Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions		Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016		Dec. 31, 2015		Dec. 31, 2014
Current assets
Cash		$ 561	$ 543	[1],[2]	$ 268	[2]	$ 781	[2]
Short-term investments		534	203
Accounts receivable - net		3,943	3,560	[1]
Intercompany accounts receivable		0	0
Inventory		2,620	2,346	[1]
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		679	381
Total current assets		8,337	7,033	[1]
Property, plant and equipment - net		3,502	3,443	[1]	3,565
Other noncurrent assets
Goodwill		13,568	13,201	[1]	13,479
Other intangible assets		5,265	5,514	[1]	6,014
Deferred income taxes		253	325	[1]
Investment in subsidiaries		0	0
Intercompany loans receivable		0	0
Other assets		1,698	960	[1]
Total assets		32,623	30,476	[1],[3]	31,059	[3]
Current liabilities
Short-term debt		6	14	[1]
Current portion of long-term debt		578	1,552	[1]
Accounts payable		2,166	1,718	[1]
Intercompany accounts payable		0	0
Accrued compensation		453	379	[1]
Other current liabilities		1,872	1,822	[1]
Total current liabilities		5,075	5,485	[1]
Noncurrent liabilities
Long-term debt		7,167	6,711	[1]
Pension liabilities		1,226	1,659	[1]
Other postretirement benefits liabilities		362	368	[1]
Deferred income taxes		538	321	[1]
Intercompany loans payable		0	0
Other noncurrent liabilities		965	934	[1]
Total noncurrent liabilities		10,258	9,993	[1]
Shareholders’ equity
Eaton shareholders’ equity		17,253	14,954	[1]
Noncontrolling interests		37	44	[1]
Total equity	[4]	17,290	14,998	[1]	15,294		15,839
Total liabilities and equity		32,623	30,476	[1]
Guarantors
Current assets
Cash		12	5		7		13
Short-term investments		0	0
Accounts receivable - net		1,317	1,049
Intercompany accounts receivable		5,146	4,239
Inventory		692	638
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		145	42
Total current assets		7,312	5,973
Property, plant and equipment - net		684	706
Other noncurrent assets
Goodwill		6,293	6,293
Other intangible assets		3,002	3,442
Deferred income taxes		0	15
Investment in subsidiaries		87,919	92,766
Intercompany loans receivable		2,735	2,061
Other assets		163	134
Total assets		108,108	111,390
Current liabilities
Short-term debt		0	8
Current portion of long-term debt		35	296
Accounts payable		313	252
Intercompany accounts payable		4,405	3,130
Accrued compensation		63	58
Other current liabilities		308	276
Total current liabilities		5,124	4,020
Noncurrent liabilities
Long-term debt		976	936
Pension liabilities		83	161
Other postretirement benefits liabilities		94	99
Deferred income taxes		558	732
Intercompany loans payable		68,405	44,788
Other noncurrent liabilities		272	212
Total noncurrent liabilities		70,388	46,928
Shareholders’ equity
Eaton shareholders’ equity		32,596	60,442
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Total equity		32,596	60,442
Total liabilities and equity		108,108	111,390
Other subsidiaries
Current assets
Cash		366	445		235		590
Short-term investments		534	203
Accounts receivable - net		2,144	1,975
Intercompany accounts receivable		2,741	3,382
Inventory		1,537	1,344
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		277	237
Total current assets		7,599	7,586
Property, plant and equipment - net		1,983	1,880
Other noncurrent assets
Goodwill		5,968	5,546
Other intangible assets		2,125	1,903
Deferred income taxes		221	218
Investment in subsidiaries		39,527	44,345
Intercompany loans receivable		61,225	56,938
Other assets		787	336
Total assets		119,435	118,752
Current liabilities
Short-term debt		6	6
Current portion of long-term debt		1	6
Accounts payable		1,320	1,053
Intercompany accounts payable		1,431	1,836
Accrued compensation		262	223
Other current liabilities		1,000	957
Total current liabilities		4,020	4,081
Noncurrent liabilities
Long-term debt		8	8
Pension liabilities		802	888
Other postretirement benefits liabilities		76	71
Deferred income taxes		304	361
Intercompany loans payable		1,146	431
Other noncurrent liabilities		379	396
Total noncurrent liabilities		2,715	2,155
Shareholders’ equity
Eaton shareholders’ equity		112,663	112,478
Noncontrolling interests		37	38
Total equity		112,700	112,516
Total liabilities and equity		119,435	118,752
Eaton Corporation plc
Current assets
Cash		0	1		0		1
Short-term investments		0	0
Accounts receivable - net		0	0
Intercompany accounts receivable		8	5
Inventory		0	0
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		0	0
Total current assets		8	6
Property, plant and equipment - net		0	0
Other noncurrent assets
Goodwill		0	0
Other intangible assets		0	0
Deferred income taxes		0	0
Investment in subsidiaries		15,045	32,852
Intercompany loans receivable		3,122	0
Other assets		0	0
Total assets		18,175	32,858
Current liabilities
Short-term debt		0	0
Current portion of long-term debt		0	0
Accounts payable		0	1
Intercompany accounts payable		4	281
Accrued compensation		0	0
Other current liabilities		1	1
Total current liabilities		5	283
Noncurrent liabilities
Long-term debt		0	0
Pension liabilities		0	0
Other postretirement benefits liabilities		0	0
Deferred income taxes		0	0
Intercompany loans payable		917	17,621
Other noncurrent liabilities		0	0
Total noncurrent liabilities		917	17,621
Shareholders’ equity
Eaton shareholders’ equity		17,253	14,954
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Total equity		17,253	14,954
Total liabilities and equity		18,175	32,858
Eaton Corporation
Current assets
Cash		183	92		26		177
Short-term investments		0	0
Accounts receivable - net		482	536
Intercompany accounts receivable		2,865	953
Inventory		473	443
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		229	77
Total current assets		4,232	2,101
Property, plant and equipment - net		835	857
Other noncurrent assets
Goodwill		1,307	1,362
Other intangible assets		138	169
Deferred income taxes		356	864
Investment in subsidiaries		15,439	20,200
Intercompany loans receivable		7,104	7,609
Other assets		748	490
Total assets		30,159	33,652
Current liabilities
Short-term debt		0	0
Current portion of long-term debt		542	1,250
Accounts payable		533	412
Intercompany accounts payable		4,920	3,332
Accrued compensation		128	98
Other current liabilities		564	590
Total current liabilities		6,687	5,682
Noncurrent liabilities
Long-term debt		6,180	5,767
Pension liabilities		341	610
Other postretirement benefits liabilities		192	198
Deferred income taxes		0	0
Intercompany loans payable		3,718	3,768
Other noncurrent liabilities		314	326
Total noncurrent liabilities		10,745	10,669
Shareholders’ equity
Eaton shareholders’ equity		12,727	17,301
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Total equity		12,727	17,301
Total liabilities and equity		30,159	33,652
Consolidating adjustments
Current assets
Cash		0	0		$ 0		$ 0
Short-term investments		0	0
Accounts receivable - net		0	0
Intercompany accounts receivable		(10,760)	(8,579)
Inventory		(82)	(79)
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		28	25
Total current assets		(10,814)	(8,633)
Property, plant and equipment - net		0	0
Other noncurrent assets
Goodwill		0	0
Other intangible assets		0	0
Deferred income taxes		(324)	(772)
Investment in subsidiaries		(157,930)	(190,163)
Intercompany loans receivable		(74,186)	(66,608)
Other assets		0	0
Total assets		(243,254)	(266,176)
Current liabilities
Short-term debt		0	0
Current portion of long-term debt		0	0
Accounts payable		0	0
Intercompany accounts payable		(10,760)	(8,579)
Accrued compensation		0	0
Other current liabilities		(1)	(2)
Total current liabilities		(10,761)	(8,581)
Noncurrent liabilities
Long-term debt		3	0
Pension liabilities		0	0
Other postretirement benefits liabilities		0	0
Deferred income taxes		(324)	(772)
Intercompany loans payable		(74,186)	(66,608)
Other noncurrent liabilities		0	0
Total noncurrent liabilities		(74,507)	(67,380)
Shareholders’ equity
Eaton shareholders’ equity		(157,986)	(190,221)
Noncontrolling interests		0	6
Total equity		(157,986)	(190,215)
Total liabilities and equity		$ (243,254)	$ (266,176)

[1] *December 31, 2016 amounts have been adjusted to reflect the change in inventory accounting method, as described in Notes 1 and 14 to the consolidated financial statements.

[2] *Year ended December 31, 2016 and 2015 amounts have been adjusted to reflect the change in inventory accounting method, as described in Notes 1 and 14 to the consolidated financial statements.

[3] *Corporate identifiable assets in 2016 and 2015 have been adjusted to reflect the change in inventory accounting method, as described in Notes 1 and 14.

[4] *The balances at January 1, 2015 and the year ended December 31, 2015 and 2016 amounts have been adjusted to reflect the change in inventory accounting method, as described in Notes 1 and 14 to the consolidated financial statements.