Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Document and Entity Information

v3.3.0.814
Document and Entity Information - shares
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2015
Nov. 06, 2015
Document And Entity Information    
Entity Registrant Name Pacific Ethanol, Inc.  
Entity Central Index Key 0000778164  
Document Type 10-Q  
Document Period End Date Sep. 30, 2015  
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 Common Stock, Shares Outstanding   38,978,689
Document Fiscal Period Focus Q3  
Document Fiscal Year Focus 2015