Earnings Per Share (Unaudited) (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Millions, $ in Millions		3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
		Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Net income (loss) from continuing operations		$ 292	$ (3,815)	$ (4,034)	$ (8,090)
Net income from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests		(37)	(13)	(146)	(61)
Preferred dividends on redeemable noncontrolling interest		(10)	(11)	(31)	(31)
Undistributed earnings allocated to participating securities		(3)	(3)	(3)	(3)
Net income (loss) from continuing operations attributable to common stockholders		242	(3,842)	(4,214)	(8,185)
Net (loss) income from discontinued operations		(6)	25	(191)	95
Net income from discontinued operations attributable to noncontrolling interests		(22)	(16)	(44)	(68)
Net (loss) income from discontinued operations attributable to common stockholders		(28)	9	(235)	27
Net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders		$ 214	$ (3,833)	$ (4,449)	$ (8,158)
Basic weighted-average shares of common stock outstanding		1,346	1,071	1,289	1,050
Add shares issuable upon exercise or vesting of dilutive stock options and RSUs	[1]	5	0	0	0
Diluted weighted-average shares of common stock outstanding		1,351	1,071	1,289	1,050
Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share attributable to common stockholders:
Continuing operations		$ 0.18	$ (3.59)	$ (3.27)	$ (7.80)
Discontinued operations		(0.02)	0.01	(0.18)	0.03
Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share attributable to common stockholders:		$ 0.16	$ (3.58)	$ (3.45)	$ (7.77)
Potential anti-dilutive additional shares of common stock (in shares)		6	7	12	10
Outstanding stock options with exercise prices greater than average market price of common stock (in shares)		46	48	46	45

[1] Excludes 6 million shares of common stock in third-quarter 2016, 7 million in third-quarter 2015, 12 million for the first nine months of 2016 and 10 million for the first nine months of 2015 associated with outstanding stock options with exercise prices less than the average market price of FCX's common stock and RSUs that were anti-dilutive.