Pension and Other Benefit Plans - Weighted-Average Allocation of Plan Assets and Target Allocation by Asset Category (Detail)	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
US Plan Assets
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Target allocation of assets	100.00%	100.00%
Target Allocation Percentage of Assets, Total	100.00%	100.00%
International
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Target allocation of assets	100.00%	100.00%
Target Allocation Percentage of Assets, Total	100.00%	100.00%
Equity securities \| US Plan Assets
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Target Allocation Percentage of Assets, Range Minimum	37.00%
Target Allocation Percentage of Assets, Range Maximum	56.00%
Target allocation of assets	48.00%	50.00%
Equity securities \| International
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Target Allocation Percentage of Assets, Range Minimum	50.00%
Target Allocation Percentage of Assets, Range Maximum	71.00%
Target allocation of assets	58.00%	60.00%
Debt securities \| US Plan Assets
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Target Allocation Percentage of Assets, Range Minimum	35.00%
Target Allocation Percentage of Assets, Range Maximum	62.00%
Target allocation of assets	42.00%	40.00%
Debt securities \| International
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Target Allocation Percentage of Assets, Range Minimum	20.00%
Target Allocation Percentage of Assets, Range Maximum	35.00%
Target allocation of assets	32.00%	31.00%
Cash and cash equivalents \| US Plan Assets
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Target Allocation Percentage of Assets, Range Minimum	0.00%
Target Allocation Percentage of Assets, Range Maximum	3.00%
Target allocation of assets	2.00%	2.00%
Cash and cash equivalents \| International
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Target Allocation Percentage of Assets, Range Minimum	0.00%
Target Allocation Percentage of Assets, Range Maximum	5.00%
Target allocation of assets	4.00%	3.00%
Alternative investments \| US Plan Assets
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Target Allocation Percentage of Assets, Range Minimum	0.00%
Target Allocation Percentage of Assets, Range Maximum	8.00%
Target allocation of assets	8.00%	8.00%
Alternative investments \| International
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Target Allocation Percentage of Assets, Range Minimum	0.00%
Target Allocation Percentage of Assets, Range Maximum	25.00%
Target allocation of assets	6.00%	6.00%

Name:	slb_PensionPlansPostretirementAndOtherEmployeeBenefitsLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	slb_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

Target allocation of investments of this type to total plan assets presented on a weighted average basis.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 715

-SubTopic 20

-Section 50

-Paragraph 1

-Subparagraph (d)(i)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=35743120&loc=d3e1928-114920

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 715

-SubTopic 20

-Section 50

-Paragraph 5

-Subparagraph (c)(i)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=35743120&loc=d3e2446-114920

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanTargetPlanAssetAllocations
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Target allocation maximum percentage of investments of this type to total plan assets presented on a weighted average basis.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanTargetPlanAssetAllocationsRangeMaximum
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Target allocation minimum percentage of investments of this type to total plan assets presented on a weighted average basis.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanTargetPlanAssetAllocationsRangeMinimum
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Percentage of fair value of investments (categorized by debt securities, equity securities, real estate and other plan assets) to the fair value of plan assets held.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 715

-SubTopic 20

-Section 50

-Paragraph 5

-Subparagraph (c)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=35743120&loc=d3e2446-114920

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 715

-SubTopic 20

-Section 50

-Paragraph 1

-Subparagraph (d)(1)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=35743120&loc=d3e1928-114920

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanWeightedAverageAssetAllocations
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanByPlanAssetCategoriesAxis=slb_AlternativeInvestmentsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanByPlanAssetCategoriesAxis=us-gaap_CashAndCashEquivalentsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanByPlanAssetCategoriesAxis=us-gaap_DebtSecuritiesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanByPlanAssetCategoriesAxis=us-gaap_EquitySecuritiesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlansDisclosuresDefinedBenefitPlansAxis=us-gaap_ForeignPensionPlansDefinedBenefitMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlansDisclosuresDefinedBenefitPlansAxis=us-gaap_UnitedStatesPensionPlansOfUSEntityDefinedBenefitMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: