Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Nov. 20, 2012
Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets [Line Items]
Cash	$ 543	$ 268	$ 781	$ 915
Short-term investments	203	177
Accounts receivable - net	3,560	3,479
Intercompany accounts receivable	0	0
Inventory	2,254	2,323
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	381	369
Total current assets	6,941	6,616
Property, plant and equipment - net	3,443	3,565	3,750
Goodwill	13,201	13,479	13,893
Other intangible assets	5,514	6,014	6,556
Deferred income taxes	360	362
Investment in subsidiaries	0	0
Intercompany loans receivable	0	0
Other assets	960	960
Total assets	30,419	30,996	33,487
Short-term debt	14	426
Current portion of long-term debt	1,552	242
Accounts payable	1,718	1,758
Intercompany accounts payable	0	0
Accrued compensation	379	366
Other current liabilities	1,822	1,833
Total current liabilities	5,485	4,625
Long-term debt	6,711	7,746
Pension liabilities	1,659	1,586
Other postretirement benefits liabilities	368	440
Deferred income taxes	321	390
Intercompany loans payable	0	0
Other noncurrent liabilities	934	978
Total noncurrent liabilities	9,993	11,140
Eaton shareholders' equity	14,897	15,186
Noncontrolling interests	44	45
Total equity	14,941	15,231	15,839	16,863
Total liabilities and equity	30,419	30,996
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	1	0	1	3
Short-term investments	0	0
Accounts receivable - net	0	0
Intercompany accounts receivable	5	1
Inventory	0	0
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	0	0
Total current assets	6	1
Property, plant and equipment - net	0	0
Goodwill	0	0
Other intangible assets	0	0
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Investment in subsidiaries	32,795	29,627
Intercompany loans receivable	0	0
Other assets	0	0
Total assets	32,801	29,628
Short-term debt	0	0
Current portion of long-term debt	0	0
Accounts payable	1	0
Intercompany accounts payable	281	219
Accrued compensation	0	0
Other current liabilities	1	1
Total current liabilities	283	220
Long-term debt	0	0
Pension liabilities	0	0
Other postretirement benefits liabilities	0	0
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Intercompany loans payable	17,621	14,222
Other noncurrent liabilities	0	0
Total noncurrent liabilities	17,621	14,222
Eaton shareholders' equity	14,897	15,186
Noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total equity	14,897	15,186
Total liabilities and equity	32,801	29,628
Eaton Corporation [Member]
Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets [Line Items]
Cash	92	26	173	51
Short-term investments	0	0
Accounts receivable - net	536	512
Intercompany accounts receivable	954	842
Inventory	342	357
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	77	77
Total current assets	2,001	1,814
Property, plant and equipment - net	857	930
Goodwill	1,355	1,355
Other intangible assets	169	182
Deferred income taxes	904	1,016
Investment in subsidiaries	13,743	12,931
Intercompany loans receivable	7,605	8,641
Other assets	491	492
Total assets	27,125	27,361
Short-term debt	0	408
Current portion of long-term debt	1,250	1
Accounts payable	372	392
Intercompany accounts payable	3,870	4,009
Accrued compensation	98	77
Other current liabilities	591	644
Total current liabilities	6,181	5,531
Long-term debt	5,767	7,053
Pension liabilities	610	639
Other postretirement benefits liabilities	198	245
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Intercompany loans payable	2,603	2,962
Other noncurrent liabilities	327	346
Total noncurrent liabilities	9,505	11,245
Eaton shareholders' equity	11,439	10,585
Noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total equity	11,439	10,585
Total liabilities and equity	27,125	27,361
Guarantors [Member]
Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets [Line Items]
Cash	4	7	13	10
Short-term investments	0	2
Accounts receivable - net	1,049	1,036
Intercompany accounts receivable	4,023	3,903
Inventory	642	658
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	42	41
Total current assets	5,760	5,647
Property, plant and equipment - net	706	751
Goodwill	6,293	6,295
Other intangible assets	3,442	3,634
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Investment in subsidiaries	72,938	60,216
Intercompany loans receivable	2,061	1,573
Other assets	134	122
Total assets	91,334	78,238
Short-term debt	8	0
Current portion of long-term debt	296	240
Accounts payable	252	266
Intercompany accounts payable	3,115	2,380
Accrued compensation	58	53
Other current liabilities	291	319
Total current liabilities	4,020	3,258
Long-term debt	936	675
Pension liabilities	161	165
Other postretirement benefits liabilities	99	118
Deferred income taxes	732	818
Intercompany loans payable	44,788	36,436
Other noncurrent liabilities	211	200
Total noncurrent liabilities	46,927	38,412
Eaton shareholders' equity	40,387	36,568
Noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total equity	40,387	36,568
Total liabilities and equity	91,334	78,238
Other Subsidiaries [Member]
Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets [Line Items]
Cash	446	235	594	851
Short-term investments	203	175
Accounts receivable - net	1,975	1,931
Intercompany accounts receivable	3,633	3,033
Inventory	1,349	1,388
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	237	228
Total current assets	7,843	6,990
Property, plant and equipment - net	1,880	1,884
Goodwill	5,553	5,829
Other intangible assets	1,903	2,198
Deferred income taxes	228	218
Investment in subsidiaries	12,516	9,968
Intercompany loans receivable	56,598	44,835
Other assets	335	346
Total assets	86,856	72,268
Short-term debt	6	18
Current portion of long-term debt	6	1
Accounts payable	1,093	1,100
Intercompany accounts payable	1,349	1,171
Accrued compensation	223	236
Other current liabilities	941	874
Total current liabilities	3,618	3,400
Long-term debt	8	17
Pension liabilities	888	782
Other postretirement benefits liabilities	71	77
Deferred income taxes	361	444
Intercompany loans payable	1,252	1,429
Other noncurrent liabilities	396	432
Total noncurrent liabilities	2,976	3,181
Eaton shareholders' equity	80,224	65,650
Noncontrolling interests	38	37
Total equity	80,262	65,687
Total liabilities and equity	86,856	72,268
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	(8,615)	(7,779)
Inventory	(79)	(80)
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	25	23
Total current assets	(8,669)	(7,836)
Property, plant and equipment - net	0	0
Goodwill	0	0
Other intangible assets	0	0
Deferred income taxes	(772)	(872)
Investment in subsidiaries	(131,992)	(112,742)
Intercompany loans receivable	(66,264)	(55,049)
Other assets	0	0
Total assets	(207,697)	(176,499)
Short-term debt	0	0
Current portion of long-term debt	0	0
Accounts payable	0	0
Intercompany accounts payable	(8,615)	(7,779)
Accrued compensation	0	0
Other current liabilities	(2)	(5)
Total current liabilities	(8,617)	(7,784)
Long-term debt	0	1
Pension liabilities	0	0
Other postretirement benefits liabilities	0	0
Deferred income taxes	(772)	(872)
Intercompany loans payable	(66,264)	(55,049)
Other noncurrent liabilities	0	0
Total noncurrent liabilities	(67,036)	(55,920)
Eaton shareholders' equity	(132,050)	(112,803)
Noncontrolling interests	6	8
Total equity	(132,044)	(112,795)
Total liabilities and equity	$ (207,697)	$ (176,499)