PLANNED MERGER WITH DUPONT	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2015
Proposed Merger with DuPont [Abstract]
Proposed Merger with DuPont [Text Block]	On December 11, 2015, Dow and E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (“DuPont”) entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the "Merger Agreement"), pursuant to which Dow and DuPont have agreed, subject to the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement, to effect an all-stock, merger of equals strategic combination of their respective businesses by: (i) forming Diamond-Orion HoldCo, Inc., a Delaware corporation that is jointly owned by Dow and DuPont ("HoldCo"), (ii) Dow merging with a newly formed, wholly owned direct subsidiary of HoldCo, with Dow surviving such merger as a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of HoldCo (the "Dow Merger"), (iii) DuPont merging with a newly formed, wholly owned direct subsidiary of HoldCo, with DuPont surviving such merger as a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of HoldCo (the "DuPont Merger" and, together with the Dow Merger, the "Mergers"), and (iv) prior to or as of the effective time of the Mergers (the "Effective Time"), changing the name of HoldCo to be DowDuPont. Following the consummation of the Mergers, Dow and DuPont intend to pursue, subject to the receipt of regulatory approval and approval by the board of directors of HoldCo, the separation of the combined company’s agriculture business, specialty products business and material sciences business through one or more tax-efficient transactions. Dow expects the Mergers to close in the second half of 2016, subject to customary closing conditions. The completion of the Mergers is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions, including (i) the adoption of the Merger Agreement by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of all outstanding shares of Dow Common Stock entitled to vote thereon; (ii) the adoption of the Merger Agreement by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of all outstanding shares of DuPont Common Stock entitled to vote thereon; (iii) the receipt of certain domestic and foreign approvals under competition laws; (iv) Dow and DuPont reasonably determining that the Dow Merger and the DuPont Merger do not constitute an acquisition of a 50 percent or greater interest in Dow and DuPont, respectively, under the principles of Section 355(e) of the Internal Revenue Code; (v) the absence of governmental restraints or prohibitions preventing the consummation of either of the Mergers; (vi) the effectiveness of the Form S-4 and absence of any stop order or proceedings by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; and (vii) the approval of the shares of HoldCo Common Stock to be issued in the Merger for listing on the NYSE. The obligation of each of Dow and DuPont to consummate the Mergers is also conditioned on, among other things, the receipt of a tax opinion from tax counsel as to the tax-free nature of each of the Mergers, and the truth and correctness of the representations and warranties made by the other party as of the closing date, subject to certain "material" and "material adverse effect" qualifiers.

On December 11, 2015, Dow and E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (“DuPont”) entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the "Merger Agreement"), pursuant to which Dow and DuPont have agreed, subject to the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement, to effect an all-stock, merger of equals strategic combination of their respective businesses by: (i) forming Diamond-Orion HoldCo, Inc., a Delaware corporation that is jointly owned by Dow and DuPont ("HoldCo"), (ii) Dow merging with a newly formed, wholly owned direct subsidiary of HoldCo, with Dow surviving such merger as a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of HoldCo (the "Dow Merger"), (iii) DuPont merging with a newly formed, wholly owned direct subsidiary of HoldCo, with DuPont surviving such merger as a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of HoldCo (the "DuPont Merger" and, together with the Dow Merger, the "Mergers"), and (iv) prior to or as of the effective time of the Mergers (the "Effective Time"), changing the name of HoldCo to be DowDuPont. Following the consummation of the Mergers, Dow and DuPont intend to pursue, subject to the receipt of regulatory approval and approval by the board of directors of HoldCo, the separation of the combined company’s agriculture business, specialty products business and material sciences business through one or more tax-efficient transactions.

Dow expects the Mergers to close in the second half of 2016, subject to customary closing conditions. The completion of the Mergers is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions, including (i) the adoption of the Merger Agreement by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of all outstanding shares of Dow Common Stock entitled to vote thereon; (ii) the adoption of the Merger Agreement by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of all outstanding shares of DuPont Common Stock entitled to vote thereon; (iii) the receipt of certain domestic and foreign approvals under competition laws; (iv) Dow and DuPont reasonably determining that the Dow Merger and the DuPont Merger do not constitute an acquisition of a 50 percent or greater interest in Dow and DuPont, respectively, under the principles of Section 355(e) of the Internal Revenue Code; (v) the absence of governmental restraints or prohibitions preventing the consummation of either of the Mergers; (vi) the effectiveness of the Form S-4 and absence of any stop order or proceedings by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; and (vii) the approval of the shares of HoldCo Common Stock to be issued in the Merger for listing on the NYSE. The obligation of each of Dow and DuPont to consummate the Mergers is also conditioned on, among other things, the receipt of a tax opinion from tax counsel as to the tax-free nature of each of the Mergers, and the truth and correctness of the representations and warranties made by the other party as of the closing date, subject to certain "material" and "material adverse effect" qualifiers.