EARNINGS PER SHARE CALCULATIONS (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted [Table Text Block]

The following tables provide the earnings per share calculations for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2017 and 2016:

Net Income for Earnings Per Share Calculations - Basic	Three Months Ended
In millions	Mar 31, 2017			Mar 31, 2016
Net income attributable to The Dow Chemical Company	$	888		$	254
Preferred stock dividends (1)	—			(85		)
Net income attributable to participating securities (2)	(4		)	(3		)
Net income attributable to common stockholders	$	884		$	166

Earnings Per Share Calculations - Basic	Three Months Ended
Dollars per share	Mar 31, 2017		Mar 31, 2016
Net income attributable to The Dow Chemical Company	$	0.74	$	0.23
Preferred stock dividends (1)	—		(0.08		)
Net income attributable to participating securities (2)	—		—
Net income attributable to common stockholders	$	0.74	$	0.15

Net Income for Earnings Per Share Calculations - Diluted	Three Months Ended
In millions	Mar 31, 2017			Mar 31, 2016
Net income attributable to The Dow Chemical Company	$	888		$	254
Preferred stock dividends (1) (3)	—			(85		)
Net income attributable to participating securities (2)	(4		)	(3		)
Net income attributable to common stockholders	$	884		$	166

Earnings Per Share Calculations - Diluted	Three Months Ended
Dollars per share	Mar 31, 2017		Mar 31, 2016
Net income attributable to The Dow Chemical Company	$	0.72	$	0.23
Preferred stock dividends (1) (3)	—		(0.08		)
Net income attributable to participating securities (2)	—		—
Net income attributable to common stockholders	$	0.72	$	0.15

Share Count Information	Three Months Ended
Shares in millions	Mar 31, 2017	Mar 31, 2016
Weighted-average common shares - basic	1,202.5	1,102.9
Plus dilutive effect of stock options and awards	19.6	14.4
Weighted-average common shares - diluted	1,222.1	1,117.3
Stock options and deferred stock awards excluded from EPS calculations (4)	1.1	4.4

(1) On December 30, 2016, the Company converted its outstanding shares of Cumulative Convertible Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series A ("Preferred Stock") into shares of the Company's common stock. As a result of this conversion, no shares of Preferred Stock are issued or outstanding.

(2) Deferred stock awards are considered participating securities due to Dow's practice of paying dividend equivalents on unvested shares.

(3) Preferred stock dividends were not added back in the calculation of diluted earnings per share for the three months ended March 31, 2016, because the effect of adding them back would have been antidilutive.

(4) These outstanding options to purchase shares of common stock and deferred stock awards were excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share because the effect of including them would have been antidilutive.