Pension and Postretirement Plans (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended											1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended					1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended																		12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2013 Sale Of Publishing Subsidiaries [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Sale Of Publishing Subsidiaries [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Pension Plans [Member] companies	Dec. 31, 2012 Pension Plans [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Pension Plans [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Pension Plans [Member] Discontinued Operations [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Pension Plans [Member] Discontinued Operations [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Pension Plans [Member] Discontinued Operations [Member]	Feb. 28, 2013 Pension Plans [Member] Washington Post Newspaper [Member] Discontinued Operations [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 Pension Plans [Member] Washington Post Newspaper [Member] Discontinued Operations [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Pension Plans [Member] Washington Post Newspaper [Member] Discontinued Operations [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Pension Plans [Member] Robinson Terminal Warehouse and Washington Post Newspaper [Member] Discontinued Operations [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Pension Plans [Member] Post-Newsweek Media [Member] Discontinued Operations [Member]	Oct. 02, 2013 Pension Plans [Member] Sale Of Publishing Subsidiaries [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Multiemployer Pension Plans [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Multiemployer Pension Plans [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Multiemployer Pension Plans [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Multiemployer Pension Plans [Member] Daily Herald [Member] CWA/ITU Negotiated Pension Plan [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Multiemployer Pension Plans [Member] Daily Herald [Member] GCIU Employer's Trust Fund [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 Multiemployer Pension Plans [Member] Daily Herald [Member] Western Conference Teamsters Pension Trust Fund [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (SERP) [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (SERP) [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (SERP) [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (SERP) [Member] Discontinued Operations [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (SERP) [Member] Discontinued Operations [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (SERP) [Member] Discontinued Operations [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Other Postretirement Plans [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Other Postretirement Plans [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Other Postretirement Plans [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Other Postretirement Plans [Member] Discontinued Operations [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Other Postretirement Plans [Member] Discontinued Operations [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Other Postretirement Plans [Member] Discontinued Operations [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Other Postretirement Plans [Member] Pre-Age 65 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Other Postretirement Plans [Member] Post-Age 65 MA-PD Plan [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Other Postretirement Plans [Member] Post-Age 65 Non MA-PD Plan [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Other Postretirement Plans [Member] Washington Post Newspaper [Member] Discontinued Operations [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Berkshire Hathaway Common Stock [Member] Pension Plans [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Berkshire Hathaway Common Stock [Member] Pension Plans [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Foreign Investments [Member] Pension Plans [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Single Equity Concentration [Member] Pension Plans [Member] Investment	Dec. 31, 2012 Single Equity Concentration [Member] Pension Plans [Member] Investment	Dec. 31, 2013 Fixed income securities [Member] Pension Plans [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Geographic Concentration [Member] Foreign Investments [Member] Pension Plans [Member] campus	Dec. 31, 2012 Geographic Concentration [Member] Foreign Investments [Member] Pension Plans [Member] country	Dec. 31, 2013 Defined Benefit Plan Assets Total [Member] Concentration In Single Entity, Type Of Industry, Foreign Country Or Individual Fund [Member] Pension Plans [Member]
Retirement Benefits Disclosure [Line Items]
Pension plan assets transferred from plan																	$ 318,000,000
Early retirement program expense	22,700,000	8,508,000	634,000	22,700,000	8,500,000	22,700,000	8,508,000	634,000				20,400,000		7,500,000	600,000	1,000,000
Special termination benefits													2,300,000
Accumulated benefit obligation						1,091,100,000	1,349,200,000																	89,300,000	97,600,000
Company contributions						0	0	0																4,101,000	3,681,000					3,671,000	3,337,000
Estimated employer contributions in next fiscal year						0
Net Periodic Cost (Benefit) for the Year	1,927,000	16,044,000	(4,726,000)			1,927,000	16,044,000	(4,726,000)	19,500,000	24,700,000	18,700,000													8,296,000	7,595,000	8,037,000	600,000	600,000	800,000	(2,052,000)	(1,238,000)	(1,636,000)	(2,900,000)	(2,900,000)	(2,900,000)
Number of investment companies actively managing plan assets						2
Defined benefit plan, target allocation maximum percentage of assets, equity securities																																										24.00%
Defined benefit plan, target allocation maximum percentage of assets, singular equity security, without prior approval by plan administrator																																								20.00%			10.00%
Defined benefit plan, target allocation percentage of assets, fixed-income securities, range minimum																																													10.00%
Amount of plan assets managed internally by the company						0
Minimum percentage of plan assets considered as significant concentrations in pension plans																																																10.00%
Number of investments the company's pension plan held which individually exceed 10% of total plan assets																																											1	1
Number of foreign countries for which the companys pension plan holds investments that exceed 10% of total plan assets																																														1	1
Value of investments																																											382,100,000	223,100,000		398,900,000	240,400,000
Percentage of total plan assets						100.00%	100.00%																																				16.00%	11.00%		17.00%	12.00%
Value of related party investments																																								208,400,000	179,900,000
Curtailment						43,930,000	0	0																						41,623,000	(438,000)	0							400,000
Discount rate to determine benefit obligation																														3.80%	3.30%
Assumed health care cost trend rate																																				7.75%	23.40%	6.75%
Direction of change for assumed health care cost trend rate																																				decreasing	decreasing	decreasing
Ultimate health care cost trend rate																																				5.00%	5.00%	5.00%
Year that rate reaches ultimate trend rate																																				2025	2023	2021
Discount rate to determine periodic cost																														3.30%	3.90%	4.60%
Multiemployer pension plan withdrawal charge																					2,400,000	900,000	400,000
Contributions to multiemployer pension plans																		100,000	200,000	400,000
Expense associated with the retirement benefits provided under incentive savings plans	$ 9,000,000	$ 12,700,000	$ 14,600,000