Reportable Segment Information (Segment Net Sales and Income) (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended						9 Months Ended				3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended		3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended		3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended		3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended		3 Months Ended				9 Months Ended			3 Months Ended				9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013		Dec. 31, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012		Mar. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013		Sep. 30, 2012		Sep. 30, 2013 Performance Coatings Segment [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Performance Coatings Segment [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Performance Coatings Segment [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Performance Coatings Segment [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Performance Coatings Segment [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Industrial Coatings Segment [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Industrial Coatings Segment [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Industrial Coatings Segment [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Industrial Coatings Segment [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Industrial Coatings Segment [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Architectural Coatings - EMEA [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Architectural Coatings - EMEA [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Architectural Coatings - EMEA [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Architectural Coatings - EMEA [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Architectural Coatings - EMEA [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Optical and Specialty Materials Segment [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Optical and Specialty Materials Segment [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Optical and Specialty Materials Segment [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Optical and Specialty Materials Segment [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Optical and Specialty Materials Segment [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 Commodity Chemicals Segment [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Glass Segment [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Glass Segment [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Glass Segment [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Glass Segment [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Glass Segment [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Segment, Discontinued Operations [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Corporate [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Jersey City Manufacturing Plant [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Jersey City Manufacturing Plant [Member]	Sep. 30, 2006 Jersey City Manufacturing Plant [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Jersey City Manufacturing Plant [Member]
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Net sales	$ 3,980	[1]		$ 3,408	[1]		$ 11,406	[1]	$ 10,269	[1]	$ 1,619		$ 1,210	$ 4,431	$ 3,601	$ 1,199		$ 1,090	$ 3,623	$ 3,265	$ 571		$ 564	$ 1,596	$ 1,682	$ 313		$ 282	$ 953	$ 930		$ 278		$ 262	$ 803	$ 791
Segment income (loss)	615			512			1,708		1,484		252		203	679	567	181		153	550	446	73		56	162	136	88		76	283	280		21		24	34	55
Legacy items	(99)	[2]		(14)	[2]		(156)	[2]	(203)	[2]
Business restructuring	(98)		(12)	0		(208)	(98)		(208)			(68)					(45)					(59)					(32)						(3)					(1)
Acquisition-related (costs) gain, net	(7)	[3]		0	[3]		(19)		(6)	[3]
Business Acquisition Related Costs							35	[3]
Transaction expenses related to Separation and merger transaction																															(14)
Interest expense, net of interest income	(37)			(44)			(118)		(126)
Other unallocated corporate expense - net	(65)			(52)			(185)		(160)
Income before income taxes	309			402			1,116		781
PPG percent ownership interest																																					40.00%
Environmental remediation costs	$ 89						$ 101		$ 159																														$ 89	$ 145	$ 165	$ 159

[1] Intersegment net sales for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012 were not material.

[2] Legacy items include current costs related to former operations of the Company, including pension and other postretirement benefit costs, certain charges for legal matters and environmental remediation costs, and certain charges which are considered to be unusual or non-recurring, including the earnings impact of the proposed asbestos settlement. Legacy items also include equity earnings from PPG’s approximate 40 percent investment in the former automotive glass and services business. The expense for the three months ended September 30, 2013 includes a pretax charge of$89 million This charge primarily relates to environmental remediation activities at PPG's former Jersey City, N.J., chromium manufacturing plant and associated sites.The expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012 includes nonrecurring environmental remediation pretax charges of $101 million and $159 million, respectively. The 2013 and 2012 charges relate to continued environmental remediation activities at legacy chemicals sites, primarily at PPG’s former Jersey City, N.J. chromium manufacturing plant and associated sites. The expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 also includes a pretax charge of $18 million for the settlement losses related to certain legacy Canadian glass pension plans.

[3] The three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, include $7 million and $19 million of certain acquisition-related costs, respectively. In addition, the nine months ended September 30, 2013 includes $16 million of flow-through cost of sales for the inventory step up to fair value related principally to the AkzoNobel North American architectural coatings business. The nine months ended September 30, 2012, includes $6 million of flow-through cost of sales for the inventory step up to fair value related to the Dyrup and Colpisa acquisitions. These costs are considered to be unusual and non-recurring and do not reduce the segment earnings used to evaluate the performance of the operating segments.