Guarantor Non-Guarantor Subsidiary Financial Information Level 4 (Details) - Consolidating Statement of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	$ (20)	$ 213	$ (50)
Cash flows provided by (used in) investing activities
Capital expenditures	(140)	(175)	(183)
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Net of Cash Acquired	0	(7)	(64)
Capitalized interest	(1)	(4)	0
Proceeds from the sale of investments, net		(6)
Proceeds from the sale of (purchases of) debt securities, net	0	6	(1)
Proceeds from the dispositions, net	281	0	0
Cash received on buyers note	75	0	0
Change in restricted cash	(9)	8	(3)
disbursement of affiliated loan			(50)
repayment of affiliated loan			(50)
Investments in and Advances to Affiliates, Dividends or Interest	1	0	2
Proceeds from sale of assets	5	17	20
Capital contribution to subsidiary	0	0	0
Return of capital from subsidiary from sales of accounts receivable	0	0	0
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities	210	(155)	(233)
Cash flows (used in) provided by financing activities
Net short-term debt (repayments) borrowings	(22)	(3)	21
Borrowings of long-term debt	644	523	391
Repayments of long-term debt	(856)	485	343
Repayment of advance from affiliates			0
Net Intercompany Loan Borrowings (Repayments)	0	0	0
Capital contribution from parent	0	0
Long-term debt and credit facility financing fees	(1)	(11)	0
Common stock dividends paid	0	0
Return of capital to parent			0
Return of capital to parent from sales of accounts receivable	0	0	0
Net cash used in financing activities	(235)	24	69
Effect of exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents	(4)	(10)	(9)
Decrease in cash and cash equivalents	(49)	72	(223)
Cash and cash equivalents (unrestricted) at beginning of period	228	156	379
Cash and cash equivalents (unrestricted) at end of period	179	228	156
Momentive Specialty Chemicals Inc. [Member]
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	(202)	(295)	(426)
Cash flows provided by (used in) investing activities
Capital expenditures	67	(91)	(89)
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Net of Cash Acquired		0	(52)
Capitalized interest	(1)	(3)
Proceeds from the sale of investments, net		0
Proceeds from the sale of (purchases of) debt securities, net			0
Proceeds from the dispositions, net	147
Cash received on buyers note	75
Change in restricted cash	0	0	0
disbursement of affiliated loan			0
repayment of affiliated loan			0
Investments in and Advances to Affiliates, Dividends or Interest	(1)		0
Proceeds from sale of assets	0	0	20
Capital contribution to subsidiary	13	(25)	(30)
Return of capital from subsidiary from sales of accounts receivable	95	278	350
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities	235	159	199
Cash flows (used in) provided by financing activities
Net short-term debt (repayments) borrowings	(1)	0	7
Borrowings of long-term debt	360	500	295
Repayments of long-term debt	(601)	445	256
Repayment of advance from affiliates			0
Net Intercompany Loan Borrowings (Repayments)	(176)	(131)	(34)
Capital contribution from parent	0	0
Long-term debt and credit facility financing fees	1	11
Common stock dividends paid	0	0
Return of capital to parent			0
Return of capital to parent from sales of accounts receivable	0	0	0
Net cash used in financing activities	(67)	175	80
Effect of exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0
Decrease in cash and cash equivalents	(34)	39	(147)
Cash and cash equivalents (unrestricted) at beginning of period	62	23	170
Cash and cash equivalents (unrestricted) at end of period	28	62	23
Combined Subsidiary Guarantors [Member]
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	4	19	14
Cash flows provided by (used in) investing activities
Capital expenditures	0	0	0
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Net of Cash Acquired		0	0
Capitalized interest	0	0
Proceeds from the sale of investments, net		0
Proceeds from the sale of (purchases of) debt securities, net			0
Proceeds from the dispositions, net	0
Cash received on buyers note	0
Change in restricted cash	0	0	0
disbursement of affiliated loan			0
repayment of affiliated loan			0
Investments in and Advances to Affiliates, Dividends or Interest	0		0
Proceeds from sale of assets	0	0	0
Capital contribution to subsidiary	9	(17)	(20)
Return of capital from subsidiary from sales of accounts receivable	0	0	0
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities	(9)	(17)	(20)
Cash flows (used in) provided by financing activities
Net short-term debt (repayments) borrowings	0	0	0
Borrowings of long-term debt	0	0	0
Repayments of long-term debt	0	0	0
Repayment of advance from affiliates			20
Net Intercompany Loan Borrowings (Repayments)	0	0	0
Capital contribution from parent	9	17
Long-term debt and credit facility financing fees	0	0
Common stock dividends paid	4	(19)
Return of capital to parent			(14)
Return of capital to parent from sales of accounts receivable	0	0	0
Net cash used in financing activities	5	(2)	6
Effect of exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0
Decrease in cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents (unrestricted) at beginning of period	0	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents (unrestricted) at end of period	0	0	0
Combined Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	182	508	376
Cash flows provided by (used in) investing activities
Capital expenditures	73	(84)	(94)
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Net of Cash Acquired		(7)	(12)
Capitalized interest	0	(1)
Proceeds from the sale of investments, net		(6)
Proceeds from the sale of (purchases of) debt securities, net			(1)
Proceeds from the dispositions, net	134
Cash received on buyers note	0
Change in restricted cash	(9)	8	(3)
disbursement of affiliated loan			(50)
repayment of affiliated loan			(50)
Investments in and Advances to Affiliates, Dividends or Interest	0		2
Proceeds from sale of assets	5	17	0
Capital contribution to subsidiary	0	0	0
Return of capital from subsidiary from sales of accounts receivable	0	0	0
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities	57	(61)	(112)
Cash flows (used in) provided by financing activities
Net short-term debt (repayments) borrowings	(21)	(3)	14
Borrowings of long-term debt	284	23	96
Repayments of long-term debt	(255)	(40)	(87)
Repayment of advance from affiliates			30
Net Intercompany Loan Borrowings (Repayments)	(176)	(131)	(34)
Capital contribution from parent	13	25
Long-term debt and credit facility financing fees	0	0
Common stock dividends paid	0	0
Return of capital to parent			0
Return of capital to parent from sales of accounts receivable	(95)	278	350
Net cash used in financing activities	(250)	(404)	(331)
Effect of exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents	(4)	(10)	(9)
Decrease in cash and cash equivalents	(15)	33	(76)
Cash and cash equivalents (unrestricted) at beginning of period	166	133	209
Cash and cash equivalents (unrestricted) at end of period	151	166	133
Consolidation, Eliminations [Member]
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	(4)	(19)	(14)
Cash flows provided by (used in) investing activities
Capital expenditures	0	0	0
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Net of Cash Acquired		0	0
Capitalized interest	0	0
Proceeds from the sale of investments, net		0
Proceeds from the sale of (purchases of) debt securities, net			0
Proceeds from the dispositions, net	0
Cash received on buyers note	0
Change in restricted cash	0	0	0
disbursement of affiliated loan			0
repayment of affiliated loan			0
Investments in and Advances to Affiliates, Dividends or Interest	0		0
Proceeds from sale of assets	0	0	0
Capital contribution to subsidiary	22	42	50
Return of capital from subsidiary from sales of accounts receivable	(95)	(278)	(350)
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities	(73)	(236)	(300)
Cash flows (used in) provided by financing activities
Net short-term debt (repayments) borrowings	0	0	0
Borrowings of long-term debt	0	0	0
Repayments of long-term debt	0	0	0
Repayment of advance from affiliates			(50)
Net Intercompany Loan Borrowings (Repayments)	0	0	0
Capital contribution from parent	(22)	(42)
Long-term debt and credit facility financing fees	0	0
Common stock dividends paid	4	19
Return of capital to parent			14
Return of capital to parent from sales of accounts receivable	(95)	(278)	(350)
Net cash used in financing activities	77	255	314
Effect of exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0
Decrease in cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents (unrestricted) at beginning of period	0	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents (unrestricted) at end of period	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0