The number of group presidents that comprise the reporting entity's executive office.

No definition available.

Name:	cat_NumberOfGroupPresidents
Namespace Prefix:	cat_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Represents the number of operating segments that are led by the group president who is responsible for corporate services.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	cat_NumberOfOperatingSegmentsLedByGroupPresidentResponsibleForCorporateServices
Namespace Prefix:	cat_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Represents the number of operating segments which are led by group presidents.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	cat_NumberOfOperatingSegmentsLedByGroupPresidents
Namespace Prefix:	cat_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Represents the number of smaller operating segments that are led by the group president.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	cat_NumberOfSmallerOperatingSegmentsLedByGroupPresident
Namespace Prefix:	cat_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Represents the useful life used to amortize goodwill to allocate to segments assets.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	cat_UsefulLifeToAmortizeGoodwillToSegmentAssets
Namespace Prefix:	cat_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Number of operating segments. An operating segment is a component of an enterprise: (a) that engages in business activities from which it may earn revenues and incur expenses (including revenues and expenses relating to transactions with other components of the same enterprise), (b) whose operating results are regularly reviewed by the enterprise's chief operating decision maker to make decisions about resources to be allocated to the segment and assess its performance, and (c) for which discrete financial information is available. An operating segment may engage in business activities for which it has yet to earn revenues, for example, start-up operations may be operating segments before earning revenues.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/exampleRef
-Topic 280
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 55
-Paragraph 49
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/1943274/2147482785/280-10-55-49

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2009/role/commonPracticeRef
-Topic 280
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 50
-Paragraph 18
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/1943274/2147482810/280-10-50-18

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_NumberOfOperatingSegments
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Number of segments reported by the entity. A reportable segment is a component of an entity for which there is an accounting requirement to report separate financial information on that component in the entity's financial statements.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/exampleRef
-Topic 280
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 55
-Paragraph 47
-Subparagraph (a)
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/1943274/2147482785/280-10-55-47

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/exampleRef
-Topic 280
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 55
-Paragraph 54
-Subparagraph (e)
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/1943274/2147482785/280-10-55-54

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2009/role/commonPracticeRef
-Topic 280
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 50
-Paragraph 18
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/1943274/2147482810/280-10-50-18

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_NumberOfReportableSegments
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Indicates line item in statement of income or comprehensive income that includes restructuring charges.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/recommendedDisclosureRef
-Topic 420
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section S99
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (SAB Topic 5.P.4.c)
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/1943274/2147479823/420-10-S99-2

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/recommendedDisclosureRef
-Topic 420
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (c)
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/1943274/2147482017/420-10-50-1

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_RestructuringIncurredCostStatementOfIncomeOrComprehensiveIncomeExtensibleEnumeration
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	enum2:enumerationSetItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_SegmentReportingInformationLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_SubsegmentsConsolidationItemsAxis=us-gaap_ReportableSubsegmentsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_SubsegmentsConsolidationItemsAxis=cat_NonreportableSubsegmentsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

Segment information (Details)	12 Months Ended
Segment information (Details)	Dec. 31, 2024 segment group_president	Dec. 31, 2023	Dec. 31, 2022
Segment Reporting Information
Number of group presidents \| group_president	4
Number of operating segments	5
Useful life to amortize goodwill for segment assets	20 years
Restructuring Charges, Statement of Income or Comprehensive Income [Extensible Enumeration]	Other Operating Income (Expense), Net	Other Operating Income (Expense), Net	Other Operating Income (Expense), Net
Reportable Subsegments
Segment Reporting Information
Number of operating segments led by Group Presidents	3
Number of operating segments led by Group president responsible for corporate services	1
Number of reportable segments	4
All Other Segment
Segment Reporting Information
Number of group presidents \| group_president	1
Number of smaller operating segments led by Group President \| group_president	1