RESTRUCTURING 4Q12 Restructuring (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended													3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended																3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012 employees		Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010		Dec. 31, 2012 Electronic And Functional Materials [Member]		Dec. 31, 2010 Electronic And Functional Materials [Member]		Dec. 31, 2012 Coatings and Infrastructure Solutions [Member]		Dec. 31, 2010 Coatings and Infrastructure Solutions [Member]		Dec. 31, 2012 Coatings and Infrastructure Solutions [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Performance Materials [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Performance Materials [Member]		Dec. 31, 2010 Performance Materials [Member]		Dec. 31, 2012 Performance Plastics [Member]		Dec. 31, 2010 Performance Plastics [Member]		Dec. 31, 2012 Feedstocks and Energy [Member]		Dec. 31, 2010 Feedstocks and Energy [Member]		Dec. 31, 2012 Corporate [Member]		Dec. 31, 2010 Corporate [Member]		Mar. 31, 2012 1Q12 Restructuring [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 1Q12 Restructuring [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 1Q12 Restructuring [Member] Exit Or Disposal Activities [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 1Q12 Restructuring [Member] Exit Or Disposal Activities [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 1Q12 Restructuring [Member] Employee Severance [Member] employees	Dec. 31, 2012 1Q12 Restructuring [Member] Employee Severance [Member] employees	Mar. 31, 2012 1Q12 Restructuring [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 1Q12 Restructuring [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 1Q12 Restructuring [Member] Electronic And Functional Materials [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 1Q12 Restructuring [Member] Electronic And Functional Materials [Member] Exit Or Disposal Activities [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 1Q12 Restructuring [Member] Electronic And Functional Materials [Member] Employee Severance [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 1Q12 Restructuring [Member] Electronic And Functional Materials [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 1Q12 Restructuring [Member] Coatings and Infrastructure Solutions [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 1Q12 Restructuring [Member] Coatings and Infrastructure Solutions [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 1Q12 Restructuring [Member] Coatings and Infrastructure Solutions [Member] Exit Or Disposal Activities [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 1Q12 Restructuring [Member] Coatings and Infrastructure Solutions [Member] Exit Or Disposal Activities [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 1Q12 Restructuring [Member] Coatings and Infrastructure Solutions [Member] Employee Severance [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 1Q12 Restructuring [Member] Coatings and Infrastructure Solutions [Member] Employee Severance [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 1Q12 Restructuring [Member] Coatings and Infrastructure Solutions [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 1Q12 Restructuring [Member] Coatings and Infrastructure Solutions [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 1Q12 Restructuring [Member] Performance Materials [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 1Q12 Restructuring [Member] Performance Materials [Member] Exit Or Disposal Activities [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 1Q12 Restructuring [Member] Performance Materials [Member] Employee Severance [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 1Q12 Restructuring [Member] Performance Materials [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 1Q12 Restructuring [Member] Corporate [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 1Q12 Restructuring [Member] Corporate [Member] Exit Or Disposal Activities [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 1Q12 Restructuring [Member] Corporate [Member] Employee Severance [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 1Q12 Restructuring [Member] Corporate [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Facilities Y	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Exit Or Disposal Activities [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Employee Severance [Member] employees Y	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Electronic And Functional Materials [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Electronic And Functional Materials [Member] Exit Or Disposal Activities [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Electronic And Functional Materials [Member] Employee Severance [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Electronic And Functional Materials [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Coatings and Infrastructure Solutions [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Coatings and Infrastructure Solutions [Member] Exit Or Disposal Activities [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Coatings and Infrastructure Solutions [Member] Employee Severance [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Coatings and Infrastructure Solutions [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Performance Materials [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Performance Materials [Member] Exit Or Disposal Activities [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Performance Materials [Member] Employee Severance [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Performance Materials [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Performance Plastics [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Performance Plastics [Member] Exit Or Disposal Activities [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Performance Plastics [Member] Employee Severance [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Performance Plastics [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Feedstocks and Energy [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Feedstocks and Energy [Member] Exit Or Disposal Activities [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Feedstocks and Energy [Member] Employee Severance [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Feedstocks and Energy [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Corporate [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Corporate [Member] Exit Or Disposal Activities [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Corporate [Member] Employee Severance [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Corporate [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Other Small Manufacturing Facilities [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Other Small Manufacturing Facilities [Member] Electronic And Functional Materials [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Other Small Manufacturing Facilities [Member] Coatings and Infrastructure Solutions [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Other Small Manufacturing Facilities [Member] Performance Materials [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Other Small Manufacturing Facilities [Member] Corporate [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Formulated Systems Manufacturing Facility in Ohio [Member] Performance Materials [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Polyethylene Manufacturing Facility in Belgium [Member] Performance Plastics [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 interconnect Technologies Manufacturing Facilities [Member] Electronic And Functional Materials [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Sodium Borhidrate Manufacturing Facility in The Netherlands [Member] Electronic And Functional Materials [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Certain Oxygenated Solvents Manufacturing Facilities in Texas [Member] Performance Materials [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 DowAutomotiveSystemsDieselParticulateFiltersPlant [Member] Performance Materials [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Dow Kokam LLC [Member] Corporate [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Capital Projects Canceled [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Capital Projects Canceled [Member] Coatings and Infrastructure Solutions [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Capital Projects Canceled [Member] Feedstocks and Energy [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Nippon Unicar Company Limited [Member] Performance Plastics [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Other Assets Written-Off associated with Plant Closures [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Cost, Expected Number of Positions Eliminated																																				900																										2,850
Restructuring Reserve, Settled with Cash																																	$ 127		$ 45		$ 82		$ 0																					$ 8	$ 0	$ 8	$ 0
Restructuring Reserve																																	87		56		31		0																					397	30	367	0
Entity Number of Employees	54,000																																				248																									2,767
Number of Manufacturing Facilities to be impaired and shutdown																																																												20
Restructuring completion																																																												2		2
Restructuring charges	1,343	[1]	0	26	[1]	65	[1]	8	[1]	53	[1]	20	[1]			378	[1]	0	[1]	26	[1]	0	[1]	7	[1]	0	[1]	814	[1]	(2)	[1]	357								17				(4)	41							186				113				990				48				16				192				26				7				701
Exit or disposal activities																																		150							0					0	4						146				0				39				5				0				14				7				0				13
CurtailmentCosts																																																																																					9
ContractCancellationFees																																		149													3						146								25				5								13				7
Other Restructuring Costs																																															1														5												1												4
Severance Costs																																				113						0						0	0					0				113				375				0				0				0				0				0				375
Other Asset Impairment Charges														9	27																	94						94					17							(4)	37				40				0	246			576				43				16				178				19				7				313	42	13	4	20	5	5	10	13	17	36	114	303	8	1	7	9	10
Ownership interest in subsidiary																																																																																																			63.60%
Impairment Impact to Company Net of Taxes and Noncontrolling Interest																																																																																																			189
Charges against reserve																																(90)		0		0		(90)																						(585)	(9)	0	(576)
Restructuring Reserve, Translation Adjustment																																	(2)		(2)		0		0
Restructuring Reserve, Accrual Adjustment																																	$ (4)		$ 0		$ 0		$ (4)											$ (4)

[1] See Note 3 for information regarding restructuring charges.