Document and Entity Information (USD $)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Jul. 03, 2011
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	SANDISK CORP
Entity Central Index Key	0001000180
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-30
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2012
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	241,788,556
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Public Float		$ 9,343,186,243