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Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Registrant Name dei_EntityRegistrantName T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation Fund, Inc.
Prospectus Date rr_ProspectusDate May 01, 2020
T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation Fund  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Risk/Return [Heading] rr_RiskReturnHeading T. ROWE PRICE Capital Appreciation Fund Investor Class I Class Advisor Class SUMMARY
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment Objective(s)
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock The fund seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily in common stocks. It may also hold fixed income and other securities to help preserve principal value.
Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading Fees and Expenses
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the fund. You may also incur brokerage commissions and other charges when buying or selling shares of the Investor Class or I Class, which are not reflected in the table.
Shareholder Fees Caption [Text] rr_ShareholderFeesCaption Fees and Expenses of the Fund Shareholder fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Operating Expenses Caption [Text] rr_OperatingExpensesCaption Annual fund operating expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination April 30, 2021
Portfolio Turnover [Heading] rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading Portfolio Turnover
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block] rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when the fund’s shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 44.8% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 44.80%
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods, that your investment has a 5% return each year, and that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The example also assumes that any current expense limitation arrangement remains in place for the period noted in the table above; therefore, the figures have been adjusted to reflect fee waivers or expense reimbursements only in the periods for which the expense limitation arrangement is expected to continue. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading Investments, Risks, and Performance Principal Investment Strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock The fund normally invests at least 50% of its total assets in stocks and the remaining assets are generally invested in convertible securities, corporate and government debt (including mortgage- and asset-backed securities), and bank loans (which represent an interest in amounts owed by a borrower to a syndicate of lenders) in keeping with the fund’s objective. The fund may also invest up to 25% of its total assets in foreign securities.

The fund’s investments in stocks generally fall into one of two categories: the larger category comprises long-term core holdings whose prices when we buy them are considered low in terms of company assets, earnings, or other factors; the smaller category comprises opportunistic investments whose prices we expect to rise in the short term but not necessarily over the long term. There are no limits on the market capitalization of the issuers of the stocks in which the fund invests. Since we attempt to prevent losses as well as achieve gains, we typically use a value approach in selecting investments. Our in-house research team seeks to identify companies that seem undervalued by various measures, such as price/book value, and may be temporarily out of favor but we believe have good prospects for capital appreciation. We may establish relatively large positions in companies we find particularly attractive.

We work as hard to reduce risk as to maximize gains and may seek to realize gains rather than lose them in market declines. In addition, we search for attractive risk/reward values among all types of securities. The portion of the fund invested in a particular type of security, such as common stocks, results largely from case-by-case investment decisions, and the size of the fund’s cash reserves may reflect the portfolio manager’s ability to find companies that meet valuation criteria rather than his market outlook.

The fund may purchase bonds, convertible securities and bank loans for their income or other features or to gain additional exposure to a company. Maturity and quality are not necessarily major considerations and there are no limits on the maturities or credit ratings of the debt instruments in which the fund invests. The fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in noninvestment-grade corporate bonds (also known as “junk bonds”) and other debt instruments that are rated noninvestment grade. If a security is split rated (i.e., rated investment grade by at least one rating agency and noninvestment grade by another rating agency), the higher rating will be used for purposes of this requirement. In addition, the fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in mortgage- and asset-backed securities. The fund also writes (i.e., sells) call options, primarily in an effort to protect against downside risk or to generate additional income.

The fund may sell securities for a variety of reasons, such as to secure gains, limit losses, or redeploy assets into more promising opportunities.
Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading Principal Risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock As with any fund, there is no guarantee that the fund will achieve its objective(s). The fund’s share price fluctuates, which means you could lose money by investing in the fund. The principal risks of investing in this fund, which may be even greater during periods of market disruption or volatility, are summarized as follows:

Market conditions The value of the fund’s investments may decrease, sometimes rapidly or unexpectedly, due to factors affecting an issuer held by the fund, particular industries, or the overall securities markets. A variety of factors can increase the volatility of the fund’s holdings and markets generally, including political or regulatory developments, recessions, inflation, rapid interest rate changes, war or acts of terrorism, natural disasters, and outbreaks of infectious illnesses or other widespread public health issues. Certain events may cause instability across global markets, including reduced liquidity and disruptions in trading markets, while some events may affect certain geographic regions, countries, sectors, and industries more significantly than others. These adverse developments may cause broad declines in market value due to short-term market movements or for significantly longer periods during more prolonged market downturns.

Stock investing Stocks generally fluctuate in value more than bonds and may decline significantly over short time periods. There is a chance that stock prices overall will decline because stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising and falling prices. The value of stocks held by the fund may decline due to general weakness or volatility in the stock markets in which the fund invests or because of factors that affect a particular company or industry.

Value investing The fund’s value approach to investing could cause it to underperform other stock funds that employ a different investment style. The intrinsic value of a stock with value characteristics may not be fully recognized by the market for a long time or a stock judged to be undervalued may be appropriately priced at a low level. Value stocks may fail to appreciate for long periods and may never reach what the adviser believes are their full market values.

Fixed income markets Economic and other market developments can adversely affect the fixed income securities markets. At times, participants in these markets may develop concerns about the ability of certain issuers of debt instruments to make timely principal and interest payments, or they may develop concerns about the ability of financial institutions that make markets in certain debt instruments to facilitate an orderly market. Those concerns could cause increased volatility and reduced liquidity in particular securities or in the overall fixed income markets and the related derivatives markets. A lack of liquidity or other adverse credit market conditions may hamper the fund’s ability to sell the debt instruments in which it invests or to find and purchase suitable debt instruments.

Credit quality An issuer of a debt instrument could suffer an adverse change in financial condition that results in a payment default (failure to make scheduled interest or principal payments), rating downgrade, or inability to meet a financial obligation. Securities that are rated below investment grade carry greater risk of default and should be considered speculative.

Interest rates The prices of, and the income generated by, debt instruments held by the fund may be affected by changes in interest rates. A rise in interest rates typically causes the price of a fixed rate debt instrument to fall and its yield to rise. Conversely, a decline in interest rates typically causes the price of a fixed rate debt instrument to rise and the yield to fall. Generally, funds with longer weighted average maturities and durations carry greater interest rate risk.

Convertible securities Convertible securities are subject to risks associated with both equity and fixed income securities, including market risk, credit risk, and interest rate risk. In addition, convertible securities may be called back by the issuer prior to maturity at a price that is disadvantageous to the fund.

Sector exposure At times, the fund may have a significant portion of its assets invested in securities of issuers conducting business in a broadly related group of industries within the same economic sector. Issuers in the same economic sector may be similarly affected by economic or market events, making the fund more vulnerable to unfavorable developments in that economic sector than funds that invest more broadly.

Investments in the technology sector are susceptible to intense competition, government regulation, changing consumer preferences, and dependency on patent protection.

Investments in the healthcare sector are susceptible to intense competition, regulatory changes and government approvals, product liability, and product obsolescence.

Bank loans Investments in bank loans expose the fund to additional risks beyond those normally associated with more traditional debt instruments. The fund’s ability to receive payments in connection with the loan depends primarily on the financial condition of the borrower and whether or not a loan is secured by collateral, although there is no assurance that the collateral securing a loan will be sufficient to satisfy the loan obligation. In addition, bank loans often have contractual restrictions on resale, which can delay the sale and adversely impact the sale price. Transactions involving bank loans may have significantly longer settlement periods than more traditional investments (settlement can take longer than 7 days) and often involve borrowers whose financial condition is troubled or highly leveraged, which increases the risk that the fund may not receive its proceeds in a timely manner or that the fund may incur losses in order to pay redemption proceeds to its shareholders. In addition, loans are not registered under the federal securities laws like stocks and bonds, so investors in loans have less protection against improper practices than investors in registered securities.

Options The use of options subjects the fund to additional volatility and potential losses. Writing call options exposes the fund to the risk that the underlying security may not move in the direction anticipated by the portfolio manager, requiring the fund to buy or sell the security at a price that is disadvantageous to the fund. Certain call options carry a potentially unlimited risk of loss.

Junk investing Investments in bonds that are rated below investment grade, commonly referred to as junk bonds, and loans that are rated below investment grade, expose the fund to greater volatility and credit risk than investments in securities that are rated investment-grade. Issuers of junk bonds and loans are usually not as strong financially and are more likely to suffer an adverse change in financial condition that would result in the inability to meet a financial obligation. As a result, bonds and loans rated below investment grade carry a higher risk of default and should be considered speculative.

Foreign investing Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers may be adversely affected by local, political, social, and economic conditions overseas, greater volatility, reduced liquidity, or decreases in foreign currency values relative to the U.S. dollar. The risks of investing outside the U.S. are heightened for any investments in emerging markets, which are susceptible to greater volatility than investments in developed markets.

Active management The fund’s overall investment program and holdings selected by the fund’s investment adviser may underperform the broad markets, relevant indices, or other funds with similar objectives and investment strategies.
Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney The fund’s share price fluctuates, which means you could lose money by investing in the fund.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading Performance
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock The following performance information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The fund’s performance information represents only past performance (before and after taxes) and is not necessarily an indication of future results.

The following bar chart illustrates how much returns can differ from year to year by showing calendar year returns and the best and worst calendar quarter returns during those years for the fund’s Investor Class. Returns for other share classes vary since they have different expenses.
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns The following performance information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The following bar chart illustrates how much returns can differ from year to year by showing calendar year returns and the best and worst calendar quarter returns during those years for the fund’s Investor Class. Returns for other share classes vary since they have different expenses. The following table shows the average annual total returns for each class of the fund that has been in operation for at least one full calendar year, and also compares the returns with the returns of a relevant broad-based market index, as well as with the returns of one or more comparative indexes that have investment characteristics similar to those of the fund, if applicable.
Performance Availability Website Address [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress troweprice.com
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text] rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture The fund’s performance information represents only past performance (before and after taxes) and is not necessarily an indication of future results.
Bar Chart [Heading] rr_BarChartHeading CAPITAL APPRECIATION FUND Calendar Year Returns
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock
  Quarter Ended    Total Return  Quarter Ended     Total Return
Best Quarter             3/31/19             11.91%      Worst Quarter            9/30/11            -11.27%
Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading Average Annual Total Returns Periods ended December 31, 2019
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as a 401(k) account or an IRA.
Performance Table One Class of after Tax Shown [Text] rr_PerformanceTableOneClassOfAfterTaxShown After-tax returns are shown only for the Investor Class and will differ for other share classes.
Performance Table Narrative rr_PerformanceTableNarrativeTextBlock The following table shows the average annual total returns for each class of the fund that has been in operation for at least one full calendar year, and also compares the returns with the returns of a relevant broad-based market index, as well as with the returns of one or more comparative indexes that have investment characteristics similar to those of the fund, if applicable.

In addition, the table shows hypothetical after-tax returns to demonstrate how taxes paid by a shareholder may influence returns. After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as a 401(k) account or an IRA. After-tax returns are shown only for the Investor Class and will differ for other share classes.
Performance Table Closing [Text Block] rr_PerformanceTableClosingTextBlock Updated performance information is available through troweprice.com.
T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation Fund | Investor Class  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Maximum account fee rr_MaximumAccountFee $ 20 [1]
Management fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.59% [2]
Distribution and service (12b-1) fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets
Other expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.11%
Total annual fund operating expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.70%
Fee waiver/expense reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets
Total annual fund operating expenses after fee waiver/expense reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.70% [2]
1 year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 72
3 years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 224
5 years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 390
10 years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 $ 871
2010 rr_AnnualReturn2010 14.07%
2011 rr_AnnualReturn2011 3.19%
2012 rr_AnnualReturn2012 14.70%
2013 rr_AnnualReturn2013 22.43%
2014 rr_AnnualReturn2014 12.25%
2015 rr_AnnualReturn2015 5.42%
2016 rr_AnnualReturn2016 8.22%
2017 rr_AnnualReturn2017 15.38%
2018 rr_AnnualReturn2018 0.62%
2019 rr_AnnualReturn2019 24.61%
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel Best Quarter
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Mar. 31, 2019
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 11.91%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Worst Quarter
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Sep. 30, 2011
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (11.27%)
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 24.61%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 10.54%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 11.84%
Since inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception
Inception date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Jun. 30, 1986
T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation Fund | I Class  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Maximum account fee rr_MaximumAccountFee
Management fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.59% [2]
Distribution and service (12b-1) fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets
Other expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.01%
Total annual fund operating expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.60%
Fee waiver/expense reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.01%) [2]
Total annual fund operating expenses after fee waiver/expense reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.59% [2]
1 year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 60
3 years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 191
5 years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 334
10 years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 $ 749
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 24.70%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10
Since inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 11.97%
Inception date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Dec. 17, 2015
T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation Fund | Advisor Class  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Maximum account fee rr_MaximumAccountFee
Management fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.59% [2]
Distribution and service (12b-1) fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.25% [3]
Other expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.16%
Total annual fund operating expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.00%
Fee waiver/expense reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets
Total annual fund operating expenses after fee waiver/expense reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.00% [2]
1 year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 102
3 years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 318
5 years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 552
10 years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 $ 1,225
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 24.20%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 10.21%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 11.51%
Since inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception
Inception date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Dec. 31, 2004
T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation Fund | Returns after taxes on distributions | Investor Class  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 22.58%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 8.61%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 10.14%
Since inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception
Inception date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Jun. 30, 1986
T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation Fund | Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares | Investor Class  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 15.35%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 7.80%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 9.24%
Since inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception
Inception date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Jun. 30, 1986
T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation Fund | S&P 500 Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 31.49%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 11.70%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 13.56%
Since inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 14.33% [4]
Inception date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Dec. 17, 2015
T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation Fund | Lipper Mixed-Asset Target Allocation Growth Funds Index  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 21.10%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 7.25%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 8.80%
Since inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 9.25% [4]
Inception date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Dec. 17, 2015
[1] Subject to certain exceptions, accounts with a balance of less than $10,000 are charged an annual $20 fee.
[2] T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., has contractually agreed (at least through April 30, 2021) to waive a portion of the fund's management fees so that an individual fund fee of 0.27% is applied to the fund's average daily net assets that are equal to or greater than $27.5 billion. Thereafter, this agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless terminated by the fund's Board of Directors. Any fees waived under this agreement are not subject to reimbursement to T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., by the fund.
[3] Restated to show maximum 12b-1 fee rate of 0.25%. Actual rate for the prior fiscal year was 0.24%.
[4] Return since 12/17/15.