Income Tax - Income Tax Disclosure Table (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Disclosure Income Tax Income Tax Disclosure Table Detail [Line Items]
United States	$ 524	$ 421
Outside United States	1,553	1,196
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes and minority interest, Total	$ 2,077	$ 1,617

The portion of earnings (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes that is attributable to foreign operations, which is defined as income (loss) generated from operations located outside the foreign country.

No definition available.

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Namespace Prefix:	slb_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration