Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Nov. 20, 2012	Nov. 14, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets [Line Items]
Cash	$ 915	$ 577			$ 385	$ 333
Short-term investments	794	527
Accounts receivable - net	3,648	3,474
Intercompany accounts receivable	0	0
Inventory	2,382	2,336
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	992	986
Total current assets	8,731	7,900
Property, plant and equipment - net	3,833	3,786			2,602
Goodwill	14,495	14,443			5,537
Other intangible assets	7,186	7,580			2,192
Deferred income taxes	240	353
Investment in subsidiaries	0	0
Intercompany loans receivable	0	0
Other assets	1,006	1,748
Total assets	35,491	35,810			17,873
Short-term debt	13	757
Current portion of long-term debt	567	314
Accounts payable	1,960	1,879
Intercompany accounts payable	0	0
Accrued compensation	461	462
Other current liabilities	1,913	2,103
Total current liabilities	4,914	5,515
Long-term debt	8,969	9,765
Pension liabilities	1,465	2,003
Other postretirement benefits liabilities	668	742
Deferred income taxes	1,313	1,548
Intercompany loans payable	0	0
Other noncurrent liabilities	1,299	1,059
Total noncurrent liabilities	13,714	15,117
Eaton shareholders' equity	16,791	15,113
Noncontrolling interests	72	65
Total equity	16,863	15,178			7,492	7,403
Total liabilities and equity	35,491	35,810
Issuance of senior notes			4,900	4,900
Eaton and certain other of Eaton's principal 100% owned subsidiaries full and unconditional guarantee of the Senior Notes, on a joint and several basis			100.00%
Eaton Corporation plc [Member]
Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets [Line Items]
Cash	3	7
Short-term investments	0	0
Accounts receivable - net	0	0
Intercompany accounts receivable	5	38
Inventory	0	0
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	0	0
Total current assets	8	45
Property, plant and equipment - net	0	0
Goodwill	0	0
Other intangible assets	0	0
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Investment in subsidiaries	24,940	20,662
Intercompany loans receivable	0	0
Other assets	0	0
Total assets	24,948	20,707
Short-term debt	0	0
Current portion of long-term debt	0	0
Accounts payable	0	0
Intercompany accounts payable	4	2
Accrued compensation	0	0
Other current liabilities	5	0
Total current liabilities	9	2
Long-term debt	0	0
Pension liabilities	0	0
Other postretirement benefits liabilities	0	0
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Intercompany loans payable	8,148	5,592
Other noncurrent liabilities	0	0
Total noncurrent liabilities	8,148	5,592
Eaton shareholders' equity	16,791	15,113
Noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total equity	16,791	15,113
Total liabilities and equity	24,948	20,707
Eaton Corporation [Member]
Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets [Line Items]
Cash	51	54			120	33
Short-term investments	0	25
Accounts receivable - net	473	654
Intercompany accounts receivable	471	335
Inventory	344	341
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	458	391
Total current assets	1,797	1,800
Property, plant and equipment - net	982	934
Goodwill	1,382	1,382
Other intangible assets	211	231
Deferred income taxes	839	941
Investment in subsidiaries	8,853	7,678
Intercompany loans receivable	8,019	7,650
Other assets	450	459
Total assets	22,533	21,075
Short-term debt	0	753
Current portion of long-term debt	552	303
Accounts payable	440	424
Intercompany accounts payable	3,751	2,794
Accrued compensation	140	129
Other current liabilities	547	523
Total current liabilities	5,430	4,926
Long-term debt	7,693	8,398
Pension liabilities	546	895
Other postretirement benefits liabilities	402	454
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Intercompany loans payable	2,113	1,401
Other noncurrent liabilities	652	440
Total noncurrent liabilities	11,406	11,588
Eaton shareholders' equity	5,697	4,561
Noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total equity	5,697	4,561
Total liabilities and equity	22,533	21,075
Guarantors [Member]
Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets [Line Items]
Cash	10	14			3	6
Short-term investments	134	38
Accounts receivable - net	922	393
Intercompany accounts receivable	3,368	4,683
Inventory	609	602
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	175	245
Total current assets	5,218	5,975
Property, plant and equipment - net	761	777
Goodwill	6,350	6,350
Other intangible assets	3,996	4,094
Deferred income taxes	3	0
Investment in subsidiaries	40,776	21,912
Intercompany loans receivable	2,518	13,262
Other assets	186	124
Total assets	59,808	52,494
Short-term debt	0	0
Current portion of long-term debt	0	8
Accounts payable	380	344
Intercompany accounts payable	3,288	3,099
Accrued compensation	37	74
Other current liabilities	400	411
Total current liabilities	4,105	3,936
Long-term debt	1,266	1,331
Pension liabilities	131	232
Other postretirement benefits liabilities	171	189
Deferred income taxes	1,303	1,397
Intercompany loans payable	18,207	14,857
Other noncurrent liabilities	162	157
Total noncurrent liabilities	21,240	18,163
Eaton shareholders' equity	34,463	30,395
Noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total equity	34,463	30,395
Total liabilities and equity	59,808	52,494
Other Subsidiaries [Member]
Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets [Line Items]
Cash	851	502			262	294
Short-term investments	660	464
Accounts receivable - net	2,253	2,427
Intercompany accounts receivable	4,470	3,887
Inventory	1,466	1,432
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	350	341
Total current assets	10,050	9,053
Property, plant and equipment - net	2,090	2,075
Goodwill	6,763	6,711
Other intangible assets	2,979	3,255
Deferred income taxes	145	195
Investment in subsidiaries	8,473	6,931
Intercompany loans receivable	18,776	14,125
Other assets	370	1,165
Total assets	49,646	43,510
Short-term debt	13	4
Current portion of long-term debt	15	3
Accounts payable	1,140	1,111
Intercompany accounts payable	1,271	3,048
Accrued compensation	284	259
Other current liabilities	965	1,173
Total current liabilities	3,688	5,598
Long-term debt	16	36
Pension liabilities	788	876
Other postretirement benefits liabilities	95	99
Deferred income taxes	757	934
Intercompany loans payable	845	13,187
Other noncurrent liabilities	485	462
Total noncurrent liabilities	2,986	15,594
Eaton shareholders' equity	42,906	22,263
Noncontrolling interests	66	55
Total equity	42,972	22,318
Total liabilities and equity	49,646	43,510
Consolidating Adjustments [Member]
Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets [Line Items]
Cash	0	0			0	0
Short-term investments	0	0
Accounts receivable - net	0	0
Intercompany accounts receivable	(8,314)	(8,943)
Inventory	(37)	(39)
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	9	9
Total current assets	(8,342)	(8,973)
Property, plant and equipment - net	0	0
Goodwill	0	0
Other intangible assets	0	0
Deferred income taxes	(747)	(783)
Investment in subsidiaries	(83,042)	(57,183)
Intercompany loans receivable	(29,313)	(35,037)
Other assets	0	0
Total assets	(121,444)	(101,976)
Short-term debt	0	0
Current portion of long-term debt	0	0
Accounts payable	0	0
Intercompany accounts payable	(8,314)	(8,943)
Accrued compensation	0	0
Other current liabilities	(4)	(4)
Total current liabilities	(8,318)	(8,947)
Long-term debt	(6)	0
Pension liabilities	0	0
Other postretirement benefits liabilities	0	0
Deferred income taxes	(747)	(783)
Intercompany loans payable	(29,313)	(35,037)
Other noncurrent liabilities	0	0
Total noncurrent liabilities	(30,066)	(35,820)
Eaton shareholders' equity	(83,066)	(57,219)
Noncontrolling interests	6	10
Total equity	(83,060)	(57,209)
Total liabilities and equity	$ (121,444)	$ (101,976)