Segment Information (Details 2) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues by geographic region	$ 732	$ 692	$ 1,441	$ 1,384
Revenues	14,011	11,331	26,870	21,153
Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	14,111	11,406	27,047	21,283
All Other operating segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues		33		70
Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	1,140	933	2,202	1,813
Construction Industries | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	6,137		11,796
Revenues	6,137	4,930	11,796	9,021
Construction Industries | Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	35	29	53	38
Resource Industries | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	2,431		4,639
Revenues	2,431	1,759	4,639	3,429
Resource Industries | Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	95	77	196	168
Energy & Transportation | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	4,714		8,990
Revenues	4,714	3,941	8,990	7,297
Energy & Transportation | Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	1,010	827	1,953	1,607
All Other | All Other operating segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	41		78
Machinery, Energy & Transportation
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	13,279		25,429
Machinery, Energy & Transportation | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	13,282	10,630	25,425	19,747
Machinery, Energy & Transportation | Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	(44)		(74)
Revenues	1,140	933	2,202	1,813
Financial Products
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues by geographic region	732		1,441
Financial Products | Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues by geographic region	(97)		(181)
Financial Products Segment | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues by geographic region	829		1,622
Revenues	829	776	1,622	1,536
Financial Products Segment | Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	0	0	0	0
Business | Energy & Transportation | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	4,714		8,990
Business | Machinery, Energy & Transportation
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues		10,639		19,769
Business | Machinery, Energy & Transportation | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues		10,630		19,747
Business | Machinery, Energy & Transportation | All Other operating segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues		33		70
Business | Financial Products
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues		793		1,570
Business | Financial Products | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues		776		1,536
Business | Financial Products | All Other operating segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues		$ 0		$ 0
North America
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	6,582		12,675
North America | Machinery, Energy & Transportation | Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	(40)		(68)
North America | Financial Products | Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues by geographic region	(57)		(106)
North America | Business | Construction Industries | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	2,739		5,359
North America | Business | Resource Industries | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	804		1,602
North America | Business | Energy & Transportation | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	2,582		4,807
North America | Business | All Other | All Other operating segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	17		32
North America | Business | Machinery, Energy & Transportation
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	6,102		11,732
North America | Business | Financial Products
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues by geographic region	480		943
North America | Business | Financial Products Segment | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues by geographic region	537		1,049
Latin America
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	1,131		2,177
Latin America | Machinery, Energy & Transportation | Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	(3)		(2)
Latin America | Financial Products | Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues by geographic region	(11)		(24)
Latin America | Business | Construction Industries | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	392		736
Latin America | Business | Resource Industries | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	394		754
Latin America | Business | Energy & Transportation | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	287		567
Latin America | Business | All Other | All Other operating segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	1		1
Latin America | Business | Machinery, Energy & Transportation
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	1,071		2,056
Latin America | Business | Financial Products
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues by geographic region	60		121
Latin America | Business | Financial Products Segment | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues by geographic region	71		145
EAME
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	2,991		5,767
EAME | Machinery, Energy & Transportation | Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	0		(3)
EAME | Financial Products | Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues by geographic region	(7)		(12)
EAME | Business | Construction Industries | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	1,171		2,238
EAME | Business | Resource Industries | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	569		1,089
EAME | Business | Energy & Transportation | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	1,153		2,245
EAME | Business | All Other | All Other operating segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	4		8
EAME | Business | Machinery, Energy & Transportation
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	2,897		5,577
EAME | Business | Financial Products
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues by geographic region	94		190
EAME | Business | Financial Products Segment | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues by geographic region	101		202
Asia Pacific
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	3,307		6,251
Asia Pacific | Machinery, Energy & Transportation | Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	(1)		(1)
Asia Pacific | Financial Products | Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues by geographic region	(22)		(39)
Asia Pacific | Business | Construction Industries | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	1,835		3,463
Asia Pacific | Business | Resource Industries | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	664		1,194
Asia Pacific | Business | Energy & Transportation | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	692		1,371
Asia Pacific | Business | All Other | All Other operating segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	19		37
Asia Pacific | Business | Machinery, Energy & Transportation
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	3,209		6,064
Asia Pacific | Business | Financial Products
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues by geographic region	98		187
Asia Pacific | Business | Financial Products Segment | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues by geographic region	120		226
Oil and gas | Energy & Transportation
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	1,467		2,682
Power generation | Energy & Transportation
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	992		1,961
Industrial | Energy & Transportation
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	969		1,875
Transportation | Energy & Transportation
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	$ 1,286		$ 2,472