EARNINGS PER SHARE CALCULATIONS (Earnings Per Share Calculation - Diluted) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011		Dec. 31, 2010		Dec. 31, 2009
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Net income from continuing operations, diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 2.40		$ 2.03		$ 0.54
Income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes, diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 0.00		$ 0.00		$ 0.10
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests, diluted (in dollars per share)	$ (0.03)		$ (0.01)		$ (0.02)
Net income attributable to The Dow Chemical Company, diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 2.37		$ 2.02		$ 0.62
Preferred stock dividends, diluted (in dollars per share)	$ (0.29)	[1]	$ (0.30)	[1]	$ (0.30)	[1]
Net income attributable to participating securities, diluted (in dollars per share)	$ (0.03)	[2]
Earnings per common share - diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 2.05		$ 1.72		$ 0.32

[1] Preferred stock dividends were not added back in the calculation of diluted earnings per share because the effect of adding them back would have been antidilutive.

[2] Accounting Standards Codification Topic 260, "Earnings per Share," requires enterprises with participating securities to use the two-class method to calculate earnings per share and to report the most dilutive earnings per share amount. The Company's deferred stock awards are considered participating securities due to Dow's practice of paying dividend equivalents on unvested shares. The impact on earnings per share in 2010 and 2009 using the two-class method was immaterial.