Common Stock - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	1 Months Ended			3 Months Ended				12 Months Ended
	May. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 1999	Dec. 31, 2015	Sep. 30, 2015	Jun. 30, 2015	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Oct. 31, 2015	Jan. 31, 2015	Jan. 31, 2014	May. 15, 2013	May. 13, 2009	Mar. 12, 2002
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Outstanding, Number				1,144,719	1,186,655	1,187,404	1,336,579	1,144,719	1,454,003
Authorized common stock available for issuance under the plan				135,000,000				135,000,000
Common stock, par value				$ 0.01				$ 0.01
Common stock, shares issued				65,067,132				65,067,132	64,454,248
Treasury stock shares				7,473,325				7,473,325	3,244,692	2,844,692
Term for stock options (in years)			3 years					1 day	5 years	4 years 10 months 24 days
Restriction period for restricted common stock			3 years
Decrease in basic earnings per share								$ 0.03	$ 0.06	$ 0.09
Share based compensation								$ 15,000,000	$ 13,000,000	$ 13,000,000
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Tax Benefit Realized from Exercise of Stock Options								$ 6,000,000	$ 12,000,000	$ 6,000,000
Weighted average grant-date fair value of options granted									$ 26.48	$ 19.91
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercisable, Number				941,607				941,607
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercisable, Intrinsic Value				$ 18,000,000				$ 18,000,000
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercisable, Weighted Average Exercise Price				$ 31.85				$ 31.85
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercisable, Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term								3 years 9 months
Total Intrinsic value of options exercised				$ 1,000,000	$ 0	$ 6,000,000	$ 3,000,000	$ 10,000,000	$ 30,000,000	$ 19,000,000
Total fair value of shares vested								$ 6,000,000	$ 6,000,000	$ 5,000,000
Weighted average grant-date fair value of restricted stock granted								$ 52.85	$ 55.26	$ 36.40
Total fair value of restricted shares vested								$ 7,000,000	$ 8,000,000	$ 6,000,000
Number of shares authorized to be repurchased		550,000										350,000,000	400,000
Stock repurchased during the period	$ 22,000,000	$ 27,000,000						$ 213,000,000
Treasury stock average cost per share	$ 56.06	$ 49.33						$ 50.32
Share-based Compensation, Effect on Earnings Per Share, Basic								$ 0.03	$ 0.06	$ 0.10
Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs) [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Restriction period for restricted common stock								3 years
Stock Option
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Compensation expense related to nonqualified stock options								$ 2,000,000	$ 3,000,000	$ 6,000,000
Unrecognized compensation costs				2,000,000				$ 2,000,000
Unrecognized compensation costs, weighted average period								3 months
Employee Stock Option [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Cash received from stock option exercises								$ 4,000,000	10,000,000	15,000,000
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Tax Benefit Realized from Exercise of Stock Options									26,000,000
Restricted stock, restricted stock units, long term performance units, SARs
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Unrecognized compensation costs				14,000,000				$ 14,000,000
Unrecognized compensation costs, weighted average period								1 year 9 months
Share based compensation								$ 12,000,000	13,000,000	17,000,000
Restricted Stock
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Unrecognized compensation costs				$ 15,000,000				$ 15,000,000
Unrecognized compensation costs, weighted average period								2 years 5 months
Weighted average grant-date fair value of restricted stock granted				$ 44.24	$ 57.98	$ 56.06	$ 53.40
Supplemental Stock Ownership Plan
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Authorized treasury shares available for purchase under the supplemental stock ownership plan			1,100,000
2002 Long-Term Incentive Plan
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Authorized common stock available for issuance under the plan																4,000,000
2006 Long-Term Incentive Plan
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Authorized common stock available for issuance under the plan														3,500,000	2,300,000
Count of each share from a stock option award against shares available for issuance under the plan															1
Count of each share from a full value award against shares available for issuance under the plan														1.49	1.25
Shares of common stock remain authorized for delivery				3,042,433				3,042,433
United States | Stock Option
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Cash received from stock option exercises										$ 24,000,000
United States | Employee Stock Option [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Tax Benefit Realized from Exercise of Stock Options									$ 14,000,000
2013 [Domain]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Treasury stock shares										2,294,692
2014 [Domain]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Treasury stock shares									2,844,692
Less - Common Stock Held as Treasury Stock, at Cost
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock Repurchase Program, Authorized Amount											$ 200,000,000
Less - Common Stock Held as Treasury Stock, at Cost | Open Market [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock repurchased during period	400,000	450,000						4,228,633
Less - Common Stock Held as Treasury Stock, at Cost | Tenneco Retirement Plan for Salaried Employees [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock repurchased during period		100,000
Maximum [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Term for stock options (in years)			20 years
Minimum [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Term for stock options (in years)			7 years
2012 Through 2014 [Member] | Performance Shares [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Restriction period for restricted common stock								3 years
2014 Through 2016 [Member] | Performance Shares [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Restriction period for restricted common stock								3 years