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Business Consolidation and Other Activities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended			6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016
Business consolidation and other activities
Business consolidation and other activities	$ (41)		$ 28	$ (96)	$ (239)
Currency exchange contracts			1		1
Senior Notes 4.375 Percent, due December 2020
Business consolidation and other activities
Face amount of debt			1,000		1,000
Ball Corporation
Business consolidation and other activities
Business consolidation and other activities	(14)		770	(64)	510
Other
Business consolidation and other activities
Business consolidation and other activities	(26)		48	(87)	(198)
Operating Segments \| Beverage packaging, North And Central America
Business consolidation and other activities
Business consolidation and other activities	(7)		(3)	(11)	(6)
Charges for insignificant items	3		3	4	6
Operating Segments \| Beverage packaging, North And Central America \| Reidsville North Carolina Plant
Business consolidation and other activities
Plant closure costs	4			7
Operating Segments \| Beverage packaging, South America
Business consolidation and other activities
Business consolidation and other activities	(3)		(9)		(9)
Charges for insignificant items	1			2
Operating Segments \| Beverage packaging, South America \| Rexam
Business consolidation and other activities
Professional services and other costs	2		9	2
Operating Segments \| Beverage packaging, Europe
Business consolidation and other activities
Business consolidation and other activities	(4)		(5)	(7)	(9)
Charges for insignificant items	4		2	5	2
Operating Segments \| Beverage packaging, Europe \| Rexam
Business consolidation and other activities
Professional services and other costs			3	2	7
Operating Segments \| Food and aerosol packaging
Business consolidation and other activities
Business consolidation and other activities	(1)		(3)	9	(17)
Charges for insignificant items	1		1	1	6
Other income from insignificant activities	1			1
Operating Segments \| Food and aerosol packaging \| Weirton West Virginia Plant
Business consolidation and other activities
Plant closure costs comprised of employee severance, pension and other benefits, asset impairments and facility shut down and disposal costs			2		11
Operating Segments \| Food and aerosol packaging \| Weirton West Virginia Plant \| Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations
Business consolidation and other activities
Facility shutdown costs and accelerated depreciation	2			5
Operating Segments \| Food and aerosol packaging \| Hubbard Ohio Plant
Business consolidation and other activities
Gain (loss) on dispositions		$ 15
Corporate and other
Business consolidation and other activities
Charges for insignificant items				12	3
Professional services and other costs			1
Foreign currency unrealized loss					4
Corporate and other \| Rexam
Business consolidation and other activities
Professional services and other costs			53	10	77
Recognized gains (losses) associated with collar and option contracts			(91)		179
Compensation arrangement expense			71	17	71
Corporate and other \| Cross-currency swap
Business consolidation and other activities
Foreign currency unrealized loss			32
Corporate and other \| Senior Notes 4.375 Percent, due December 2020
Business consolidation and other activities
Face amount of debt			1		1
Corporate and other \| Other
Business consolidation and other activities
Charges for insignificant items	6
Corporate and other \| Other \| Rexam
Business consolidation and other activities
Professional services and other costs	5
Compensation arrangement expense	8
Divestment Business \| Corporate and other \| Rexam
Business consolidation and other activities
Foreign currency translation losses			99		195
Divestment Business \| Corporate and other \| Ball Corporation \| Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations
Business consolidation and other activities
Gain (loss) on dispositions			$ 331		$ 331
Expense of indemnifications of uncertain tax positions	$ 7			34
Adjustment to gain on sale of Divestment Business				$ (14)