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Business Consolidation and Other Activities (Details) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended			6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2015	Mar. 31, 2015	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2015
Business consolidation and other activities
Business consolidation and other activities	$ (27,000,000)	$ (66,000,000)		$ 240,000,000	$ (14,000,000)
Ball Corporation
Business consolidation and other activities
Business consolidation and other activities		(72,000,000)		(510,000,000)	(24,000,000)
Metal beverage packaging, Americas and Asia
Business consolidation and other activities
Charges for insignificant items	3,000,000			7,000,000
Metal beverage packaging, Americas and Asia \| Rexam
Business consolidation and other activities
Professional Services And Other Costs	9,000,000			9,000,000
Metal beverage packaging, Europe
Business consolidation and other activities
Charges for insignificant items	2,000,000			2,000,000
Metal beverage packaging, Europe \| Rexam
Business consolidation and other activities
Professional Services And Other Costs	3,000,000			7,000,000
Food and Aerosol packaging
Business consolidation and other activities
Charges for insignificant items	1,000,000			6,000,000
Food and Aerosol packaging \| Weirton West Virginia Plant
Business consolidation and other activities
Charges related to facilities closure	2,000,000			11,000,000
Operating Segments \| Metal beverage packaging, Americas and Asia
Business consolidation and other activities
Business consolidation and other activities	12,000,000			16,000,000	3,000,000
Business reorganization activities			$ 3,000,000
Operating Segments \| Metal beverage packaging, Europe
Business consolidation and other activities
Business consolidation and other activities	5,000,000	5,000,000		9,000,000	7,000,000
Business reorganization activities					1,000,000
Charge incurred in connection with headcount reductions, cost-out initiatives and relocation of the company's European headquarters from Germany to Switzerland		1,000,000	1,000,000
Tax expense related to relocation of the company's European headquarters from Germany to Switzerland		1,000,000	2,000,000
Operating Segments \| Metal beverage packaging, Europe \| Disposal Group, Held-for-sale, Not Discontinued Operations
Business consolidation and other activities
Charges incurred in connection with write down of fixed assets held for sale					5,000,000
Operating Segments \| Food and Aerosol packaging
Business consolidation and other activities
Business consolidation and other activities	3,000,000	1,000,000		17,000,000	1,000,000
Operating Segments \| Aerospace
Business consolidation and other activities
Business consolidation and other activities					(1,000,000)
Corporate and other
Business consolidation and other activities
Business consolidation and other activities	(47,000,000)	(72,000,000)		198,000,000	(24,000,000)
Charges for insignificant items	2,000,000			3,000,000	$ 1,000,000
Corporate and other \| 4.375% Senior Notes, due December 2020
Business consolidation and other activities
Foreign currency unrealized loss	32,000,000
Face amount of debt	1,000,000,000			1,000,000,000
Corporate and other \| Rexam
Business consolidation and other activities
Professional Services And Other Costs	53,000,000	24,000,000	20,000,000	77,000,000
Recognized gains (losses) associated with collar and option contracts	(91,000,000)	$ 96,000,000	$ 28,000,000	179,000,000
Foreign currency translation losses	99,000,000			195,000,000
Compensation arrangement expense	71,000,000			71,000,000
Gain (loss) on dispositions				331,000,000
Corporate and other \| Cross-currency swap
Business consolidation and other activities
Foreign currency unrealized loss				$ 4,000,000
Corporate and other \| Ball Corporation \| Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations
Business consolidation and other activities
Gain (loss) on dispositions	$ 331,000,000