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Consolidated Statement of Changes in Stockholders' Equity (Parenthetical) (Parentheticals)
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2015
Mar. 31, 2014
Statement of Stockholders' Equity [Abstract]    
Common shares issued from treasury stock for stock-based compensation (in shares) 2,257,067cat_CommonSharesIssuedSharesFromTreasuryStockForStockBasedCompensation 4,522,294cat_CommonSharesIssuedSharesFromTreasuryStockForStockBasedCompensation
Common shares repurchased (in shares) 4,779,963us-gaap_TreasuryStockSharesAcquired 18,110,735us-gaap_TreasuryStockSharesAcquired