BUSINESS SEGMENTS INFORMATION (Segment Reporting) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	May 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues			$ 22,845	$ 14,198	$ 14,402
Cost of Goods and Service, Excluding Depreciation, Depletion, and Amortization			12,016	10,031	11,534
Depreciation, depletion and amortization			1,998	1,528	1,412
Metals inventory adjustments			16	96	179
Selling, general and administrative expenses			383	370	394
Mining exploration and research expenses			55	50	104
Environmental obligations and shutdown costs			91	159	105
Net gain on sales of assets			(80)	(473)	(417)
Operating income (loss)			8,366	2,437	1,091
Interest expense, net			602	598	620
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes			(2,299)	(944)	(510)
Total assets			48,022	42,144	40,809
Capital expenditures			2,115	1,961	2,652
Current Federal Tax Expense (Benefit)			0	53	(23)
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Adjustment in Deferred Tax Assets			0	0	49
Valuation allowance			(221)	210	149
Gain on Sale of Investments				486
Sale of Investment, Tax Expense				135
Settlements and revisions to cash flow estimates, net			331	(13)	(5)
Pt Freeport Indonesia Environmental And Reclamation Programs
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Settlements and revisions to cash flow estimates, net			397
Covid-19 [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Idle Facility Costs				258
Cerro Verde | Covid-19 [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Idle Facility Costs				89
Grasberg Segment [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Capital expenditures			1,296	1,161	1,369
Molybdenum
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Capital expenditures			6	19	19
Rod & Refining | Covid-19 [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Idle Facility Costs				30
South America
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Capital expenditures			162	183	256
North America copper mines
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Capital expenditures			342	428	877
Corporate, Other and Eliminations, Indonesia Smelter
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Capital expenditures			222	105	0
Indonesia
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues			3,132	1,760	1,894
Operating Segments | Molybdenum
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues			0	0	0
Cost of Goods and Service, Excluding Depreciation, Depletion, and Amortization			253	230	299
Depreciation, depletion and amortization			67	57	62
Metals inventory adjustments			1	10	50
Selling, general and administrative expenses			0	0	0
Mining exploration and research expenses			0	0	0
Environmental obligations and shutdown costs			0	0	0
Net gain on sales of assets			0	0	0
Operating income (loss)			123	(75)	(67)
Interest expense, net			0	0	0
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes			0	0	0
Total assets			1,713	1,760	1,798
Capital expenditures			6	19	19
Operating Segments | Rod & Refining
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues			6,356	4,781	4,457
Cost of Goods and Service, Excluding Depreciation, Depletion, and Amortization			6,381	4,819	4,475
Depreciation, depletion and amortization			5	16	9
Metals inventory adjustments			0	3	0
Selling, general and administrative expenses			0	0	0
Mining exploration and research expenses			0	0	0
Environmental obligations and shutdown costs			0	1	0
Net gain on sales of assets			0	0	0
Operating income (loss)			(1)	(25)	(1)
Interest expense, net			0	0	0
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes			0	0	0
Total assets			228	211	193
Capital expenditures			2	6	5
Operating Segments | Atlantic Copper Smelting & Refining
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues			2,961	2,020	2,063
Cost of Goods and Service, Excluding Depreciation, Depletion, and Amortization			2,907	1,962	1,971
Depreciation, depletion and amortization			28	29	28
Metals inventory adjustments			0	0	0
Selling, general and administrative expenses			24	21	20
Mining exploration and research expenses			0	0	0
Environmental obligations and shutdown costs			0	0	0
Net gain on sales of assets			(19)	0	0
Operating income (loss)			21	25	49
Interest expense, net			6	6	22
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes			0	(2)	(5)
Total assets			1,318	877	761
Capital expenditures			34	29	34
Operating Segments | North America
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues			262	77	367
Cost of Goods and Service, Excluding Depreciation, Depletion, and Amortization			3,461	3,100	3,319
Depreciation, depletion and amortization			369	355	349
Metals inventory adjustments			13	52	30
Selling, general and administrative expenses			4	4	4
Mining exploration and research expenses			1	2	2
Environmental obligations and shutdown costs			(1)	(1)	1
Net gain on sales of assets			0	0	0
Operating income (loss)			2,978	852	681
Interest expense, net			1	2	4
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes			0	0	0
Total assets			7,916	7,737	7,989
Capital expenditures			342	428	877
Operating Segments | North America | Morenci
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues			82	29	143
Cost of Goods and Service, Excluding Depreciation, Depletion, and Amortization			1,226	1,269	1,376
Depreciation, depletion and amortization			152	166	171
Metals inventory adjustments			13	4	1
Selling, general and administrative expenses			2	2	2
Mining exploration and research expenses			0	0	0
Environmental obligations and shutdown costs			0	0	1
Net gain on sales of assets			0	0	0
Operating income (loss)			1,417	603	456
Interest expense, net			0	2	3
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes			0	0	0
Total assets			2,708	2,574	2,880
Capital expenditures			135	102	231
Operating Segments | North America | Other
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues			180	48	224
Cost of Goods and Service, Excluding Depreciation, Depletion, and Amortization			2,235	1,831	1,943
Depreciation, depletion and amortization			217	189	178
Metals inventory adjustments			0	48	29
Selling, general and administrative expenses			2	2	2
Mining exploration and research expenses			1	2	2
Environmental obligations and shutdown costs			(1)	(1)	0
Net gain on sales of assets			0	0	0
Operating income (loss)			1,561	249	225
Interest expense, net			1	0	1
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes			0	0	0
Total assets			5,208	5,163	5,109
Capital expenditures			207	326	646
Operating Segments | South America
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues			4,456	2,713	3,075
Cost of Goods and Service, Excluding Depreciation, Depletion, and Amortization			2,429	1,978	2,326
Depreciation, depletion and amortization			413	421	474
Metals inventory adjustments			0	3	2
Selling, general and administrative expenses			8	6	8
Mining exploration and research expenses			0	0	0
Environmental obligations and shutdown costs			0	0	0
Net gain on sales of assets			0	0	0
Operating income (loss)			2,066	547	578
Interest expense, net			28	139	114
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes			(820)	(239)	(239)
Total assets			10,615	10,152	10,288
Capital expenditures			162	183	256
Operating Segments | South America | Cerro Verde
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues			3,736	2,282	2,576
Cost of Goods and Service, Excluding Depreciation, Depletion, and Amortization			2,000	1,599	1,852
Depreciation, depletion and amortization			366	367	406
Metals inventory adjustments			0	0	2
Selling, general and administrative expenses			8	6	8
Mining exploration and research expenses			0	0	0
Environmental obligations and shutdown costs			0	0	0
Net gain on sales of assets			0	0	0
Operating income (loss)			1,822	552	621
Interest expense, net			28	139	114
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes			(730)	(238)	(250)
Total assets			8,694	8,474	8,612
Capital expenditures			132	141	232
Labor and Related Expense			92
Operating Segments | South America | Other
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues			720	431	499
Cost of Goods and Service, Excluding Depreciation, Depletion, and Amortization			429	379	474
Depreciation, depletion and amortization			47	54	68
Metals inventory adjustments			0	3	0
Selling, general and administrative expenses			0	0	0
Mining exploration and research expenses			0	0	0
Environmental obligations and shutdown costs			0	0	0
Net gain on sales of assets			0	0	0
Operating income (loss)			244	(5)	(43)
Interest expense, net			0	0	0
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes			(90)	(1)	11
Total assets			1,921	1,678	1,676
Capital expenditures			30	42	24
Operating Segments | Indonesia | Grasberg Segment [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues			7,241	3,534	2,713
Cost of Goods and Service, Excluding Depreciation, Depletion, and Amortization			2,425	1,606	2,055
Depreciation, depletion and amortization			1,049	580	406
Metals inventory adjustments			0	0	5
Selling, general and administrative expenses			111	108	125
Mining exploration and research expenses			0	0	0
Environmental obligations and shutdown costs			0	0	0
Net gain on sales of assets			0	0	0
Operating income (loss)			3,938	1,320	180
Interest expense, net			48	39	82
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes			(1,524)	(606)	(167)
Total assets			18,971	16,918	16,345
Capital expenditures			1,296	1,161	1,369
Operating Segments | Indonesia | Grasberg Segment [Member] | Surface Water Tax Adjustment [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Cost of Goods and Service, Excluding Depreciation, Depletion, and Amortization					28
Corporate And Eliminations [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues			1,569	1,073	1,727
Cost of Goods and Service, Excluding Depreciation, Depletion, and Amortization			(5,840)	(3,664)	(2,911)
Depreciation, depletion and amortization			67	70	84
Metals inventory adjustments			2	28	92
Selling, general and administrative expenses			236	231	237
Mining exploration and research expenses			54	48	102
Environmental obligations and shutdown costs			92	159	104
Net gain on sales of assets			(61)	(473)	(417)
Operating income (loss)			(759)	(207)	(329)
Interest expense, net			519	412	398
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes			45	(97)	(99)
Total assets			7,261	4,489	3,435
Capital expenditures			273	135	92
Corporate And Eliminations [Member] | Freeport Cobalt
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net gain on sales of assets			(60)
Corporate And Eliminations [Member] | Covid-19 [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Idle Facility Costs				57
Corporate And Eliminations [Member] | Corporate, Other and Eliminations, Indonesia Smelter
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Capital expenditures			222	105
Corporate And Eliminations [Member] | Miami smelter
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Cost, Maintenance			87
Intersegment
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues			0	0	0
Intersegment | Molybdenum
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues			444	222	344
Intersegment | Rod & Refining
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues			29	33	26
Intersegment | Atlantic Copper Smelting & Refining
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues			0	17	5
Intersegment | Corporate And Eliminations [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues			(7,778)	(4,881)	(4,765)
Intersegment | North America
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues			6,563	4,287	4,019
Intersegment | North America | Morenci
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues			2,728	2,015	1,864
Intersegment | North America | Other
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues			3,835	2,272	2,155
Intersegment | South America
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues			460	242	313
Intersegment | South America | Cerro Verde
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues			460	242	313
Intersegment | South America | Other
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues			0	0	0
Intersegment | Indonesia | Grasberg Segment [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues			282	80	58
Unfavorable Regulatory Actions | Operating Segments | Indonesia | Grasberg Segment [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes			189	(35)
Surface Water Taxes, Papua, Indonesia
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Cost of Goods and Service, Excluding Depreciation, Depletion, and Amortization	$ 28	$ 69
Asbestos Contamination in Talc-Based Personal Care Products
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Charge for talc-related litigation			0	130	0
Freeport Cobalt
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Gain (Loss) on Disposition of Business			60		59
Timok, Lower Zone [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Current Federal Tax Expense (Benefit)				53	(53)
PT Freeport Indonesia
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Loss contingency, loss in period			16
Loss Contingency, Loss in Period, Including Tax Charges			384	46	304
Indonesia Tax Authority | PT Freeport Indonesia | Memorandum of Understanding with the Indonesian Government, Indonesia Supreme Court Appeal
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Loss contingency, loss in period				155
Interest expense | PT Freeport Indonesia
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Loss Contingency, Loss in Period, Including Tax Charges			43	35	78
Income expense (benefit) | PT Freeport Indonesia
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Loss Contingency, Loss in Period, Including Tax Charges			186	2	$ 103
Production and Delivery Costs [Member] | Pt Freeport Indonesia Environmental And Reclamation Programs
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Settlements and revisions to cash flow estimates, net			$ 340
Disposed of by Sale, Discontinued Operations | Timok
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Gain (Loss) on Disposition of Business				$ 343