Derivatives (Details)	Dec. 31, 2013 ft3
Derivatives
Natural gas held in storage (in cubic feet)	11,000,000,000oxy_NaturalGasHeldInStorage
Forecast sale of natural gas from storage designated as cash-flow hedges (in cubic feet)	13,000,000,000

This element represents the forecast sales volume of natural gas from storage in billion cubic feet designated as cash flow hedges.

No definition available.

Name:	oxy_DesignatedForecastSaleOfNaturalGasAsCashFlowHedges
Namespace Prefix:	oxy_
Data Type:	num:volumeItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant