RESTRUCTURING 4Q12 Restructuring (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended									3 Months Ended	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	15 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	15 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	15 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	15 Months Ended	3 Months Ended																			12 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013 employees		Dec. 31, 2012		Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2013 Electronic And Functional Materials [Member]		Dec. 31, 2012 Electronic And Functional Materials [Member]		Dec. 31, 2013 Coatings and Infrastructure Solutions [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Coatings and Infrastructure Solutions [Member]		Dec. 31, 2012 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, 2013 Performance Materials [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Performance Materials [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Performance Materials [Member]		Dec. 31, 2012 Performance Materials [Member]		Dec. 31, 2013 Corporate Segment [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Segment Reconciling Items [Member]		Dec. 31, 2012 Segment Reconciling Items [Member]		Dec. 31, 2013 Performance Plastics [Member]		Dec. 31, 2012 Performance Plastics [Member]		Dec. 31, 2013 Feedstocks and Energy [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Feedstocks and Energy [Member]		Dec. 31, 2012 Feedstocks and Energy [Member]		Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Facilities	Dec. 31, 2013 4Q12 Restructuring [Member]	Dec. 30, 2013 4Q12 Restructuring [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Exit Or Disposal Activities [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Exit Or Disposal Activities [Member]	Dec. 30, 2013 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Exit Or Disposal Activities [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Employee Severance [Member] employees	Dec. 31, 2013 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Employee Severance [Member] employees	Dec. 30, 2013 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Employee Severance [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Dec. 30, 2013 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] Corporate Segment [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Corporate Segment [Member] Exit Or Disposal Activities [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Corporate Segment [Member] Employee Severance [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Corporate Segment [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Performance Plastics [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, 2013 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Performance Plastics [Member] Exit Or Disposal Activities [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Performance Plastics [Member] Employee Severance [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Performance Plastics [Member] Employee Severance [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 4Q12 Restructuring [Member] Performance Plastics [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [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 Dow Kokam LLC [Member] Corporate Segment [Member] Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Assets and Equity Method Investments [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Dow Kokam LLC [Member] Segment Reconciling Items [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 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 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 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 Polyethylene Manufacturing Facility in Belgium [Member] Performance Plastics [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 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 Segment [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																																										2,850
Number of Manufacturing Facilities to be impaired and shutdown																																				20
Restructuring Reserve, Settled with Cash																																				$ 8	$ (233)		$ 0	$ 5		$ 8	$ (228)	$ 236	$ 0	$ 0
Restructuring Reserve																																				397	158		30	19		367	139		0	0
Entity Number of Employees	53,000																																										759
Restructuring charges	(22)	[1]	1,343	[1]	0	0	[1]	65	[1]		(1)	[1]	53	[1]				(15)	[1]	378	[1]		0	[1]	814	[1]	(6)	[1]	26	[1]		0	[1]	7	[1]	990		984										48				16				192				701					26							7
Exit or disposal activities																																							39		33								5				0				14				13					7							0
CurtailmentCosts																																																													9
ContractCancellationFees																																							25										5								13									7
Other Restructuring Costs																																							5																		1				4
Severance Costs																																										375		375						0				0				0				375							0					0
Other Asset Impairment Charges										61					9	36	27					15									66					246									576		576				43				16				178				313								19				7	303		114	36	17	13	10	5	42	13	4	20	5	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																																				(585)			(9)			0			(576)
Restructuring Reserve, Accrual Adjustment																																					$ (6)			$ (6)			$ 0			$ 0																		$ (6)			$ (6)	$ 0		$ 0

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