Restructuring - Additional Information (Detail)				1 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	87 Months Ended
	Nov. 11, 2015 Employees	Oct. 20, 2015 Position	Apr. 26, 2013 Employees	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)	Jan. 31, 2014 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2015 USD ($)
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Pre-tax charge to earnings						$ 48,000,000	$ 7,000,000
Restructuring costs in accrued expenses				$ 22,000,000		22,000,000				$ 22,000,000	$ 9,000,000
Restructuring Activities Other [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Pre-tax charge to earnings						1,000,000	1,000,000
Severance Costs [Member] | Restructuring Activities Other [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Accrued severance charges				3,000,000		3,000,000				3,000,000
Scenario Forecast [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Restructuring Activities Other [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Additional restructuring charges after current fiscal								$ 1,000,000
Operational Restructuring [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Number of positions eliminated | Position		300
Pre-tax charge to earnings						24,000,000
Expected cumulative net cash outlays related to plan				28,000,000		28,000,000				28,000,000
Cash payments						11,000,000
Restructuring cash payments through the reminder of fiscal 2016						15,000,000
Restructuring cash payments, thereafter						2,000,000
Operational Restructuring [Member] | Severance Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Accrued severance charges				14,000,000		14,000,000				14,000,000
Operational Restructuring [Member] | Scenario Forecast [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Additional restructuring charges after current fiscal								4,000,000
Closure of Carbon Black Facility [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Pre-tax charge to earnings						24,000,000
Affected employees | Employees	50
Closure of Carbon Black Facility [Member] | Severance Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Accrued severance charges				2,000,000		2,000,000				2,000,000
Closure of Carbon Black Facility [Member] | Asset Impairment and Accelerated Depreciation [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Pre-tax charge to earnings						22,000,000
Closure of Carbon Black Facility [Member] | Severance and Employee Benefits [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Pre-tax charge to earnings						2,000,000
Closure of Carbon Black Facility [Member] | Scenario Forecast [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Expected cumulative net cash outlays related to plan								8,000,000	$ 8,000,000
Site demolition and other miscellaneous costs									6,000,000
Shared Service Center Transition [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Pre-tax charge to earnings					$ 24,000,000	0	4,000,000
Cash payments						20,000,000
Severance charges					16,000,000	13,000,000
Other charges					$ 8,000,000	7,000,000
Expected restructuring charges				1,000,000		1,000,000				1,000,000
Restructuring costs in accrued expenses				1,000,000		1,000,000				1,000,000
Closure of Port Dickson [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Affected employees | Employees			90
Severance charges						2,000,000
Other charges						1,000,000
Expected restructuring charges				19,000,000		19,000,000				19,000,000
Net pre-tax gain						1,000,000
Accelerated depreciation and asset write-offs						16,000,000
Site demolition, clearing and environmental remediation costs						2,000,000
Expected cumulative net cash received to this plan				3,000,000		3,000,000				3,000,000
Closure of Port Dickson [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Expected restructuring charges							1,000,000
Restructuring costs in accrued expenses				$ 1,000,000		$ 1,000,000				$ 1,000,000
Closure of Port Dickson [Member] | Cabot [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Equity share in CMSB			50.10%
Closure of Port Dickson [Member] | CMSB [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Portion of the charges that are allocable to the noncontrolling interest				49.90%		49.90%				49.90%
Closure of Port Dickson [Member] | Severance and Employee Benefits [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Expected cumulative net cash received to this plan				$ 2,000,000		$ 2,000,000				$ 2,000,000
Closure of Port Dickson [Member] | Asset Sales [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Expected cumulative net cash received to this plan				7,000,000		7,000,000				7,000,000
Closure of Port Dickson [Member] | Environmental Remediation [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Expected cumulative net cash received to this plan				1,000,000		1,000,000				1,000,000
Closure of Port Dickson [Member] | Facility Closure Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Expected cumulative net cash received to this plan				1,000,000		1,000,000				1,000,000
Closure of Port Dickson [Member] | Scenario Forecast [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Cash payments								$ 1,000,000
Closure of Port Dickson [Member] | Scenario Forecast [Member] | Land [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Gain on sale of asset									2,000,000
Previous Actions and Sites Pending Sale [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Pre-tax charge to earnings							$ 2,000,000
Cash payments										87,000,000
Severance charges				67,000,000
Other charges				23,000,000
Expected restructuring charges				165,000,000		165,000,000				165,000,000
Gain on sale of asset				1,000,000
Site demolition, clearing and environmental remediation costs				10,000,000
Restructuring accelerated depreciation and asset impairments				66,000,000
Previous Actions and Sites Pending Sale [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Pre-tax charge to earnings						1,000,000
Previous Actions and Sites Pending Sale [Member] | Severance Costs [Member] | Restructuring Activities Other [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Accrued severance charges				$ 2,000,000		$ 2,000,000				$ 2,000,000
Previous Actions and Sites Pending Sale [Member] | Scenario Forecast [Member] | Land Rights [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Gain on sale of asset									8,000,000
Expected cash received from sale of land rights									9,000,000
Previous Actions and Sites Pending Sale [Member] | Scenario Forecast [Member] | Environmental and Other Closure Related Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Cash payments									$ 2,000,000