Segment Information (Details 2) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	$ 13,466	$ 12,859
Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	13,582	12,936
Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	1,078	1,062
Construction Industries | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	5,852	5,659
Revenues	5,852	5,659
Construction Industries | Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	21	18
Resource Industries | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	2,647	2,208
Revenues	2,647	2,208
Resource Industries | Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	80	101
Energy & Transportation | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	4,233	4,276
Revenues	4,233	4,276
Energy & Transportation | Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	977	943
All Other | All Other operating segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	37	37
Machinery, Energy & Transportation
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	12,724	12,150
Machinery, Energy & Transportation | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	12,732	12,143
Machinery, Energy & Transportation | Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	(45)	(30)
Revenues	1,078	1,062
Financial Products
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	742	709
Financial Products | Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	(108)	(84)
Financial Products Segment | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	850	793
Financial Products Segment | Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	0	0
Business | Energy & Transportation | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	4,233	4,276
North America
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	6,523	6,093
North America | Machinery, Energy & Transportation | Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	(41)	(28)
North America | Financial Products | Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	(69)	(49)
North America | Business | Construction Industries | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	2,965	2,620
North America | Business | Resource Industries | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	951	798
North America | Business | Energy & Transportation | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	2,151	2,225
North America | Business | All Other | All Other operating segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	8	15
North America | Business | Machinery, Energy & Transportation
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	6,034	5,630
North America | Business | Financial Products
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	489	463
North America | Business | Financial Products Segment | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	558	512
Latin America
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	1,134	1,046
Latin America | Machinery, Energy & Transportation | Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	1	1
Latin America | Financial Products | Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	(11)	(13)
Latin America | Business | Construction Industries | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	319	344
Latin America | Business | Resource Industries | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	423	360
Latin America | Business | Energy & Transportation | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	332	280
Latin America | Business | All Other | All Other operating segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	0	0
Latin America | Business | Machinery, Energy & Transportation
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	1,075	985
Latin America | Business | Financial Products
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	59	61
Latin America | Business | Financial Products Segment | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	70	74
EAME
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	2,607	2,776
EAME | Machinery, Energy & Transportation | Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	(3)	(3)
EAME | Financial Products | Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	(9)	(5)
EAME | Business | Construction Industries | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	1,006	1,067
EAME | Business | Resource Industries | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	468	520
EAME | Business | Energy & Transportation | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	1,032	1,092
EAME | Business | All Other | All Other operating segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	11	4
EAME | Business | Machinery, Energy & Transportation
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	2,514	2,680
EAME | Business | Financial Products
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	93	96
EAME | Business | Financial Products Segment | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	102	101
Asia Pacific
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	3,202	2,944
Asia Pacific | Machinery, Energy & Transportation | Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	(2)	0
Asia Pacific | Financial Products | Corporate items and eliminations
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	(19)	(17)
Asia Pacific | Business | Construction Industries | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	1,562	1,628
Asia Pacific | Business | Resource Industries | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	805	530
Asia Pacific | Business | Energy & Transportation | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	718	679
Asia Pacific | Business | All Other | All Other operating segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	18	18
Asia Pacific | Business | Machinery, Energy & Transportation
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	3,101	2,855
Asia Pacific | Business | Financial Products
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	101	89
Asia Pacific | Business | Financial Products Segment | Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Revenues	120	106
Oil and gas | Energy & Transportation
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	1,131	1,215
Power generation | Energy & Transportation
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	1,036	969
Industrial | Energy & Transportation
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	904	906
Transportation | Energy & Transportation
Sales and revenues by geographic region
Sales and revenues by geographic region	$ 1,162	$ 1,186