Asset Retirement Obligations (Details) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Asset Retirement Obligation [Line Items]
Unrecorded AROs	$ 77

The estimated amount of a liability for an asset retirement obligation which has not been recognized because fair value cannot be reasonably estimated.

No definition available.

Name:	cf_AssetRetirementObligationsLiabilityNotRecognizedEstimatedAmount
Namespace Prefix:	cf_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant