Employee Benefit Obligations - Components of net periodic benefit cost (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2017
Ball-sponsored plans:
Settlement loss		$ 41
Defined Benefit Pension Plans
Ball-sponsored plans:
Total net periodic benefit cost				$ 110	$ 145
Defined Benefit Pension Plans | Ball Sponsored Plans
Ball-sponsored plans:
Service cost		17	$ 21	49	51
Interest cost		51	58	161	97
Expected return on plan assets		(57)	(66)	(175)	(111)
Amortization of prior service cost		1	1	1	(1)
Recognized net actuarial loss		9	9	29	28
Curtailment and settlement losses including special termination benefits		43		43	80
Total net periodic benefit cost		64	23	108	144
Defined Benefit Pension Plans | Multi-employer Plans
Ball-sponsored plans:
Total net periodic benefit cost				2	1
Defined Benefit Pension Plans | German Swedish And Certain U S Plans | Unfunded Plan [Member]
Ball-sponsored plans:
Payments to participants				19	18
Expected benefit payments to plan participants for the full year						$ 22
Defined Benefit Pension Plans | Excluding German Swedish And Certain U S Plans
Ball-sponsored plans:
Contributions to pension plans				182	246
Defined Benefit Pension Plans | Excluding German Swedish And Certain U S Plans | Forecast
Ball-sponsored plans:
Expected contributions to pension plans for the full year						$ 190
U.S.
Ball-sponsored plans:
Pension benefit obligation to be transferred	$ 224
U.S. | Defined Benefit Pension Plans
Ball-sponsored plans:
Total net periodic benefit cost				107	57
U.S. | Defined Benefit Pension Plans | Ball Sponsored Plans
Ball-sponsored plans:
Service cost		13	17	37	41
Interest cost		29	33	95	63
Expected return on plan assets		(31)	(35)	(97)	(71)
Amortization of prior service cost		1		1	(1)
Recognized net actuarial loss		8	8	26	24
Curtailment and settlement losses including special termination benefits		43		43
Total net periodic benefit cost		63	23	105	56
U.S. | Defined Benefit Pension Plans | Multi-employer Plans
Ball-sponsored plans:
Total net periodic benefit cost				2	1
Foreign | Defined Benefit Pension Plans
Ball-sponsored plans:
Total net periodic benefit cost				3	88
Foreign | Defined Benefit Pension Plans | Ball Sponsored Plans
Ball-sponsored plans:
Service cost		4	4	12	10
Interest cost		22	25	66	34
Expected return on plan assets		(26)	(31)	(78)	(40)
Amortization of prior service cost			1
Recognized net actuarial loss		1	$ 1	3	4
Curtailment and settlement losses including special termination benefits					80
Total net periodic benefit cost		$ 1		$ 3	$ 88