Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Document and Entity Information

v2.4.1.9
Document and Entity Information (USD $)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Mar. 13, 2015
Jun. 30, 2014
Document And Entity Information      
Entity Registrant Name Pacific Ethanol, Inc.    
Entity Central Index Key 0000778164    
Document Type 10-K    
Document Period End Date Dec. 31, 2014    
Amendment Flag false    
Current Fiscal Year End Date --12-31    
Is Entity a Well-known Seasoned Issuer? No    
Is Entity a Voluntary Filer? No    
Is Entity's Reporting Status Current? Yes    
Entity Filer Category Accelerated Filer    
Entity Public Float     $ 315,000,000dei_EntityPublicFloat
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding   25,511,200dei_EntityCommonStockSharesOutstanding  
Document Fiscal Period Focus FY    
Document Fiscal Year Focus 2014