SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policy)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2016

Consolidation, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Principles of Consolidation and Basis of Presentation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements of The Dow Chemical Company and its subsidiaries (“Dow” or the “Company”) were prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and include the assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses of all majority-owned subsidiaries over which the Company exercises control and, when applicable, entities for which the Company has a controlling financial interest or is the primary beneficiary. Intercompany transactions and balances are eliminated in consolidation. Investments in nonconsolidated affiliates (20-50 percent owned companies, joint ventures and partnerships) are accounted for using the equity method.

New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles [Text Block]

Adoption of Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2015-17, "Income Taxes (Topic 740): Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes" and Other Prior Year Balance Sheet and Footnote Changes

In the first quarter of 2016, the Company early adopted ASU 2015-17. The Company elected to apply the new guidance on a retrospective basis and, as a result, changes have been made to the presentation of deferred income tax assets and liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets at December 31, 2015. See Note 2 for additional information. A change was also made to the prior year consolidated balance sheets to reclassify prepaid tax assets of $293 million to "Other current assets." In addition, a change was made to the prior year consolidated balance sheets to reclassify $51 million from "Asbestos-related insurance receivables - noncurrent" to "Noncurrent receivables." The change was made to conform with current year presentation. A summary of the changes made to the consolidated balance sheets at December 31, 2015, is included in the table that follows.



Summary of Changes to the Consolidated Balance Sheets at December 31, 2015
In millions	As Filed		Updated
Deferred income tax assets - current	$	827	$	—
Other current assets	$	354	$	647
Total current assets	$	24,475	$	23,941
Noncurrent receivables	$	765	$	816
Total investments	$	7,646	$	7,697
Deferred income tax assets - noncurrent	$	1,694	$	2,140
Asbestos-related insurance receivables - noncurrent	$	51	$	—
Total other assets	$	18,051	$	18,446
Total Assets	$	68,026	$	67,938
Deferred income tax liabilities - current	$	100	$	—
Total current liabilities	$	11,215	$	11,115
Deferred income tax liabilities - noncurrent	$	575	$	587
Total other noncurrent liabilities	$	14,413	$	14,425
Total Liabilities and Equity	$	68,026	$	67,938

Certain reclassifications of prior years' footnote disclosure amounts have been made to conform to the 2016 presentation.

RECENT ACCOUNTING GUIDANCE

Recently Adopted Accounting Guidance

In the fourth quarter of 2015, the Company adopted ASU 2015-03, "Interest - Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs," which requires debt issuance costs to be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying value of the associated debt liability, and amortization of those costs should be reported as interest expense. This ASU was effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2015, and early adoption was permitted for financial statements that had not been previously issued. The new guidance required retrospective application for each period presented in the balance sheet. This change is reflected in "Other current assets," "Deferred charges and other assets," "Long-term debt due within one year" and "Long-Term Debt" in the consolidated balance sheets on a retrospective basis and did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In the first quarter of 2016, the Company early adopted ASU 2015-17, "Income Taxes (Topic 740): Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes," which simplifies the presentation of deferred income taxes by requiring that deferred tax liabilities and assets be classified as noncurrent in a classified statement of financial position. This ASU was effective for financial statements issued for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods, and may be applied prospectively or retrospectively, and early adoption was permitted. The change is reflected in "Deferred income tax assets" and "Deferred income tax liabilities" in the consolidated balance sheets on a retrospective basis and did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements. See Note 1 for additional information.

Accounting Guidance Issued But Not Adopted as of December 31, 2016

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued ASU 2014-09, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)," which is the new comprehensive revenue recognition standard that will supersede all existing revenue recognition guidance under U.S. GAAP. The standard's core principle is that a company will recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to a customer in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. ASU 2015-14, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date," which was issued in August 2015, revised the effective date for this ASU to annual and interim periods beginning on or after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted, but not earlier than the original effective date of annual and interim periods beginning on or after December 15, 2016, for public entities. Entities will have the option of using either a full retrospective approach or a modified approach to adopt the guidance in ASU 2014-09.

In May 2014, the FASB and International Accounting Standards Board formed The Joint Transition Resource Group for Revenue Recognition ("TRG"), consisting of financial statement preparers, auditors and users, to seek feedback on potential issues related to the implementation of the new revenue standard. As a result of feedback from the TRG, the FASB has issued additional guidance to provide clarification, implementation guidance and practical expedients to address some of the challenges of implementation. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-08, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net)," which is an amendment on assessing whether an entity is a principal or an agent in a revenue transaction. This amendment addresses issues to clarify the principal versus agent assessment and lead to more consistent application. In April 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-10, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing," which contains amendments to the new revenue recognition standard on identifying performance obligations and accounting for licenses of intellectual property. The amendments related to identifying performance obligations clarify when a promised good or service is separately identifiable and allows entities to disregard items that are immaterial in the context of a contract. The licensing implementation amendments clarify how an entity should evaluate the nature of its promise in granting a license of intellectual property, which will determine whether revenue is recognized over time or at a point in time. In May 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-12, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients," which provides clarity and implementation guidance on assessing collectibility, presentation of sales taxes, noncash consideration, and completed contracts and contract modifications at transition. The new standards have the same effective date and transition requirements as ASU 2014-09.

The Company has a team in place to analyze the impact of ASU 2014-09, and the related ASU's, across all revenue streams to evaluate the impact of the new standard on revenue contracts. This includes reviewing current accounting policies and practices to identify potential differences that would result from applying the requirements under the new standard. In 2016, the Company made significant progress on contract reviews and expects to complete the contract evaluations and validate results by the end of the first quarter of 2017. The Company has also started drafting its accounting policies and evaluating the new disclosure requirements and expects to complete its evaluations of the impacts of the accounting and disclosure requirements on its business processes, controls and systems by the end of the second quarter of 2017. Full implementation will be completed by the end of 2017. Based on analysis completed to date, the Company expects the potential impact on accounting for product sales and licensing arrangements to remain substantially unchanged. The Company expects to adopt the new standard using the modified retrospective approach, under which the cumulative effect of initially applying the new guidance is recognized as an adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings in the first quarter of 2018.

In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-11, "Inventory (Topic 330): Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory," which applies to inventory that is measured using FIFO or average cost. Under the updated guidance, an entity should measure inventory that is within scope at the lower of cost and net realizable value, which is the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal and transportation. Subsequent measurement is unchanged for inventory that is measured using LIFO. This ASU is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and should be applied prospectively with early adoption permitted at the beginning of an interim or annual reporting period. The Company will adopt the new guidance in the first quarter of 2017, and the adoption of this guidance will not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, "Financial Instruments - Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities," which amends the guidance in U.S. GAAP on the classification and measurement of financial instruments. Changes to the current guidance primarily affects the accounting for equity investments, financial liabilities under the fair value option, and the presentation and disclosure requirements for financial instruments. In addition, the ASU clarifies guidance related to the valuation allowance assessment when recognizing deferred tax assets resulting from unrealized losses on available-for-sale debt securities. The new standard is effective for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and upon adoption, an entity should apply the amendments by means of a cumulative-effect adjustment to the balance sheet at the beginning of the first reporting period in which the guidance is effective. Early adoption is not permitted except for the provision to record fair value changes for financial liabilities under the fair value option resulting from instrument-specific credit risk in other comprehensive income. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, "Leases (Topic 842)," which requires organizations that lease assets to recognize on the balance sheet the assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by those leases. The new guidance requires that a lessee recognize assets and liabilities for leases with lease terms of more than twelve months and recognition, presentation and measurement in the financial statements will depend on its classification as a finance or operating lease. In addition, the new guidance will require disclosures to help investors and other financial statement users better understand the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. Lessor accounting remains largely unchanged from current U.S. GAAP but does contain some targeted improvements to align with the new revenue recognition guidance issued in 2014. The new standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018, using a modified retrospective approach, and early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, "Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting," which simplifies several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment awards to employees, including the accounting for income taxes, forfeitures, statutory tax withholding requirements and classification in the statement of cash flows. The new standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2016. Early adoption is permitted in any annual or interim period for which financial statements have not yet been issued, and all amendments in the ASU that apply must be adopted in the same period. The Company will adopt the new guidance in the first quarter of 2017. Under the new guidance, excess tax benefits related to equity compensation will be recognized in the "Provision for income taxes" in the consolidated statements of income rather than in "Additional paid-in capital" in the consolidated balance sheets and will be applied on a prospective basis. Changes to the statements of cash flows related to the classification of excess tax benefits and employee taxes paid for share-based payment arrangements will be implemented on a retrospective basis. The Company does not expect further impacts from the guidance.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, "Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments," which addresses the diversity in practice in how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows with respect to eight specific cash flow issues. The new standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2017. The amendments should be applied using a retrospective transition method to each period presented, if practicable. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period, and any adjustments should be reflected as of the beginning of the fiscal year that includes the interim period. All amendments must be adopted in the same period. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance.

In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-16, "Income Taxes (Topic 740): Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory," which requires an entity to recognize the income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory when the transfer occurs. The amendments are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2017, and should be applied on a modified retrospective basis through a cumulative-effect adjustment directly to retained earnings at the beginning period of adoption. Early adoption is permitted in the first interim period of an annual reporting period for which financial statements have not been issued. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance.

In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18, "Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash (a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force)", which clarifies how entities should present restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents in the statement of cash flows, and, as a result, entities will no longer present transfers between cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents in the statement of cash flows. An entity with a material balance of restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents must disclose information about the nature of the restrictions. The new standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted and the new guidance must be applied retrospectively to all periods presented. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01, "Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business," which provides guidance to entities to assist with evaluating when a set of transferred assets and activities (collectively, the "set") is a business and provides a screen to determine when a set is not a business. Under the new guidance, when substantially all of the fair value of gross assets acquired (or disposed of) is concentrated in a single identifiable asset, or group of similar assets, the assets acquired would not represent a business. Also, to be considered a business, an acquisition would have to include an input and a substantive process that together significantly contribute to the ability to produce outputs. The new standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2017, and should be applied on a prospective basis to any transactions occurring within the period of adoption. Early adoption is permitted for interim or annual periods in which the financial statements have not been issued. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, “Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment,” which eliminates the requirement to determine the fair value of individual assets and liabilities of a reporting unit to measure goodwill impairment. Under the amendments in the new ASU, goodwill impairment testing will be performed by comparing the fair value of the reporting unit with its carrying amount and recognizing an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value. The new standard is effective for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and should be applied on a prospective basis. Early adoption is permitted for annual or interim goodwill impairment testing performed after January 1, 2017. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance.

Accounting Changes [Text Block]

Change in Method of Accounting for Asbestos-Related Matters - Legal Costs

In September 2014, Union Carbide Corporation ("Union Carbide"), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, began to implement a strategy designed to reduce and to ultimately stabilize and forecast defense and processing costs associated with asbestos-related matters. The strategy included a number of important changes including: invoicing protocols including capturing costs by plaintiff and review of existing counsel roles, work processes and workflow. Union Carbide also began utilizing enterprise legal management software, which enabled claim-specific tracking of asbestos-related defense costs. Union Carbide reviewed the information generated from this new strategy and determined that it now had the ability to reasonably estimate asbestos-related defense and processing costs for the same periods that it estimates asbestos-related resolution costs for pending and future claims. Union Carbide believes that including estimates of the liability for asbestos-related defense and processing costs provides a more complete assessment and measure of the liability associated with resolving asbestos-related matters, which Union Carbide and the Company believe is preferable in these circumstances.

In the fourth quarter of 2016, the Company elected to change its method of accounting for Union Carbide's asbestos-related defense and processing costs from expensing as incurred to estimating and accruing a liability. The Company believes this change is preferable as asbestos-related defense and processing costs represent expenditures related to legacy activities that do not contribute to current or future revenue generating activities. The change is also reflective of the manner in which Union Carbide manages the asbestos-related exposure, including careful monitoring of the correlation between defense spending and resolution costs. Together, these two sources of cost more accurately represent the “total cost” of resolving asbestos-related claims now and in the future.

In the fourth quarter of 2016, the Company added a new accounting policy for asbestos-related matters and updated its existing accounting policy for legal costs, as follows:

Asbestos-Related Matters

Accruals for asbestos-related matters, including defense and processing costs, are recorded based on an analysis of claim and resolution activity, defense spending, and pending and future claims. These accruals are assessed at each balance sheet date to determine if the asbestos-related liability remains appropriate. Accruals for asbestos-related matters are included in the consolidated balance sheets in “Accrued and other current liabilities” and “Asbestos-related liabilities - noncurrent.”

Legal Costs

The Company expenses legal costs as incurred, with the exception of defense and processing costs associated with asbestos-related matters.

This accounting policy change has been reflected as a change in accounting estimate effected by a change in accounting principle. As a result of this accounting policy change, the Company recorded a pretax charge for asbestos-related defense and processing costs of $1,009 million in the fourth quarter of 2016, included in “Asbestos-related charge” in the consolidated statements of income (after-tax loss of $636 million or $0.57 per share). The Company’s total asbestos-related liability, including defense and processing costs, was $1,490 million at December 31, 2016, and is included in “Accrued and other current liabilities” and “Asbestos-related liabilities - noncurrent” in the consolidated balance sheets. See Note 15 for additional information.

Asbestos-Related Matters

Legal Costs, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Legal Costs

The Company expenses legal costs as incurred, with the exception of defense and processing costs associated with asbestos-related matters.

Use of Estimates, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Use of Estimates in Financial Statement Preparation

The preparation of financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP requires the use of estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The Company’s consolidated financial statements include amounts that are based on management’s best estimates and judgments. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Foreign Currency Transactions and Translations Policy [Policy Text Block]

Foreign Currency Translation

The local currency has been primarily used as the functional currency throughout the world. Translation gains and losses of those operations that use local currency as the functional currency are included in the consolidated balance sheets in "Accumulated other comprehensive loss" ("AOCL"). For certain subsidiaries, the U.S. dollar is used as the functional currency. This occurs when the subsidiary operates in an economic environment where the products produced and sold are tied to U.S. dollar-denominated markets, or when the foreign subsidiary operates in a hyper-inflationary environment. Where the U.S. dollar is used as the functional currency, foreign currency translation gains and losses are reflected in income.

Environmental Costs, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Environmental Matters

Accruals for environmental matters are recorded when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the liability can be reasonably estimated based on current law and existing technologies. These accruals are adjusted periodically as assessment and remediation efforts progress or as additional technical or legal information becomes available. Accruals for environmental liabilities are included in the consolidated balance sheets in “Accrued and other current liabilities” and “Other noncurrent obligations” at undiscounted amounts. Accruals for related insurance or other third-party recoveries for environmental liabilities are recorded when it is probable that a recovery will be realized and are included in the consolidated balance sheets as “Accounts and notes receivable - Other.”

Environmental costs are capitalized if the costs extend the life of the property, increase its capacity, and/or mitigate or prevent contamination from future operations. Environmental costs are also capitalized in recognition of legal asset retirement obligations resulting from the acquisition, construction and/or normal operation of a long-lived asset. Costs related to environmental contamination treatment and cleanup are charged to expense. Estimated future incremental operations, maintenance and management costs directly related to remediation are accrued when such costs are probable and reasonably estimable.

Cash and Cash Equivalents, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include time deposits and investments with maturities of three months or less at the time of purchase.

Financial Instruments Accounting Policies [Text Block]

Financial Instruments

The Company calculates the fair value of financial instruments using quoted market prices whenever available. When quoted market prices are not available for various types of financial instruments (such as forwards, options and swaps), the Company uses standard pricing models with market-based inputs that take into account the present value of estimated future cash flows.

The Company utilizes derivatives to manage exposures to foreign currency exchange rates, commodity prices and interest rate risk. The fair values of all derivatives are recognized as assets or liabilities at the balance sheet date. Changes in the fair value of these instruments are reported in income or AOCL, depending on the use of the derivative and whether it qualifies for hedge accounting treatment.

Gains and losses on derivatives that are designated and qualify as cash flow hedging instruments are recorded in AOCL, to the extent the hedges are effective, until the underlying transactions are recognized in income. To the extent effective, gains and losses on derivative and nonderivative instruments used as hedges of the Company’s net investment in foreign operations are recorded in AOCL as part of the cumulative translation adjustment. The ineffective portions of cash flow hedges and hedges of net investment in foreign operations, if any, are recognized in income immediately.

Gains and losses on derivatives designated and qualifying as fair value hedging instruments, as well as the offsetting losses and gains on the hedged items, are reported in income in the same accounting period. Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments are marked-to-market at the end of each accounting period with the results included in income.

Inventory, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Inventories

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market. The method of determining cost for each subsidiary varies among last-in, first-out (“LIFO”); first-in, first-out (“FIFO”); and average cost, and is used consistently from year to year.

The Company routinely exchanges and swaps raw materials and finished goods with other companies to reduce delivery time, freight and other transportation costs. These transactions are treated as non-monetary exchanges and are valued at cost.

Property, Plant and Equipment, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Property

Land, buildings and equipment, including property under capital lease agreements, are carried at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is based on the estimated service lives of depreciable assets and is calculated using the straight-line method, unless the asset was capitalized before 1997 when the declining balance method was used. Fully depreciated assets are retained in property and accumulated depreciation accounts until they are removed from service. In the case of disposals, assets and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts, and the net amounts, less proceeds from disposal, are included in income.

Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Impairment and Disposal of Long-Lived Assets

The Company evaluates long-lived assets and certain identifiable intangible assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. When undiscounted future cash flows are not expected to be sufficient to recover an asset’s carrying amount, the asset is written down to its fair value based on bids received from third parties or a discounted cash flow analysis based on market participant assumptions.

Long-lived assets to be disposed of by sale, if material, are classified as held for sale and reported at the lower of carrying amount or fair value less cost to sell, and depreciation is ceased. Long-lived assets to be disposed of other than by sale are classified as held and used until they are disposed of and reported at the lower of carrying amount or fair value, and depreciation is recognized over the remaining useful life of the assets.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

The Company records goodwill when the purchase price of a business combination exceeds the estimated fair value of net identified tangible and intangible assets acquired. Goodwill is tested for impairment at the reporting unit level annually, or more frequently when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the fair value of a reporting unit has more likely than not declined below its carrying value. When testing goodwill for impairment, the Company may first assess qualitative factors. If an initial qualitative assessment identifies that it is more likely than not that the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its estimated fair value, additional quantitative testing is performed. The Company may also elect to skip the qualitative testing and proceed directly to the quantitative testing. If the quantitative testing indicates that goodwill is impaired, the carrying value of goodwill is written down to fair value. The Company primarily utilizes a discounted cash flow methodology to calculate the fair value of its reporting units. See Note 10 for further information on goodwill.

Finite-lived intangible assets such as purchased customer lists, licenses, intellectual property, patents, trademarks and software, are amortized over their estimated useful lives, generally on a straight-line basis for periods ranging primarily from three to twenty years. Intangible assets are reviewed for impairment or obsolescence annually, or more frequently when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an intangible asset may not be recoverable. If impaired, intangible assets are written down to fair value based on discounted cash flows.

Asset Retirement Obligations, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Asset Retirement Obligations

The Company records asset retirement obligations as incurred and reasonably estimable, including obligations for which the timing and/or method of settlement are conditional on a future event that may or may not be within the control of the Company. The fair values of obligations are recorded as liabilities on a discounted basis and are accreted over time for the change in present value. Costs associated with the liabilities are capitalized and amortized over the estimated remaining useful life of the asset, generally for periods of 10 years or less.

Investment, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Investments

Investments in debt and marketable equity securities (including warrants), primarily held by the Company’s insurance operations, are classified as trading, available-for-sale or held-to-maturity. Investments classified as trading are reported at fair value with unrealized gains and losses related to mark-to-market adjustments included in income. Those classified as available-for-sale are reported at fair value with unrealized gains and losses recorded in AOCL. Those classified as held-to-maturity are recorded at amortized cost. The cost of investments sold is determined by FIFO or specific identification. The Company routinely reviews available-for-sale and held-to-maturity securities for other-than-temporary declines in fair value below the cost basis. When events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable, the security is written down to fair value, establishing a new cost basis.

Revenue Recognition, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Revenue

Sales are recognized when the revenue is realized or realizable, and the earnings process is complete. Approximately 99 percent of the Company’s sales in 2016 related to sales of product (99 percent in 2015 and 99 percent in 2014). The remaining 1 percent in 2016 primarily related to the Company’s insurance operations and licensing of patents and technology (1 percent in 2015 and 1 percent in 2014). Revenue for product sales is recognized as risk and title to the product transfer to the customer, which usually occurs at the time shipment is made. As such, title to the product passes when the product is delivered to the freight carrier. Dow’s standard terms of delivery are included in its contracts of sale, order confirmation documents and invoices. Freight costs and any directly related costs of transporting finished product to customers are recorded as “Cost of sales” in the consolidated statements of income.

Revenue related to the Company’s insurance operations includes third-party insurance premiums, which are earned over the terms of the related insurance policies and reinsurance contracts. Revenue related to the initial licensing of patents and technology is recognized when earned; revenue related to running royalties is recognized according to licensee production levels.

Severance Costs [Policy Text Block]

Severance Costs

The Company routinely reviews its operations around the world in an effort to ensure competitiveness across its businesses and geographic areas. When the reviews result in a workforce reduction related to the shutdown of facilities or other optimization activities, severance benefits are provided to employees primarily under Dow’s ongoing benefit arrangements. These severance costs are accrued once management commits to a plan of termination including the number of employees to be terminated, their job classifications or functions, their locations and the expected termination date.

Income Tax, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences of temporary differences between the carrying amounts and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets or liabilities is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.

Annual tax provisions include amounts considered sufficient to pay assessments that may result from examinations of prior year tax returns; however, the amount ultimately paid upon resolution of issues raised may differ from the amounts accrued.

The Company recognizes the financial statement effects of an uncertain income tax position when it is more likely than not, based on the technical merits, that the position will be sustained upon examination. The Company accrues for other tax contingencies when it is probable that a liability to a taxing authority has been incurred and the amount of the contingency can be reasonably estimated. The current portion of uncertain income tax positions is included in “Income taxes payable” and the long-term portion is included in “Other noncurrent obligations” in the consolidated balance sheets.

Provision is made for taxes on undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries and related companies to the extent that such earnings are not deemed to be permanently invested.

Earnings Per Share, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Earnings per Common Share

The calculation of earnings per common share is based on the weighted-average number of the Company’s common shares outstanding for the applicable period. The calculation of diluted earnings per common share reflects the effect of all dilutive potential common shares that were outstanding during the respective periods, unless the effect of doing so is antidilutive.