ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS) (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended					9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2012 Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Accumulated Translation Adjustment [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 Accumulated Translation Adjustment [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Accumulated Defined Benefit Plans and Other Post Retirement Adjustment [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 Accumulated Defined Benefit Plans and Other Post Retirement Adjustment [Member]
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Union Carbide Corporation's stockholder's equity			$ 4,433		$ (1,101)	$ (1,132)	$ (979)	$ (1,026)	$ (52)	$ (55)	$ (1,080)	$ (971)
Translation Adjustments	2	1	1	3					1	3
Adjustments to pension and other postretirement benefit plans	10	15	30	44							30	44
Union Carbide Corporation's stockholder's equity	$ 3,721		$ 3,721		$ (1,101)	$ (1,132)	$ (979)	$ (1,026)	$ (51)	$ (52)	$ (1,050)	$ (927)

Net of tax and reclassification adjustments of the change in the balance sheet adjustment that results from the process of translating subsidiary financial statements and foreign equity investments into the reporting currency of the reporting entity. Also includes the following: gain (loss) on foreign currency forward exchange contracts; foreign currency transactions designated as hedges of net investment in a foreign entity and intercompany foreign currency transactions that are of a long-term nature, when the entities to the transaction are consolidated, combined, or accounted for by the equity method in the reporting enterprise's financial statements; and gain (loss) on a derivative instrument or nonderivative financial instrument that may give rise to a foreign currency transaction gain (loss) that has been designated and qualified as a hedging instrument for hedging of the foreign currency exposure of a net investment in a foreign operation.

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Total of all stockholders' equity (deficit) items, net of receivables from officers, directors, owners, and affiliates of the entity which are attributable to the parent. The amount of the economic entity's stockholders' equity attributable to the parent excludes the amount of stockholders' equity which is allocable to that ownership interest in subsidiary equity which is not attributable to the parent (noncontrolling interest, minority interest). This excludes temporary equity and is sometimes called permanent equity.

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