Note 8 - Acquisition (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended			0 Months Ended		3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	1 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Jan. 15, 2014		Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014	Oct. 31, 2012	Nov. 30, 2013
Note 8 - Acquisition (Details) [Line Items]
Preferred Stock, Par or Stated Value Per Share (in Dollars per share)	$ 100						$ 100
Preferred Stock, Shares Issued (in Shares)	2,300						2,300
Stock Issued During Period, Value, Acquisitions	$ 1,915,000,000
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration Arrangements, Change in Amount of Contingent Consideration, Asset	249,000,000
Proceeds from Equity Method Investment, Dividends or Distributions	1,704,000,000	630,000,000	1,090,000,000
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Net of Cash Acquired	(66,000,000)	68,000,000	723,000,000
Convertible Preferred Stock, Series A [Member] | Additional Amount Issued at Closing [Member] | Samsung Corning Precision Materials Co., Ltd. [Member]
Note 8 - Acquisition (Details) [Line Items]
Stock Issued During Period, Shares, New Issues (in Shares)				400		400
Convertible Preferred Stock, Series A [Member] | Samsung Corning Precision Materials Co., Ltd. [Member]
Note 8 - Acquisition (Details) [Line Items]
Preferred Stock, Shares Issued (in Shares)				2,300
Share Price (in Dollars per share)				1,000,000
Stock Issued During Period, Shares, Acquisitions (in Shares)				1,900		1,900
Stock Issued During Period, Value, Acquisitions				1,900,000,000
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred, Equity Interests Issued and Issuable				1,900,000,000
Convertible Preferred Stock, Series A [Member]
Note 8 - Acquisition (Details) [Line Items]
Preferred Stock, Par or Stated Value Per Share (in Dollars per share)				100
Revenues Generated by Samsung Corning Precision Materials [Member] | Samsung Corning Precision Materials Co., Ltd. [Member]
Note 8 - Acquisition (Details) [Line Items]
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration Arrangements, Range of Outcomes, Value, High				665,000,000
Volume of Certain Sales [Member] | Samsung Corning Precision Materials Co., Ltd. [Member]
Note 8 - Acquisition (Details) [Line Items]
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration Arrangements, Range of Outcomes, Value, High				100,000,000
Samsung Corning Precision Materials Co., Ltd. [Member] | Samsung Display Co., Ltd. [Member]
Note 8 - Acquisition (Details) [Line Items]
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage									42.50%
Samsung Corning Precision Materials Co., Ltd. [Member]
Note 8 - Acquisition (Details) [Line Items]
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage		57.50%							50.00%
Samsung Corning Precision Materials Co., Ltd. [Member]
Note 8 - Acquisition (Details) [Line Items]
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration, Asset	445,000,000			196,000,000			445,000,000
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration Arrangements, Change in Amount of Contingent Consideration, Asset	249,000,000
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage				57.50%
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred, Equity Interests Issued and Issuable				1,911,000,000
Business Combination, Net Fair Value Of Consideration Including Subsequent Acquisition				4,038,000,000	[1]
Fair Value of Reacquired Right				0
Contractual Royalty Rate				3.00%
Current Market Rate of Royalty Contract				12.00%
Settlement of Preexisting Customer Relationship Including Subsequent Acquisition				320,000,000
Percentage of Loss on Effective Settlement of Contract				100.00%
Settlement of Preexisting Customer Relationship Before Subsequent Acquisition				184,000,000
Business Combination, Net Fair Value of Consideration Before Subsequent Acquisition				2,323,000,000	[1]
Business Combination, Step Acquisition, Equity Interest in Acquiree, Fair Value				2,139,000,000
Settlement of Pre-Existing Customer Relationship				136,000,000
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred				1,579,000,000
Proceeds from Equity Method Investment, Dividends or Distributions				1,574,000,000	[2]
Cash Dividends Paid by Consolidated Subsidiaries				2,800,000,000
Business Combination, Provisional Information, Initial Accounting Incomplete, Adjustment, Consideration Transferred	60,000,000
Business Combination, Acquisition Related Costs	93,000,000
Business Combination, Increase in Net Sales from Consolidation of the Acquiree							1,761,000,000
Purchased Assets [Member]
Note 8 - Acquisition (Details) [Line Items]
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred								739,000,000
Business Combination, Acquisition Related Costs			22,000,000
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Net of Cash Acquired								$ 739,000,000
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life								20 years

[1] As Corning was a 57.5% shareholder at the date of acquisition, immediately preceding the acquisition of Samsung Corning Precision Materials, Corning recognized an asset and respective gain as part of the calculation of its previously held equity investment which included approximately $184 million attributed to its economic interest in the royalty contract.

[2] In conjunction with the Framework Agreement, the parties agreed to have Samsung Corning Precision Materials distribute all cash and cash equivalents as a dividend to the shareholders of record as of December 31, 2013. The dividend was not part of the purchase price as the agreement was to distribute cash and cash equivalents as a dividend to the shareholders as soon as practicable. As such, at acquisition Corning did not have legal title to the cash to be distributed, although the dividend was distributed subsequent to the acquisition date. Therefore, the portion of Corning's share of the $1.6 billion dividend received was accounted for in Corning's consolidated financial statements as if the dividend occurred at or immediately prior to the date of acquisition at which time Samsung Corning Precision Materials was still an equity method investment in Corning's consolidated financial statements.