436	335
Derivative liabilities:
Foreign currency contracts	$ 338	$ 566

Derivative Instruments - Additi

Derivative Instruments - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Derivative notional amount	$ 51,542,000	$ 48,336,000
Minimum [Member]
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Derivative foreign currency exchange contracts durations	1 month
Maximum [Member]
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Derivative foreign currency exchange contracts durations	3 months

Goodwill and Other Intangible_3

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Schedule of Changes in Carrying Value of Goodwill (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill, Beginning Balance		$ 31,439	$ 29,553
Accumulated impairment loss, Beginning Balance		(3,467)	(3,467)
Goodwill net, Beginning Balance		27,972	26,086
Goodwill acquired	[1]	72,467	4,225
Goodwill measurement period adjustment	[1]	940	(336)
Foreign currency translation		(4,192)	(2,003)
Goodwill, Ending Balance		100,654	31,439
Accumulated impairment loss, Ending Balance		(3,467)	(3,467)
Goodwill net, Ending Balance		97,187	27,972
Surfactants Segment [Member]
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill, Beginning Balance		25,537	23,664
Accumulated impairment loss, Beginning Balance		(3,467)	(3,467)
Goodwill net, Beginning Balance		22,070	20,197
Goodwill acquired	[1]		4,225
Goodwill measurement period adjustment	[1]	940	(336)
Foreign currency translation		(788)	(2,016)
Goodwill, Ending Balance		25,689	25,537
Accumulated impairment loss, Ending Balance		(3,467)	(3,467)
Goodwill net, Ending Balance		22,222	22,070
Polymer Segment [Member]
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill, Beginning Balance		5,419	5,406
Goodwill net, Beginning Balance		5,419	5,406
Goodwill acquired	[1]	72,467
Foreign currency translation		(3,404)	13
Goodwill, Ending Balance		74,482	5,419
Goodwill net, Ending Balance		74,482	5,419
Specialty Products Segment [Member]
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill, Beginning Balance		483	483
Goodwill net, Beginning Balance		483	483
Goodwill, Ending Balance		483	483
Goodwill net, Ending Balance		$ 483	$ 483
[1]	See Note 20, Acquisitions , of the notes to the Company’s consolidated financial statements (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K) for information regarding the goodwill acquired in a business combination.

Goodwill and Other Intangible_4

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Impairment of Goodwill	$ 0	$ 0
Amortization of Intangible Assets, Total	$ 7,292,000	$ 3,621,000	$ 3,399,000

Goodwill and Other Intangible_5

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Components of Other Intangible Assets and Changes in Gross Carrying Values (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Other Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Gross Carrying Value		$ 92,966	$ 49,307
Other Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Accumulated Amortization		32,182	25,239
Patents [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Other Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Gross Carrying Value	[1]	7,411	7,411
Other Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Accumulated Amortization	[1]	6,139	5,713
Non-compete Agreements [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Other Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Gross Carrying Value	[1]	594	623
Other Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Accumulated Amortization	[1]	404	270
Trademarks [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Other Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Gross Carrying Value	[1]	12,013	4,087
Other Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Accumulated Amortization	[1]	4,160	2,905
Customer Lists/relationships [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Other Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Gross Carrying Value	[1]	44,447	21,424
Other Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Accumulated Amortization	[1]	9,557	6,842
Know-how [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Other Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Gross Carrying Value	[1],[2]	27,029	14,183
Other Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Accumulated Amortization	[1],[2]	10,450	7,930
Supply Contract [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Other Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Gross Carrying Value		1,472	1,579
Other Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Accumulated Amortization		$ 1,472	$ 1,579
[1]	The 2020 balances include intangible assets acquired as part of the Company’s Clariant (Mexico) and Logos Technologies acquisitions in 2020. The 2021 balances include intangible assets acquired as part of the Company’s INVISTA acquisition in January 2021. See Note 20, Acquisitions , of the notes to the Company’s consolidated financial statements (included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K) for additional details.
[2]	Know-how includes intellectual property rights covering proprietary information, written formulae, trade secrets or secret processes, inventions and developmental products (whether patentable or not), discoveries, improvements, compositions, manufacturing processes, manuals, specifications and technical data

Goodwill and Other Intangible_6

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Estimated Amortization Expense for Identifiable Intangibles Assets (Detail) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2021USD ($)
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
For year ended 12/31/22	$ 6,918
For year ended 12/31/23	6,891
For year ended 12/31/24	6,609
For year ended 12/31/25	6,168
For year ended 12/31/26	$ 5,845

Inventories - Composition of In

Inventories - Composition of Inventories (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Finished products	$ 184,010	$ 148,878
Raw materials	121,528	69,905
Total inventories	$ 305,538	$ 218,783

Debt - Debt (Detail)

Debt - Debt (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 363,580	$ 198,669
Less current maturities	40,718	37,857
Long-term debt, less current maturities (Note 6)	322,862	160,812
Unsecured private placement 3.95% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 85,485	$ 99,727
Debt instrument interest rate percentage	3.95%	3.95%
Unsecured private placement 3.95% note [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Dates	2022	2022
Unsecured private placement 3.95% note [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Dates	2027	2027
Unsecured private placement 3.86% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 56,962	$ 71,193
Debt instrument interest rate percentage	3.86%	3.86%
Unsecured private placement 3.86% note [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Dates	2022	2022
Unsecured private placement 3.86% note [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Dates	2025	2025
Unsecured private placement 4.86% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 18,502	$ 27,749
Debt instrument interest rate percentage	4.86%	4.86%
Unsecured private placement 4.86% note [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Dates	2022	2022
Unsecured private placement 4.86% note [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Dates	2023	2023
Unsecured private placement 2.30% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 49,900
Debt instrument interest rate percentage	2.30%	2.30%
Unsecured private placement 2.30% note [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Dates	2024	2024
Unsecured private placement 2.30% note [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Dates	2028	2028
Unsecured private placement 2.37% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 49,892
Debt instrument interest rate percentage	2.37%	2.37%
Unsecured private placement 2.37% note [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Dates	2024	2024
Unsecured private placement 2.37% note [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Dates	2028	2028
Unsecured private placement 2.73% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 99,978
Debt instrument interest rate percentage	2.73%	2.73%
Unsecured private placement 2.73% note [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Dates	2025	2025
Unsecured private placement 2.73% note [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Dates	2031	2031
Debt of foreign subsidiaries Unsecured bank debt, foreign currency [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 2,861
Maturity Dates	2022	2022

Debt - Debt (Parenthetical) (De

Debt - Debt (Parenthetical) (Detail) - USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unamortized debt issuance cost	$ 710,000	$ 617,000
Unsecured private placement 3.95% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unamortized debt issuance cost	230,000	273,000
Unsecured private placement 3.86% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unamortized debt issuance cost	181,000	236,000
Unsecured private placement 4.86% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unamortized debt issuance cost	69,000	108,000
Unsecured private placement 2.30% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unamortized debt issuance cost	100,000	0
Unsecured private placement 2.37% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unamortized debt issuance cost	108,000	0
Unsecured private placement 2.73% note [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unamortized debt issuance cost	$ 22,000	$ 0

Debt - Additional Information (

Debt - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	Dec. 10, 2021	Sep. 23, 2021	Jun. 10, 2021	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Jan. 30, 2018
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt				$ 363,580,000	$ 198,669,000
Line of credit facility, Minimum maturity period				1 month
Line of credit facility, maturity period				3 months
Line of credit facility, Maximum maturity period				6 months
Debt matures in 2022				$ 40,718,000
Debt matures in 2023				37,857,000
Debt matures in 2024				48,572,000
Debt matures in 2025				62,858,000
Debt matures in 2026				48,572,000
Debt matures after 2026				125,713,000
Amount of repayments of long-term debt due in next year				$ 37,857,000
Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Commitment fee percentage				0.15%
Minimum [Member] | LIBOR [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Spread rate				1.25%
Minimum [Member] | Prime Rate [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Spread rate				0.25%
Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Commitment fee percentage				0.325%
Maximum [Member] | LIBOR [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Spread rate				1.875%
Maximum [Member] | Prime Rate [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Spread rate				0.875%
Unsecured Private Placement Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt				$ 360,719,000
Debt instrument maturity dates description				The notes had original maturities of seven to 12 years with mandatory amortization of principal beginning four, five and six years after issuance.
Unsecured Private Placement Notes [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument interest rate percentage				2.30%
Maturity Dates				7 years
Unsecured Private Placement Notes [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument interest rate percentage				4.86%
Maturity Dates				12 years
Series 2021-A Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt			$ 50,000,000
Debt instrument interest rate percentage			2.30%
Debt instrument, periodic payment			semi-annually
Debt Instrument, Maturity Date			Jun. 10, 2028
Series 2021-D Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 50,000,000
Debt instrument interest rate percentage	2.73%
Debt instrument, periodic payment	semi-annually
Debt Instrument, Maturity Date	Dec. 10, 2031
Series 2021-B Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt		$ 50,000,000
Debt instrument interest rate percentage		2.37%
Debt instrument, periodic payment		semi-annually
Debt Instrument, Maturity Date		Sep. 23, 2028
Series 2021-C Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 50,000,000
Debt instrument interest rate percentage	2.73%
Debt instrument, periodic payment	semi-annually
Debt Instrument, Maturity Date	Dec. 10, 2031
Multi Currency Revolving Credit Agreement [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Maturity Date				Jan. 30, 2023
Revolving credit agreement				$ 350,000,000		$ 350,000,000
Letters of Credit Outstanding				6,720,000
Outstanding borrowings				0
Unused Revolving credit				343,280,000
Unrestricted retained earnings				468,095,000	$ 373,884,000
Debt of foreign subsidiaries Unsecured bank debt and Term Loan, foreign currency [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt				$ 2,861,000

Debt - Schedule of Net Interest

Debt - Schedule of Net Interest Expense (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Interest Income Expense Net [Abstract]
Interest expense	$ 10,145	$ 9,859	$ 12,744
Interest income	(1,255)	(2,171)	(5,717)
Interest expense net of interest income	8,890	7,688	7,027
Capitalized interest	(3,137)	(2,279)	(1,095)
Interest expense, net	$ 5,753	$ 5,409	$ 5,932

Leases - Additional Information

Leases - Additional Information (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021USD ($)Country
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Operating Lease, Liability	$ 70,574,000
Number of countries leases reside | Country	5
Percentage of value of leases reside	98.00%
Minimum [Member]
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Lessee, operating lease, term of contract	1 year
Maximum [Member]
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Lessee, operating lease, term of contract	10 years
Railcars [Member]
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Percentage of lease asset categories	60.00%
Real Estate [Member]
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Percentage of lease asset categories	25.00%
Real Estate [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Lessee, operating lease, term of contract	1 year
Real Estate [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Lessee, operating lease, term of contract	50 years
Railcar and Storage Tank Leases [Member]
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Operating Lease, Liability	$ 1,208,000

Leases - Schedule of Lease Cost

Leases - Schedule of Lease Cost Included in Cost of Sale and Operating Expenses (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Lease Cost
Operating lease cost	$ 15,630	$ 11,821
Short-term lease cost	6,570	4,922
Variable lease cost	892	1,135
Total lease cost	23,092	17,878
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities:
Operating cash flow from operating leases	14,885	11,843
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for operating lease liabilities	$ 19,610	$ 27,766

Leases - Schedule of Maturities

Leases - Schedule of Maturities of Lease Liabilities (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Leases [Abstract]
2022	$ 15,573
2023	12,679
2024	8,055
2025	5,946
2026	4,329
Subsequent to 2026	36,439
Total Undiscounted Cash Flows	83,021
Less: Imputed interest	(12,447)
Operating Lease, Liability	70,574
Current operating lease liabilities	$ 13,906
Operating Lease, Liability, Current, Statement of Financial Position [Extensible Enumeration]	Accrued liabilities (Note 14)
Non-current operating lease liabilities	$ 56,668	$ 51,567
Total lease liabilities	$ 70,574

Leases - Schedule of Operating

Leases - Schedule of Operating Leases Weighted Average, Remaining Lease Term and Discount Rate (Detail)	Dec. 31, 2021
Leases [Abstract]
Weighted-average remaining lease term-operating leases	10 years
Weighted-average discount rate-operating leases	2.90%

Other, Net - Other Net in Conso

Other, Net - Other Net in Consolidated Statements of Income (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Other Nonoperating Income Expense [Abstract]
Foreign exchange gains	$ 501	$ 1,367	$ 123
Investment income	2,886	1,681	968
Realized and unrealized gains on investments	2,289	3,143	3,955
Net periodic benefit cost	302	(874)	(351)
Other retirement obligation	559	(363)	(694)
Gain on sale of asset			570
Gain on dissolution of the China joint venture	972
Other, net	$ 7,509	$ 4,954	$ 4,571

Income Taxes - Schedule of Prov

Income Taxes - Schedule of Provision for Taxes on Income and Other Related Income Before Taxes (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Federal
Current	$ 35,057	$ 21,889	$ 9,998
Deferred	(25,653)	(3,453)	(2,879)
State
Current	9,320	4,305	2,248
Deferred	(6,556)	(562)	(1,783)
Foreign
Current	23,870	21,723	15,568
Deferred	(1,396)	(491)	(354)
Total	34,642	43,411	22,798
Income before Taxes
Domestic	77,696	81,906	63,399
Foreign	94,841	89,161	62,500
Income Before Provision for Income Taxes	$ 172,537	$ 171,067	$ 125,899

Income Taxes - Summary of Varia

Income Taxes - Summary of Variations Between the Effective and Statutory U.S. Federal Income Tax Rates (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Federal income tax provision at statutory tax rate		$ 36,233	$ 35,924	$ 26,439
State income tax provision, less applicable federal tax benefit	[1]	2,184	2,956	367
Foreign income taxed at different rates		2,356	1,964	623
U.S. taxation of foreign earnings	[2]	(134)	4,134	2,349
Unrecognized tax benefits		1,775	1,454	2,954
Prior years return to provision true-up	[3]	(3,314)	(588)	(1,740)
Stock based compensation, excess tax benefits		(1,287)	(1,816)	(1,633)
U.S. tax credits	[4]	(2,692)	(1,831)	(6,412)
Non-deductible expenses and other items, net		(479)	1,214	(149)
Total		$ 34,642	$ 43,411	$ 22,798
Percentage of Federal income tax provision at statutory tax rate		21.00%	21.00%	21.00%
Percentage of state income tax provision, less applicable federal tax benefit	[1]	1.30%	1.70%	0.30%
Percentage of Foreign income taxed at different rates		1.40%	1.10%	0.50%
Percentage of U.S. taxation of foreign earnings	[2]	(0.10%)	2.40%	1.90%
Percentage of Unrecognized tax benefits		1.00%	0.80%	2.30%
Percentage of Prior years return to provision true-up		(1.90%)	(0.30%)	(1.40%)
Percentage of stock based compensation, excess tax benefits		(0.70%)	(1.10%)	(1.30%)
Percentage of U.S. tax credits	[4]	(1.60%)	(1.10%)	(5.10%)
Non-deductible expenses and other items, net		(0.30%)	0.90%	(0.10%)
Percentage of Total income tax provision		20.10%	25.40%	18.10%
[1]	For 2019, amount includes incremental state research credits for the tax years 2015 - 2019 that were identified as part of a research and development tax credit study.
[2]	Includes cost of global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI) in 2021, 2020 and 2019 plus other taxes paid or withheld on cash repatriated from foreign countries in 2021, 2020 and 2019. For 2021, includes the benefit of separate limitation loss foreign tax credit attributes, related to prior years, that were utilized in 2021.
[3]	For 2021, amount resulted from a higher federal research credit, higher foreign-derived intangible income (FDII), and lower GILTI related to the 2020 tax year.
[4]	For 2019, amount includes incremental federal research credits for 2015 - 2019 that were identified as part of a research and development tax credit study. Also includes a federal tax rate change due to the classification of certain 2016 and 2017 depreciable fixed assets as deductible research costs.

Income Taxes - Schedule Showing

Income Taxes - Schedule Showing Tax Effects of Significant Temporary Differences Representing Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Deferred Tax Assets:
Pensions	$ 537	$ 4,935
Deferred revenue	3,444	3,073
Other accruals and reserves	13,331	14,960
Legal and environmental accruals	7,385	7,055
Deferred compensation	16,210	16,222
Bad debt and rebate reserves	2,706	2,821
Non-U.S. subsidiaries net operating loss carryforwards	1,494	2,495
Inventories	3,108
Tax credit carryforwards	2,829	4,713
Deferred Tax Assets, Gross	56,136	56,274
Deferred Tax Liabilities:
Amortization of intangibles	5,092
Depreciation	(42,299)	(62,986)
Unrealized foreign exchange loss	(2,908)	(2,444)
Amortization of intangibles		(842)
Inventories		(2,504)
Other	(1,614)	(386)
Deferred Tax Liabilities, Gross	(46,821)	(69,162)
Valuation Allowance	(862)	(896)
Net Deferred Tax Assets	8,453
Net Deferred Tax Liabilities		(13,784)
Reconciliation to Consolidated Balance Sheet:
Non-current deferred tax assets (in other non-current assets)	20,944	6,961
Non-current deferred tax liabilities	$ (12,491)	$ (20,745)

Income Taxes - Additional Infor

Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Deduction percentage of dividends received from distribution to earnings previously taxed	100.00%
Cash dividend declared from Philippines entities		$ 20,700,000
Additional income tax expense	$ 142,000	$ 2,384,000
Increase in effective tax rate		0.014
Foreign earnings repatriated	15,340,000
Tax loss carryforwards	3,351,000	$ 6,551,000
Tax credit carryforwards	2,829,000	4,713,000
Capital loss carryforwards	638,000	633,000
Valuation Allowance	862,000	896,000
Unrecognized tax benefits	7,292,000	4,735,000	$ 3,273,000	$ 168,000
Unrecognized tax benefits that, if recognized, would impact effective tax rates	6,973,000	4,545,000	3,105,000
Net interest and penalty expense (income)	260,000	31,000	$ (19,000)
Income tax liability for interest and penalties	$ 340,000	$ 80,000

Income Taxes - Schedule of Reco

Income Taxes - Schedule of Reconciliations of Unrecognized Tax Benefits (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Unrecognized tax benefits, opening balance	$ 4,735	$ 3,273	$ 168
Gross increases – tax positions in prior period	938	190	2,760
Gross increases – current period tax positions	1,662	1,288	355
Foreign currency translation	(14)	15	7
Lapse of statute of limitations	(29)	(31)	(17)
Unrecognized tax benefits, ending balance	$ 7,292	$ 4,735	$ 3,273

Stockholders' Equity - Addition

Stockholders' Equity - Additional Information (Detail) - shares	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Class Of Stock [Line Items]
Treasury stock, shares	4,340,729	4,185,242
Shares purchased during period	135,103	173,956	144,457
Treasury stock distributed under deferred compensation plan	6,491
Stock purchased to settle employees statutory withholding taxes relates to performance stock awards and deferred compensation distribution	26,875
Open Market Repurchases [Member]
Class Of Stock [Line Items]
Shares purchased during period	135,103

Stock-based Compensation - Addi

Stock-based Compensation - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares of common stock authorized for share based payment awards under 2011 Plan	2,600,000
Shares available for grant under the 2011 plan	528,479
Compensation expenses	$ 11,716,000	$ 10,080,000	$ 8,872,000
Income tax benefit recognized in the income statement for share-based compensation arrangements	2,867,000	2,390,000	1,501,000
Proceeds from stock option exercises	$ 1,369,000	$ 2,926,000	$ 3,037,000
Stock Option [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Period of expiration	10 years
Weighted-average grant-date fair values of options awarded	$ 36.49	$ 25.90	$ 26.49
Intrinsic values of options exercised	$ 1,287,000	$ 2,534,000	$ 2,518,000
Unrecognized compensation cost	$ 2,229,000
Weighted average period for amortization of unrecognized compensation cost	1 year 8 months 12 days
Actual tax benefit recognized for the tax deductions from stock based compensation	$ 172,000	$ 339,000	$ 348,000
Stock Option Granted Prior to 2017 [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period	2 years
Stock Options Granted in 2017 [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period	3 years
Percentage of awards vesting in each year	33.33%
Performance Stock Award [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Performance stock awards vested	0
Stock Awards [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Unrecognized compensation cost	$ 4,971,000
Weighted average period for amortization of unrecognized compensation cost	1 year 7 months 6 days
Performance stock awards vested	48,613
Weighted-average grant-date fair values of awards granted	$ 119.76	$ 98.46	$ 89.12
SARs [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Period of expiration	10 years
Unrecognized compensation cost	$ 4,828,000
Weighted average period for amortization of unrecognized compensation cost	1 year 8 months 12 days
Weighted-average grant-date fair values of awards granted	$ 36.49	$ 25.88	$ 26.43
SARs liability cash-settled	$ 1,502,000	$ 2,368,000
SARs Granted Prior to 2017 [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period	2 years
SARs Granted in 2017 [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period	3 years
Percentage of awards vesting in each year	33.33%

Stock-based Compensation - Fair

Stock-based Compensation - Fair Value Assumptions for Stock Options (Detail) - Stock Option [Member]	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Expected dividend yield	1.30%	1.31%	1.32%
Expected volatility	31.81%	26.00%	26.98%
Expected term	7 years 3 months 18 days	7 years 3 months 18 days	7 years 3 months 18 days
Risk-free interest rate	0.96%	1.47%	2.53%

Stock-based Compensation - Summ

Stock-based Compensation - Summary of Stock Option Activity (Detail) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]
Shares, Beginning Balance	392,550
Granted, Shares	66,352
Exercised, Shares	(20,435)	(48,389)	(59,799)
Forfeited, Shares	(2,501)
Shares, Ending Balance	435,966	392,550
Vested or expected to vest, Shares	429,507
Exercisable, Shares	363,297
Weighted Average Exercise Price, Beginning Balance	$ 74.24
Granted, Weighted Average Exercise Price	123.70
Exercised, Weighted Average Exercise Price	66.95
Forfeited, Weighted Average Exercise Price	107.86
Weighted Average Exercise Price, Ending Balance	81.92	$ 74.24
Vested or expected to vest, Weighted Average Exercise Price	81.42
Exercisable, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$ 75.34
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term, Ending Balance	6 years 2 months 4 days
Vested or expected to vest, Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term	6 years 1 month 20 days
Exercisable, Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term	5 years 8 months 1 day
Aggregate Intrinsic Value, Ending Balance	$ 18,474
Vested or expected to vest, Aggregate Intrinsic Value	18,415
Exercisable, Aggregate Intrinsic Value	$ 17,783

Stock-based Compensation - Su_2

Stock-based Compensation - Summary of Stock Award Activity (Detail) - Stock Awards [Member] - $ / shares	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares, Beginning Balance	107,351
Granted, Shares	40,127
Vested, Shares	(48,613)
Forfeited/Modified due to change of assumptions, Shares	4,413
Shares, Ending Balance	103,278	107,351
Unvested Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value, Beginning Balance	$ 94.66
Granted, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value	119.76	$ 98.46	$ 89.12
Vested, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value	88.93
Forfeited/Modified due to change of assumptions, Weighted Average Grand Date Fair Value	82.30
Unvested Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value, Ending Balance	$ 61.30	$ 94.66

Stock-based Compensation - Su_3

Stock-based Compensation - Summary of SARs Activity (Detail) - SARs [Member] $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021USD ($)$ / sharesshares
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares, Beginning Balance | shares	653,498
Granted, Shares | shares	143,104
Exercised, Shares | shares	(62,118)
Forfeited, Shares | shares	(7,497)
Shares, Ending Balance | shares	726,987
Weighted Average Exercise Price, Beginning Balance | $ / shares	$ 80.64
Granted, Weighted Average Exercise Price | $ / shares	123.68
Exercised, Weighted Average Exercise Price | $ / shares	65.97
Forfeited, Weighted Average Exercise Price | $ / shares	107.86
Weighted Average Exercise Price, Ending balance | $ / shares	$ 90.06
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term, Ending balance	6 years 9 months 29 days
Aggregate Intrinsic Value, Ending balance | $	$ 24,885

Deferred Compensation - Additio

Deferred Compensation - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]
Deferred compensation	$ 6,895,000	$ 9,988,000	$ 15,140,000
Deferred compensation liability	$ 61,219,000	$ 61,558,000
Increase (decrease) in market price of common stock due to deferred compensation	$ (4.97)	$ 16.88

Postretirement Benefit Plans -

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Obligations and Funded Status (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
United States [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Benefit obligation at beginning of year	$ 187,371	$ 176,499
Interest cost	4,671	5,668	$ 6,616
Actuarial loss (income)	(8,682)	13,327
Benefits paid	(8,497)	(8,123)
Benefit obligation at end of year	174,863	187,371	176,499
Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year	175,336	160,423
Actual return on plan assets	11,459	22,738
Employer contributions	276	298
Benefits paid	(8,497)	(8,123)
Fair value of plan assets at end of year	178,574	175,336	160,423
Over (Under) funded status at end of year	3,711	(12,035)
United Kingdom [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Benefit obligation at beginning of year	25,526	21,850
Interest cost	357	445	554
Actuarial loss (income)	(1,171)	3,032
Benefits paid	(1,198)	(657)
Foreign exchange impact	(238)	856
Benefit obligation at end of year	23,276	25,526	21,850
Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year	28,504	24,357
Actual return on plan assets	(78)	3,320
Employer contributions	526	526
Benefits paid	(1,198)	(657)
Foreign exchange impact	(290)	958
Fair value of plan assets at end of year	27,464	28,504	$ 24,357
Over (Under) funded status at end of year	$ 4,188	$ 2,978

Postretirement Benefit Plans _2

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Schedule of Amounts Recognized in Balance Sheets (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
United States [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Non-current asset	$ 7,166	$ 3,470
Current liability	(290)	(288)
Non-current liability	(3,165)	(15,217)
Net amount recognized	3,711	(12,035)
United Kingdom [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Non-current asset	4,188	2,978
Net amount recognized	$ 4,188	$ 2,978

Postretirement Benefit Plans _3

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Amounts Recognized in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
United States [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Net actuarial loss	$ 19,508	$ 33,745
United Kingdom [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Net actuarial loss	$ 3,767	$ 4,653

Postretirement Benefit Plans _4

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Information for Pension Plans with Projected Benefit Obligations in Excess of Plan Assets (Detail) - United States [Member] $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Projected benefit obligation	$ 146,848
Accumulated benefit obligation	146,848
Fair value of plan assets	$ 135,070

Postretirement Benefit Plans _5

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Net periodic benefit cost	$ (302)	$ 874	$ 351
United States [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Interest cost	4,671	5,668	6,616
Expected return on plan assets	(10,348)	(9,747)	(9,450)
Amortization of net actuarial loss	4,444	4,262	2,490
Net periodic benefit cost	(1,233)	183	(344)
United Kingdom [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Interest cost	357	445	554
Expected return on plan assets	(320)	(548)	(787)
Amortization of net actuarial loss	129	79	244
Net periodic benefit cost	$ 166	$ (24)	$ 11

Postretirement Benefit Plans _6

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Other Changes in Plan Assets and Benefit Obligations Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
United States [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Net actuarial (gain) loss	$ (9,793)	$ 336	$ (5,174)
Amortization of net actuarial loss	(4,444)	(4,262)	(2,490)
Total recognized in other comprehensive income	(14,237)	(3,926)	(7,664)
Total recognized in net periodic benefit cost and other comprehensive income	(15,470)	(3,743)	(8,008)
United Kingdom [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Net actuarial (gain) loss	(757)	272	(1,144)
Amortization of net actuarial loss	(129)	(79)	(244)
Total recognized in other comprehensive income	(886)	193	(1,388)
Total recognized in net periodic benefit cost and other comprehensive income	$ (720)	$ 169	$ (1,377)

Postretirement Benefit Plans _7

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Estimated Future Benefit Payments (Detail) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2021USD ($)
United States [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
2022	$ 8,949
2023	9,283
2024	9,601
2025	9,829
2026	9,982
2027-2031	50,512
United Kingdom [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
2022	551
2023	594
2024	624
2025	652
2026	697
2027-2031	$ 4,044

Postretirement Benefit Plans _8

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Weighted-Average Assumptions Used To Determine Benefit Obligations (Detail)	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
United States [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Discount rate	2.90%	2.60%
United Kingdom [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Discount rate	1.80%	1.40%

Postretirement Benefit Plans _9

Postretirement Benefit Plans - The Weighted Average Assumptions Used to Determine Net Periodic Benefit Costs (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
United States [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Discount rate	2.60%	3.30%	4.30%
Expected long-term return on plan assets	6.75%	6.75%	6.75%
United Kingdom [Member]
Pension Plans, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Discount rate	1.40%	2.10%	2.80%
Expected long-term return on plan assets	1.13%	2.30%	3.82%

Postretirement Benefit Plans_10

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Defined Benefit Plans - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Feb. 24, 2021	Feb. 24, 2020	Feb. 21, 2019
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Assets gains or losses added for prior year	80.00%
Assets gains or losses added for second preceding year	60.00%
Assets gains or losses added for third preceding year	40.00%
Assets gains or losses added for fourth preceding year	20.00%
United States [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Common shares sold to the Company's ESOP trust				31,362	31,706	32,299
Expected long-term rate of return on assets	6.75%	6.75%	6.75%
Expected payment related to qualified plan	$ 0
Expected payment related to non-qualified plan	$ 290,000
U.K Plans [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Expected long-term rate of return on assets	1.13%	2.30%	3.82%
Percentage of premium estimated return for equities and properties to risk free rate	3.70%
Percentage of long term return in cash	0.10%
Expected payment related to qualified plan	$ 505,000
Equities [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Percentage of target allocation for investment category	25.00%
Percentage of target allocation for investment including stock category	35.00%
Expected long-term rate of return on assets	7.81%
Equities [Member] | U.K Plans [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Percentage of target allocation for investment category	13.00%
Debt Securities [Member] | United States [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Percentage of target allocation for investment category	63.00%
Debt Securities [Member] | U.K Plans [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Percentage of target allocation for investment category	74.00%
Cash [Member] | United States [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Percentage of target allocation for investment category	2.00%
Cash [Member] | U.K Plans [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Percentage of target allocation for investment category	9.00%
Insurance Contracts [Member] | U.K Plans [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Percentage of target allocation for investment category	4.00%
U.S. and international equities [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Expected long-term rate of return on assets	4.13%

Postretirement Benefit Plans_11

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Company's Asset Allocations for its U.S. Pension Plans by Asset Category (Detail) - United States [Member] - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	$ 178,574	$ 175,336	$ 160,423
Level 1 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	93,821	124,106
Level 2 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	84,753	51,230
Cash and Cash Equivalents [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	10,918	7,056
Cash and Cash Equivalents [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	10,918	7,056
Equity Securities [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	62,831	105,898
Equity Securities [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	62,831	105,898
U.S. Equities [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	25,083	54,805
U.S. Equities [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	25,083	54,805
Non-U.S. Equities [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	12,544	23,155
Non-U.S. Equities [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	12,544	23,155
Employer Securities [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	25,204	27,938
Employer Securities [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	25,204	27,938
Fixed Income Securities [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	104,825	62,382
Fixed Income Securities [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	20,072	11,152
Fixed Income Securities [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	84,753	51,230
U.S. Corporate Bonds [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	69,073	41,489
U.S. Corporate Bonds [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	69,073	41,489
U.S. Government and Agency Bonds [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	22,917	12,722
U.S. Government and Agency Bonds [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	20,072	11,152
U.S. Government and Agency Bonds [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	2,845	1,570
Other Bonds [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	12,835	8,171
Other Bonds [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	$ 12,835	$ 8,171

Postretirement Benefit Plans_12

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Company's Asset Allocations for its U.K. Pension Plans by Asset Category (Detail) - United Kingdom [Member] - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	$ 27,464	$ 28,504	$ 24,357
Level 2 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	26,461	27,345
Level 3 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	1,003	1,159
Cash [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	2,414	2,576
Cash [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	2,414	2,576
Pooled Pension Funds [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	3,715	3,603
Pooled Pension Funds [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	3,715	3,603
Pooled Fixed Pension Funds [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	20,332	21,166
Pooled Fixed Pension Funds [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	20,332	21,166
Insurance Contracts [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	1,003	1,159
Insurance Contracts [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total	$ 1,003	$ 1,159

Postretirement Benefit Plans_13

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Fair Value Changes Within Asset Categories for which Fair Value Measurements Use Significant Unobservable Inputs Level 3 (Detail) - Insurance Contracts [Member] - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Fair Value Assets Measured On Recurring Basis Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]
Beginning balance	$ 1,159	$ 1,205
Sale proceeds (benefit payments)	(131)	(119)
Change in unrealized gain	(15)	41
Foreign exchange impact	(10)	32
Ending balance	$ 1,003	$ 1,159

Postretirement Benefit Plans_14

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Defined Contribution Expenses for Company's Qualified Defined Contribution Plans and Statutory Profit Sharing Contributions (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Defined Contribution Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total defined contribution expense	$ 13,215	$ 14,142	$ 12,030
Retirement Contributions [Member]
Defined Contribution Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total defined contribution expense	8,134	8,035	7,328
Profit Sharing Contributions [Member]
Defined Contribution Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total defined contribution expense	$ 5,081	$ 6,107	$ 4,702

Postretirement Benefit Plans_15

Postretirement Benefit Plans - Defined Contribution Plans - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Defined Contribution Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Supplemental plan liability balances	$ 2,221	$ 1,853
Defined contribution plan expense	$ 13,215	14,142	$ 12,030
Percentage of union and non-union employees eligible for either statutory or Company's sponsored profit sharing contributions	77.00%
Percentage of us based union and non-union employees eligible for either statutory or Company's sponsored profit sharing contributions	100.00%
Statutory Plans [Member]
Defined Contribution Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Defined contribution plan expense	$ 219	1,679	$ 935
Defined Contribution Plans [Member]
Defined Contribution Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Balance of trust assets	$ 2,146	$ 1,778

Accrued Liabilities - Compositi

Accrued Liabilities - Composition of Accrued Liabilities (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Payables And Accruals [Abstract]
Accrued payroll and benefits	$ 70,983	$ 79,070
Accrued customer rebates	21,030	23,628
Other accrued liabilities	44,383	39,249
Total accrued liabilities	$ 136,396	$ 141,947

Other Non-Current Liabilities -

Other Non-Current Liabilities - Statement of Composition of Other Non Current Liabilities (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Other Liabilities Disclosure [Abstract]
Deferred revenue	$ 9,979	$ 11,276
Environmental and legal matters	17,663	17,921
Deferred compensation liability	50,122	51,508
Pension liability	4,552	17,229
Other non-current liabilities	16,606	16,359
Total other non-current liabilities	$ 98,922	$ 114,293

Contingencies - Additional Info

Contingencies - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Environmental losses accrual	$ 23,127,000	$ 22,884,000
Cash expenditures related to legal and environmental matters	$ 3,461,000	$ 4,483,000
Contribution for future response costs	5.00%
Wilmington Site [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Payment of environmental response costs	$ 3,243,000
Minimum [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Environmental losses and legal losses	23,127,000
Maximum [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Environmental losses and legal losses	$ 41,659,000

Segment Reporting - Additional

Segment Reporting - Additional Information (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021Segment
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Number of reportable segments	3

Segment Reporting - Operating S

Segment Reporting - Operating Segment (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	[1]	$ 2,345,966	$ 1,869,750	$ 1,858,745
Operating income		170,781	171,522	127,260
Assets		2,065,612	1,752,336	1,579,367
Capital expenditures		194,482	125,792	105,572
Depreciation and amortization expenses		90,876	81,860	78,701
Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales		2,345,966	1,869,750	1,858,745
Operating income		253,768	251,281	208,762
Assets		1,880,106	1,472,738	1,331,929
Capital expenditures		189,006	121,163	103,354
Depreciation and amortization expenses		87,809	77,988	76,056
Surfactants [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales		1,562,795	1,351,686	1,272,723
Surfactants [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales		1,562,795	1,351,686	1,272,723
Operating income		165,999	169,101	122,780
Assets		1,245,207	1,018,555	907,032
Capital expenditures		154,953	88,484	69,725
Depreciation and amortization expenses		51,375	49,429	48,422
Polymers [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales		713,440	452,277	512,347
Polymers [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales		713,440	452,277	512,347
Operating income		73,591	68,214	69,567
Assets		556,799	361,219	338,179
Capital expenditures		29,077	26,719	29,188
Depreciation and amortization expenses		30,598	22,873	22,151
Specialty Products [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales		69,731	65,787	73,675
Specialty Products [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales		69,731	65,787	73,675
Operating income		14,178	13,966	16,415
Assets		78,100	92,964	86,718
Capital expenditures		4,976	5,960	4,441
Depreciation and amortization expenses		$ 5,836	$ 5,686	$ 5,483
[1]	Net sales are attributed to countries based on the location of the Company legal entity making the sale.

Segment Reporting - Reconciliat

Segment Reporting - Reconciliation of Segment Information to Consolidated Financial Statements (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating income		$ 170,781	$ 171,522	$ 127,260
Business restructuring and asset disposition	[1]	(3,353)	(1,212)	(2,744)
Interest expense, net		(5,753)	(5,409)	(5,932)
Other, net		7,509	4,954	4,571
Consolidated income before income taxes		172,537	171,067	125,899
Assets		2,065,612	1,752,336	1,579,367
Capital expenditures		194,482	125,792	105,572
Depreciation and amortization		90,876	81,860	78,701
Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating income		253,768	251,281	208,762
Assets		1,880,106	1,472,738	1,331,929
Capital expenditures		189,006	121,163	103,354
Depreciation and amortization		87,809	77,988	76,056
Segment Reconciling Items [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Unallocated corporate expenses	[2]	(79,634)	(78,547)	(78,758)
Unallocated corporate assets		185,506	279,598	247,438
Unallocated corporate expenditures		5,476	4,629	2,218
Unallocated corporate depreciation expenses		$ 3,067	$ 3,872	$ 2,645
[1]	See Note 22, Business Restructuring
[2]	Unallocated corporate expenses are primarily comprised of corporate administrative expenses (e.g., corporate finance, legal, human resources, information systems, deferred compensation and environmental remediation) that are not included in segment operating income and not used to evaluate segment performance .

Segment Reporting - Summary of

Segment Reporting - Summary of Company Wide Geographic Data (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Schedule Of Geographical Segments [Line Items]
Net sales	[1]	$ 2,345,966	$ 1,869,750	$ 1,858,745
Long-lived assets	[2]	1,008,575	734,707	680,755
United States [Member]
Schedule Of Geographical Segments [Line Items]
Net sales	[1]	1,297,650	1,117,695	1,115,993
Long-lived assets	[2]	668,362	499,260	462,199
France [Member]
Schedule Of Geographical Segments [Line Items]
Net sales	[1]	179,746	141,516	145,933
Poland [Member]
Schedule Of Geographical Segments [Line Items]
Net sales	[1]	198,883	147,289	156,391
United Kingdom [Member]
Schedule Of Geographical Segments [Line Items]
Net sales	[1]	208,780	93,115	96,842
Long-lived assets	[2]	38,634	24,335	21,551
All Other Countries [Member]
Schedule Of Geographical Segments [Line Items]
Net sales	[1]	196,164	163,733	157,836
Long-lived assets	[2]	39,034	42,970	42,280
Mexico [Member]
Schedule Of Geographical Segments [Line Items]
Net sales	[1]	127,944	100,763	83,160
Long-lived assets	[2]	45,384	39,482	21,959
Brazil [Member]
Schedule Of Geographical Segments [Line Items]
Net sales	[1]	136,799	105,639	102,590
Long-lived assets	[2]	35,294	35,786	46,740
Germany [Member]
Schedule Of Geographical Segments [Line Items]
Long-lived assets	[2]	41,438	39,759	30,084
Singapore [Member]
Schedule Of Geographical Segments [Line Items]
Long-lived assets	[2]	23,507	25,815	28,741
Netherlands [Member]
Schedule Of Geographical Segments [Line Items]
Long-lived assets	[2]	85,931
China [Member]
Schedule Of Geographical Segments [Line Items]
Long-lived assets	[2]	$ 30,991	$ 27,300	$ 27,201
[1]	Net sales are attributed to countries based on the location of the Company legal entity making the sale.
[2]	Includes net property, plant and equipment, goodwill and other intangible assets.

Earnings Per Share - Computatio

Earnings Per Share - Computation of Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share (Detail) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Computation of Basic Earnings per Share
Net income attributable to Stepan Company		$ 137,804	$ 126,770	$ 103,129
Weighted-average number of shares outstanding		22,922	22,949	23,054
Basic earnings per share		$ 6.01	$ 5.52	$ 4.47
Computation of Diluted Earnings per Share
Net income attributable to Stepan Company		$ 137,804	$ 126,770	$ 103,129
Weighted-average number of shares outstanding		22,922	22,949	23,054
Add weighted-average net shares related to unvested stock awards (under treasury share method)		1	1	2
Weighted-average shares applicable to diluted earnings		23,287	23,256	23,316
Diluted earnings per share		$ 5.92	$ 5.45	$ 4.42
Stock Option [Member]
Computation of Diluted Earnings per Share
Add weighted-average net shares from assumed exercise of options (under treasury share method)	[1]	138	112	97
Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs) [Member]
Computation of Diluted Earnings per Share
Add weighted-average net shares from assumed exercise of options (under treasury share method)		166	145	125
Performance Stock Award [Member]
Computation of Diluted Earnings per Share
Add weighted-average net shares from assumed exercise of options (under treasury share method)		60	49	38
[1]	Options/SARs to purchase 103,182, 127,434 and 107,125 shares of common stock were excluded from the computations of diluted earnings per share for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The options’/SARs’ exercise prices were greater than the average market price for the common stock and inclusion of the instruments would have had an antidilutive effect on the computations of the earnings per share.

Earnings Per Share - Computat_2

Earnings Per Share - Computation of Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share (Parenthetical) (Detail) - shares	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Options and Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs) [Member]
Earnings Per Share Basic [Line Items]
Options/SARs to purchase shares of common stock were excluded from the computations of diluted earnings per share	103,182	127,434	107,125

Accumulated Other Comprehensi_3

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) - Summary of Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Loss [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	$ 986,693
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications	(19,997)	$ (4,042)	$ 8,556
Amounts reclassified from AOCI	3,642	3,331	2,082
Remeasurement adjustment related to the Tax Act			(5,325)
Net current period other comprehensive income	(16,355)	(711)	5,313
Ending Balance	1,074,193	986,693
Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Loss [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	(107,083)	(104,037)	(108,481)
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications	(28,185)	(3,046)	4,444
Net current period other comprehensive income	(28,185)	(3,046)	4,444
Ending Balance	(135,268)	(107,083)	(104,037)
Defined Benefit Pension Plan Adjustments [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Loss [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	(29,861)	(32,205)	(33,083)
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications	8,188	(996)	4,112
Amounts reclassified from AOCI	3,651	3,340	2,091
Remeasurement adjustment related to the Tax Act			(5,325)
Net current period other comprehensive income	11,839	2,344	878
Ending Balance	(18,022)	(29,861)	(32,205)
Cash Flow Hedge Adjustments [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Loss [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	63	72	81
Amounts reclassified from AOCI	(9)	(9)	(9)
Remeasurement adjustment related to the Tax Act			0
Net current period other comprehensive income	(9)	(9)	(9)
Ending Balance	54	63	72
AOCI Attributable to Parent [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Loss [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	(136,881)	(136,170)	(141,483)
Ending Balance	$ (153,236)	$ (136,881)	$ (136,170)

Accumulated Other Comprehensi_4

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) - Summary of Amounts Reclassified Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Income Before Provision for Income Taxes		$ 172,537	$ 171,067	$ 125,899
Tax benefit		(34,642)	(43,411)	(22,798)
Cost of Sales		1,950,156	1,486,137	1,519,031
Defined Benefit Pension Plan Adjustments [Member] | Amounts Reclassified From Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member]
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Prior service cost	[1]	(12)	(11)	(12)
Actuarial loss	[1]	(4,800)	(4,421)	(2,739)
Income Before Provision for Income Taxes	[1],[2]	(4,812)	(4,432)	(2,751)
Tax benefit	[1]	1,161	1,092	660
Income applicable to common stock	[1]	(3,651)	(3,340)	(2,091)
Income applicable to common stock	[1]	(3,651)	(3,340)	(2,091)
Cash Flow Hedge Adjustments [Member] | Amounts Reclassified From Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member]
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Income Before Provision for Income Taxes	[1]	9	9	9
Income applicable to common stock	[1]	9	9	9
Income applicable to common stock	[1]	9	9	9
Cash Flow Hedge Adjustments [Member] | Foreign exchange contracts [Member] | Amounts Reclassified From Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member]
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Cost of Sales	[1]	9	9	9
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Member]
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Income applicable to common stock	[1]	(3,642)	(3,331)	(2,082)
Income applicable to common stock	[1]	$ (3,642)	$ (3,331)	$ (2,082)
[1]	(1) Amounts in parentheses denote expense to statement of income.
[2]	This component of accumulated other comprehensive income is included in the computation of net periodic benefit cost (see Note 13, Postretirement Benefit Plans , of the notes to the Company’s consolidated financial statements for details regarding net periodic benefit costs for the Company’s U.S. and U.K. defined benefit plans).

Acquisitions - Additional Infor

Acquisitions - Additional Information (Detail)	Feb. 02, 2021USD ($)	Jan. 29, 2021USD ($)Site	Sep. 17, 2020USD ($)	Mar. 13, 2020USD ($)	Dec. 17, 2019USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2021USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Payment of working capital		$ 21,560,000
Payment of value added tax		3,000,000
Cash acquired on working capital		$ 5,900,000
Paid from cash on hand, assets acquired						$ 3,503,000	$ 2,040,000
Goodwill						97,187,000	27,972,000	$ 26,086,000
Polymer Segment [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Goodwill						74,482,000	5,419,000	5,406,000
Surfactants Segment [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Goodwill						22,222,000	$ 22,070,000	$ 20,197,000
INVISTA Aromatic Polyester Polyol Business Acquisition [Member] | 2021 Acquisitions [Member] | Acquisition-related Costs [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Net income attributable to Stepan Company						1,890,000
INVISTA Aromatic Polyester Polyol Business Acquisition [Member] | Polymer Segment [Member] | 2021 Acquisitions [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Asset purchase agreement date		Jan. 29, 2021
Number of manufacturing site | Site		2
Purchase price		$ 165,000,000
Acquisition-related expenses						1,890,000
Goodwill		64,800,000
INVISTA Aromatic Polyester Polyol Business Acquisition [Member] | Polymer Segment [Member] | 2021 Acquisitions [Member] | Legal, Consulting, Valuation and Accounting Services [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquisition-related expenses						3,837,000
INVISTA Aromatic Polyester Polyol Business Acquisition [Member] | Polymer Segment [Member] | 2021 Acquisitions [Member] | Technology and Manufacturing Know-how [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Identifiable intangible assets		13,000,000
Intangible assets identified related to acquisition		13,000,000
INVISTA Aromatic Polyester Polyol Business Acquisition [Member] | Polymer Segment [Member] | 2021 Acquisitions [Member] | Trademarks [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Identifiable intangible assets		8,000,000
Intangible assets identified related to acquisition		8,000,000
INVISTA Aromatic Polyester Polyol Business Acquisition [Member] | Polymer Segment [Member] | 2021 Acquisitions [Member] | Customer Relationships [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Identifiable intangible assets		25,000,000
Intangible assets identified related to acquisition		$ 25,000,000
INVISTA Aromatic Polyester Polyol Business Acquisition [Member] | Polymer Segment [Member] | 2021 Acquisitions [Member] | Customer Relationships [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Weighted average amortization periods of identifiable intangibles assets		12 years
INVISTA Aromatic Polyester Polyol Business Acquisition [Member] | Polymer Segment [Member] | 2021 Acquisitions [Member] | Customer Relationships [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Weighted average amortization periods of identifiable intangibles assets		14 years
INVISTA Aromatic Polyester Polyol Business Acquisition [Member] | Polymer Segment [Member] | 2021 Acquisitions [Member] | Know-how and Trademarks [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Weighted average amortization periods of identifiable intangibles assets		7 years
INVISTA Aromatic Polyester Polyol Business Acquisition [Member] | Polymer Segment [Member] | 2021 Acquisitions [Member] | Know-how and Trademarks [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Weighted average amortization periods of identifiable intangibles assets		8 years
Fermentation Plant Acquisition | 2021 Acquisitions [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Paid from cash on hand, assets acquired	$ 3,500,000
Clariant (Mexico) [Member] | Surfactants Segment [Member] | 2020 Acquisitions [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Purchase price						14,308,000
Payment of value added tax						$ 308,000
Purchase price			$ 14,000,000
Goodwill			5,165,000
Clariant (Mexico) [Member] | Surfactants Segment [Member] | 2020 Acquisitions [Member] | Trademarks and Know-how [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Identifiable intangible assets			1,300,000
Intangible assets identified related to acquisition			$ 1,300,000
Logos Technologies Asset Acquisition [Member] | Surfactants Segment [Member] | 2020 Acquisitions [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Paid from cash on hand, assets acquired				$ 2,040,000
Logos Technologies Asset Acquisition [Member] | Surfactants Segment [Member] | 2020 Acquisitions [Member] | Laboratory Equipment [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Equipment acquired				184,000
Logos Technologies Asset Acquisition [Member] | Surfactants Segment [Member] | 2020 Acquisitions [Member] | Trademarks and Know-how [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Intangible assets acquired				1,392,000
Logos Technologies Asset Acquisition [Member] | Surfactants Segment [Member] | 2020 Acquisitions [Member] | Patents [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Intangible assets acquired				$ 464,000
Oilfield Demulsifier Product Line [Member] | Surfactants Segment [Member] | 2019 Acquisition [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Purchase price					$ 9,000,000
Weighted average amortization periods of identifiable intangibles assets					20 years
Goodwill					$ 3,161,000
Oilfield Demulsifier Product Line [Member] | Surfactants Segment [Member] | 2019 Acquisition [Member] | Customer Relationships [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Identifiable intangible assets					1,900,000
Intangible assets identified related to acquisition					1,900,000
Oilfield Demulsifier Product Line [Member] | Surfactants Segment [Member] | 2019 Acquisition [Member] | Product Know-how [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Identifiable intangible assets					3,300,000
Intangible assets identified related to acquisition					$ 3,300,000

Acquisitions - Summary of Purch

Acquisitions - Summary of Purchase Price Allocation for Major Components of Acquisition (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2021	Jan. 29, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Assets:
Goodwill	$ 97,187		$ 27,972	$ 26,086
Polymer Segment [Member]
Assets:
Goodwill	$ 74,482		$ 5,419	$ 5,406
INVISTA Aromatic Polyester Polyol Business Acquisition [Member] | 2021 Acquisitions [Member] | Polymer Segment [Member]
Assets:
Property, plant and equipment		$ 54,200
Identifiable intangibles assets		46,000
Goodwill		64,800
Total assets acquired		$ 165,000

Acquisitions - Summary of Pro f

Acquisitions - Summary of Pro forma Financial Information (Detail) - INVISTA Aromatic Polyester Polyol Business Acquisition [Member] - 2021 Acquisitions [Member] - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Net Sales	$ 2,358,405	$ 1,971,750
Net Income Attributable to Stepan Company	$ 140,869	$ 133,291

Acquisitions - Summary of Pur_2

Acquisitions - Summary of Purchase Price Allocation for Acquisition (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Sep. 17, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Assets:
Goodwill	$ 97,187	$ 27,972		$ 26,086
Surfactants Segment [Member]
Assets:
Goodwill	$ 22,222	$ 22,070		$ 20,197
2020 Acquisitions [Member] | Clariant (Mexico) [Member] | Surfactants Segment [Member]
Assets:
Goodwill			$ 5,165
Property, plant and equipment			175
Total assets acquired			14,940
Liabilities:
Other non-current liabilities			940
Total liabilities assumed			940
Net assets acquired			14,000
2020 Acquisitions [Member] | Clariant (Mexico) [Member] | Surfactants Segment [Member] | Customer Lists [Member}
Assets:
Identifiable intangible assets			8,000
2020 Acquisitions [Member] | Clariant (Mexico) [Member] | Surfactants Segment [Member] | Trademarks and Know-how [Member]
Assets:
Identifiable intangible assets			1,300
2020 Acquisitions [Member] | Clariant (Mexico) [Member] | Surfactants Segment [Member] | Non-compete Agreements [Member]
Assets:
Identifiable intangible assets			$ 300

Revenue from Contracts with C_3

Revenue from Contracts with Customers - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Revenue From Contract With Customer [Abstract]
Contract assets	$ 0
Contract liabilities	1,376,000	$ 773,000
Contract liabilities revenue recognized	$ 0	$ 10,709,000

Revenue from Contracts with C_4

Revenue from Contracts with Customers - Summary of Geographic Disaggregation of Net Sales (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales	[1]	$ 2,345,966	$ 1,869,750	$ 1,858,745
Polymers [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales		713,440	452,277	512,347
Specialty Products [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales		69,731	65,787	73,675
Surfactants [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales		1,562,795	1,351,686	1,272,723
North America [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales		1,328,312	1,148,996	1,142,391
North America [Member] | Polymers [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales		364,382	265,700	314,549
North America [Member] | Specialty Products [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales		59,461	56,455	61,501
North America [Member] | Surfactants [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales		904,469	826,841	766,341
Europe [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales		600,024	391,252	411,340
Europe [Member] | Polymers [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales		302,137	147,289	158,455
Europe [Member] | Specialty Products [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales		9,152	9,332	12,174
Europe [Member] | Surfactants [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales		288,735	234,631	240,711
Latin America [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales		304,542	237,066	215,709
Latin America [Member] | Polymers [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales		3,823	2,498	3,304
Latin America [Member] | Specialty Products [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales		1,118
Latin America [Member] | Surfactants [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales		299,601	234,568	212,405
Asia [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales		113,088	92,436	89,305
Asia [Member] | Polymers [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales		43,098	36,790	36,039
Asia [Member] | Surfactants [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Net sales		$ 69,990	$ 55,646	$ 53,266
[1]	Net sales are attributed to countries based on the location of the Company legal entity making the sale.

Business Restructuring and As_2

Business Restructuring and Asset Disposition - Additional Information (Detail)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2021USD ($)Employees	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring costs		$ 3,353,000	$ 1,212,000	$ 2,744,000
Gain on sale of asset				570,000
Discontinued Operations, Disposed of by Sale
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Gain on sale of asset	$ (2,720,000)
2019 Restructuring [Member] | Netherlands [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Severance costs				554,000
2019 Restructuring [Member] | Early Termination of Lease Expenses [Member] | Netherlands [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Business restructuring				122,000
2018 Restructuring [Member] | Germany [Member] | Asset and Spare Part [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring costs					$ 1,404,000
2018 Restructuring [Member] | Germany [Member] | Surfactants [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring costs		2,392,000
2018 Restructuring [Member] | Cumulative Decommissioning Costs [Member] | Germany [Member] | Surfactants [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring costs			988,000
2018 Restructuring [Member] | Decommissioning Costs [Member] | Germany [Member] | Surfactants [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring costs			79,000	909,000
2016 Restructuring [Member] | Longford Mills [Member] | Surfactants [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Business restructuring		$ 9,250,000
Number positions eliminated | Employees		30
2016 Restructuring [Member] | Decommissioning Costs [Member] | Longford Mills [Member] | Surfactants [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Business restructuring		$ 633,000	$ 1,133,000	$ 1,410,000
2016 Restructuring [Member] | Termination Benefits [Member] | Longford Mills [Member] | Surfactants [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Business restructuring		1,644,000
2016 Restructuring [Member] | Other Expense [Member] | Longford Mills [Member] | Surfactants [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Business restructuring		$ 7,606,000

Insurance Recovery - Additional

Insurance Recovery - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Insurance Recovery [Line Items]
Insurance recovery proceeds	$ 18,000,000		$ 8,965,000
Surfactants Segment [Member]
Insurance Recovery [Line Items]
Insurance recovery proceeds		$ 5,200,000
Polymer Segment [Member]
Insurance Recovery [Line Items]
Insurance recovery proceeds		$ 12,800,000

Customer Claims - Additional In

Customer Claims - Additional Information (Detail) - Surfactants [Member]	3 Months Ended			12 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2019USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)Claim	Dec. 31, 2016Claim	Dec. 31, 2016USD ($)
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of customer claims | Claim			2
Insurance claims reserve amount | $				$ 7,367,000
Claim paid | $	$ 703,000	$ 2,709,000
Number of claims and reversed | Claim		1

Noncash Investing and Financi_2

Noncash Investing and Financing Activities - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Supplemental Cash Flow Elements [Line Items]
Noncash investing activities, payables incurred for property, plant and equipment expenditures, unpaid	$ 36,588,000	$ 17,946,000	$ 16,890,000
Common Stock [Member] | Stock Award Plan [Member]
Supplemental Cash Flow Elements [Line Items]
Noncash financing activities shares issued	60,132	58,282	96,095
Noncash financing activities issued value	$ 7,286,000	$ 5,485,000	$ 8,893,000