Income taxes - Tax incentives (Details)	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019
Income taxes
Tax incentive period	10 years
Income tax that can be reinvested on machinery and equipment (as a percent)	30.00%
Maximum period subject to the revision of income tax by local authorities	10 years

The percentage of income tax due based on the tax operating income that can be reinvested on the purchase of machinery and equipment, subject to subsequent approval by the regulatory agency responsible.

No definition available.

Name:	vale_PercentageOfIncomeTaxReinvestedOnMachineryAndEquipment
Namespace Prefix:	vale_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration