RESTRUCTURING 2015 (Details) $ in Millions		3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($) employees	Jun. 30, 2015 USD ($) employees	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($) employees		Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($) employees		Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($)
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges	[1]			$ 452		$ 415		$ (3)
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest				$ (86)		(98)		(67)
Entity Number of Employees | employees				56,000
Agricultural Sciences [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges				$ 5	[1]	16	[1]	0
Consumer Solutions [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges				29	[1]	67	[1]	0
Infrastructure Solutions [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges				94	[1]	26	[1]	0
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Investments and Other Assets		$ 87
Performance Plastics [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges				10	[1]	12	[1]	0
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Investments and Other Assets		57
2Q15 Restructuring [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges			$ 375
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Charges against the reserve				3		(169)
Restructuring Reserve, Accrual Adjustment		40		3		40
Restructuring Reserve, Foreign Currency Translation Gain (Loss)						(1)
Cash payments				(106)		(92)
Restructuring Reserve		$ 153		53		153
2Q15 Restructuring [Member] | Employee Severance [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Cost, Expected Number of Positions Eliminated | employees		500	1,750
Severance Costs			$ 196
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Charges against the reserve				0		0
Restructuring Reserve, Accrual Adjustment				0		39
Restructuring Reserve, Foreign Currency Translation Gain (Loss)						0
Cash payments				(98)		(92)
Restructuring Reserve		$ 143		$ 45		$ 143
Entity Number of Employees | employees		1,250		290		1,250
Payments for Restructuring, life to date				$ (190)
2Q15 Restructuring [Member] | Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Other Assets [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Investments and Other Assets			169
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Charges against the reserve				3		$ (169)
Restructuring Reserve, Accrual Adjustment				(3)		0
Restructuring Reserve, Foreign Currency Translation Gain (Loss)						0
Cash payments				0		0
Restructuring Reserve		$ 0		0		0
2Q15 Restructuring [Member] | Costs Associated with Exit and Disposal Activities [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities			10
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Charges against the reserve				0		0
Restructuring Reserve, Accrual Adjustment		1		6		1
Restructuring Reserve, Foreign Currency Translation Gain (Loss)						(1)
Cash payments				(8)		0
Restructuring Reserve		10		8		10
2Q15 Restructuring [Member] | Agricultural Sciences [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges			14
2Q15 Restructuring [Member] | Agricultural Sciences [Member] | Employee Severance [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Severance Costs			0
2Q15 Restructuring [Member] | Agricultural Sciences [Member] | Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Other Assets [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Investments and Other Assets			8
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Restructuring Reserve, Accrual Adjustment		1
2Q15 Restructuring [Member] | Agricultural Sciences [Member] | Costs Associated with Exit and Disposal Activities [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities			6
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Restructuring Reserve, Accrual Adjustment		1		5
2Q15 Restructuring [Member] | Consumer Solutions [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges			67
2Q15 Restructuring [Member] | Consumer Solutions [Member] | Employee Severance [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Severance Costs			0
2Q15 Restructuring [Member] | Consumer Solutions [Member] | Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Other Assets [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Investments and Other Assets			65
2Q15 Restructuring [Member] | Consumer Solutions [Member] | Costs Associated with Exit and Disposal Activities [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities			2
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Restructuring Reserve, Accrual Adjustment				1
2Q15 Restructuring [Member] | Infrastructure Solutions [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges			27
2Q15 Restructuring [Member] | Infrastructure Solutions [Member] | Employee Severance [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Severance Costs			0
2Q15 Restructuring [Member] | Infrastructure Solutions [Member] | Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Other Assets [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Investments and Other Assets			25
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Restructuring Reserve, Accrual Adjustment		(1)		(3)
2Q15 Restructuring [Member] | Infrastructure Solutions [Member] | Costs Associated with Exit and Disposal Activities [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities			2
2Q15 Restructuring [Member] | Performance Plastics [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges			12
2Q15 Restructuring [Member] | Performance Plastics [Member] | Employee Severance [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Severance Costs			0
2Q15 Restructuring [Member] | Performance Plastics [Member] | Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Other Assets [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Investments and Other Assets			12
2Q15 Restructuring [Member] | Performance Plastics [Member] | Costs Associated with Exit and Disposal Activities [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities			0
2Q15 Restructuring [Member] | Corporate Segment [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges			255
2Q15 Restructuring [Member] | Corporate Segment [Member] | Employee Severance [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Severance Costs			196
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Restructuring Reserve, Accrual Adjustment		$ 39
2Q15 Restructuring [Member] | Corporate Segment [Member] | Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Other Assets [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Investments and Other Assets			59
2Q15 Restructuring [Member] | Corporate Segment [Member] | Costs Associated with Exit and Disposal Activities [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities			0
Shut Down of Dow Electronics Materials Facilities and Assets [Member] | Consumer Solutions [Member] | Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Other Assets [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Investments and Other Assets			51
Shut Down and Consolidation of Dow Building and Construction Assets [Member] | Infrastructure Solutions [Member] | Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Other Assets [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Investments and Other Assets			15
Write Down of Consumer Care Assets [Member] | Consumer Solutions [Member] | Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Other Assets [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Investments and Other Assets			14
Shut Down of Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics Facilities [Member] | Performance Plastics [Member] | Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Other Assets [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Investments and Other Assets			12
Shut Down of Small Manufacturing Facilities [Member] | Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Other Assets [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Investments and Other Assets			14
Shut Down of Small Manufacturing Facilities [Member] | Infrastructure Solutions [Member] | Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Other Assets [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Investments and Other Assets			10
Shut Down of Small Manufacturing Facilities [Member] | Corporate Segment [Member] | Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Other Assets [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Investments and Other Assets			4
Write Down of Certain Venture Capital Investments [Member] | Corporate Segment [Member] | Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Other Investments and Other Assets [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Investments and Other Assets			55	4		55
Noncontrolling Interests [Member]
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest				$ (86)		$ (98)		$ (67)
Noncontrolling Interests [Member] | 2Q15 Restructuring [Member]
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest			$ (14)

[1] See Note 3 for information regarding the Company's restructuring programs.