Document and Entity Information - USD ($)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2016
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2016
Amendment Flag	false
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2016
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Registrant Name	UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORP /DE/
Entity Central Index Key	0000101829
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Public Float		$ 85,789,321,218
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	823,405,687