1.0.0.3 false Statement Of Income Alternative (USD $) In Thousands, except Per Share data false 1 $ false false Shares Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares 0 USD Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 0 USDperShareItemType Divide http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares 0 false 2 $ false false Shares Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares 0 USD Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 0 USDperShareItemType Divide http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares 0 false 3 $ false false Shares Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares 0 USD Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 0 USDperShareItemType Divide http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares 0 false 4 $ false false Shares Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares 0 USD Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 0 USDperShareItemType Divide http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares 0 5 Net sales 3 us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet us-gaap true credit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 true true 2478028000 2478028 false false 2 true true 7090599000 7090599 false false 3 true true 5132347000 5132347 false false 4 true true 12064868000 12064868 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 6 Costs, expenses and other: 3 us-gaap_CostsAndExpensesAbstract us-gaap true na duration string No definition available. false false false false false true false false false 1 false false 0 0 false false 2 false false 0 0 false false 3 false false 0 0 false false 4 false false 0 0 false false No definition available. false 7 Cost of products sold 4 us-gaap_CostOfGoodsSold us-gaap true debit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 2539904000 2539904 false false 2 false true 5879655000 5879655 false false 3 false true 5318228000 5318228 false false 4 false true 9951247000 9951247 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 8 Marketing, administrative and other expenses 4 us-gaap_SellingGeneralAndAdministrativeExpense us-gaap true debit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 106925000 106925 false false 2 false true 220172000 220172 false false 3 false true 232301000 232301 false false 4 false true 389886000 389886 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 9 Interest expense, net 4 us-gaap_InterestIncomeExpenseNet us-gaap true credit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 31957000 31957 false false 2 false true 26734000 26734 false false 3 false true 64322000 64322 false false 4 false true 45079000 45079 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 10 Costs and expenses, Operating and Nonoperating, Total 4 nue_CostsAndExpensesOperatingAndNonoperating nue false debit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 2678786000 2678786 false false 2 false true 6126561000 6126561 false false 3 false true 5614851000 5614851 false false 4 false true 10386212000 10386212 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. true 11 Earnings (loss) before income taxes and noncontrolling interests 3 nue_IncomeLossFromContinuingOperationsBeforeIncomeTaxesMinorityInterest nue false credit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true -200758000 -200758 false false 2 false true 964038000 964038 false false 3 false true -482504000 -482504 false false 4 false true 1678656000 1678656 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. true 12 Provision for (benefit from) income taxes 3 us-gaap_IncomeTaxExpenseBenefit us-gaap true debit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true -72989000 -72989 false false 2 false true 295348000 295348 false false 3 false true -164210000 -164210 false false 4 false true 508441000 508441 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 13 Net earnings (loss) 3 nue_ProfitLoss nue false credit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true -127769000 -127769 false false 2 false true 668690000 668690 false false 3 false true -318294000 -318294 false false 4 false true 1170215000 1170215 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. true 14 Earnings attributable to noncontrolling interests 3 nue_NetIncomeLossAttributableToNoncontrollingInterest nue false debit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 5568000 5568 false false 2 false true 87936000 87936 false false 3 false true 4688000 4688 false false 4 false true 179707000 179707 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 15 Net earnings (loss) attributable to Nucor stockholders 3 us-gaap_NetIncomeLoss us-gaap true credit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 true true -133337000 -133337 false false 2 true true 580754000 580754 false false 3 true true -322982000 -322982 false false 4 true true 990508000 990508 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. true 16 Net earnings per share: 3 us-gaap_EarningsPerShareAbstract us-gaap true na duration string No definition available. false false false false false true false false false 1 false false 0 0 false false 2 false false 0 0 false false 3 false false 0 0 false false 4 false false 0 0 false false No definition available. false 17 Basic 4 us-gaap_EarningsPerShareBasic us-gaap true na duration decimal No definition available. false false false false false false false false true 1 true true -0.43 -0.43 false false 2 true true 1.94 1.94 false false 3 true true -1.03 -1.03 false false 4 true true 3.37 3.37 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 18 Diluted 4 us-gaap_EarningsPerShareDiluted us-gaap true na duration decimal No definition available. false false false false false false false false true 1 true true -0.43 -0.43 false false 2 true true 1.94 1.94 false false 3 true true -1.03 -1.03 false false 4 true true 3.36 3.36 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 19 Average shares outstanding: 3 us-gaap_SharesUsedInComputationOfEarningsLossPerShareAbstract us-gaap true na duration string No definition available. false false false false false true false false false 1 false false 0 0 false false 2 false false 0 0 false false 3 false false 0 0 false false 4 false false 0 0 false false No definition available. false 20 Basic 4 us-gaap_WeightedAverageNumberOfSharesOutstandingBasic us-gaap true na duration shares No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 314752000 314752 false false 2 false true 298262000 298262 false false 3 false true 314532000 314532 false false 4 false true 293291000 293291 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 21 Diluted 4 us-gaap_WeightedAverageNumberOfDilutedSharesOutstanding us-gaap true na duration shares No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 314752000 314752 false false 2 false true 298668000 298668 false false 3 false true 314532000 314532 false false 4 false true 294051000 294051 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 22 Dividends declared per share 3 us-gaap_CommonStockDividendsPerShareDeclared us-gaap true na duration decimal No definition available. false false false false false false false false true 1 true true 0.35 0.35 false false 2 true true 0.52 0.52 false false 3 true true 0.70 0.70 false false 4 true true 1.04 1.04 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false false 4 18 false Thousands Thousands Hundreds false true