EARNINGS PER SHARE CALCULATIONS (Earnings Per Share Calculation - Basic) (Details) - $ / shares		3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
		Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Net income attributable to The Dow Chemical Company, basic		$ 0.72	$ 1.21	$ 3.85	$ 3.58
Preferred stock dividends, basic		(0.08)	(0.08)	(0.23)	(0.23)
Net income attributable to participating securities	[1]	(0.00)	(0.01)	(0.02)	(0.02)
Net income attributable to common stockholders, basic		$ 0.64	$ 1.12	$ 3.60	$ 3.33

[1] Deferred stock awards are considered participating securities due to Dow's practice of paying dividend equivalents on unvested shares.