Business Segment Information Hussmann Divestiture Operating Results (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011
Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Segment operating income	$ 482.9	$ 468.4	$ 1,234.6	$ 1,252.7
Hussmann Divestiture(Included in Climate Solutions) [Member]
Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Segment operating income		$ 30.1		$ 56.1

Segment operating income is the measure of profit and loss that the Company’s chief operating decision maker uses to evaluate the financial performance of the business and as the basis for performance recviews, compensation and resource allocation. For these reasons, the Company believes that Segment operating income represents the most relevant measure of segment profit and loss. The Company may exclude certain charges or gains from Operating income to arrive at a Segment operating income that is a more meaningful measure of profit and loss upon within to base its operating decisions.

No definition available.

Name:	ir_SegmentOperatingIncomeLoss
Namespace Prefix:	ir_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration