Segment Information (Details) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2017 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2017 USD ($) group_presidents segments dealers	Jun. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)
Segment Reporting Information
Number of group presidents \| group_presidents			5
Number of operating segments \| segments			6
Useful life to amortize goodwill for segment assets			20 years
Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues	$ 11,331	$ 10,342	$ 21,153	$ 19,803
Depreciation and amortization	720	754	1,430	1,494
Consolidated profit before taxes	1,159	739	1,448	1,104
Segment assets	78,510		78,510		$ 74,704
Capital expenditures	615	865	$ 1,124	1,605
All Other operating segments
Segment Reporting Information
Number of group presidents \| group_presidents			1
Number of smaller operating segments led by Group President \| group_presidents			2
Number of wholly-owned dealers involved in segment reallocation \| dealers			1
Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues	33	41	$ 70	79
Depreciation and amortization	56	53	110	105
Consolidated profit before taxes	(20)	(14)	(33)	(21)
Segment assets	1,368		1,368		1,381
Capital expenditures	25	51	45	67
Reportable Segments Including Intersegment Eliminations
Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues	12,339	11,119	$ 23,096	21,343
Reportable Segments
Segment Reporting Information
Number of operating segments led by Group Presidents \| segments			3
Number of operating segments led by Group President responsible for corporate services \| segments			1
Reportable Segments
Number of reportable segments \| segments			4
Sales and revenues	11,406	10,392	$ 21,283	19,905
Depreciation and amortization	596	651	1,191	1,290
Consolidated profit before taxes	1,889	1,191	3,417	2,113
Segment assets	54,970		54,970		55,517
Capital expenditures	622	807	1,026	1,314
Intersegment Eliminations
Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues	933	727	1,813	1,438
Machinery, Energy & Transportation \| Reportable Segments Including Intersegment Eliminations
Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues	11,563	10,360	21,560	19,841
Machinery, Energy & Transportation \| Reportable Segments
Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues	10,630	9,633	19,747	18,403
Depreciation and amortization	392	438	779	872
Consolidated profit before taxes	1,698	989	3,043	1,743
Segment assets	18,464		18,464		20,293
Capital expenditures	158	195	316	405
Machinery, Energy & Transportation \| Intersegment Eliminations
Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues	933	727	1,813	1,438
Construction Industries \| Reportable Segments Including Intersegment Eliminations
Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues	4,959	4,438	9,059	8,489
Construction Industries \| Reportable Segments
Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues	4,930	4,426	9,021	8,469
Depreciation and amortization	100	116	202	229
Consolidated profit before taxes	901	550	1,536	990
Segment assets	4,475		4,475		5,367
Capital expenditures	36	40	57	68
Construction Industries \| Intersegment Eliminations
Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues	29	12	38	20
Resource Industries \| Reportable Segments Including Intersegment Eliminations
Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues	1,836	1,514	3,597	3,034
Resource Industries \| Reportable Segments
Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues	1,759	1,457	3,429	2,906
Depreciation and amortization	130	153	257	308
Consolidated profit before taxes	97	(163)	255	(259)
Segment assets	6,584		6,584		7,135
Capital expenditures	31	59	52	94
Resource Industries \| Intersegment Eliminations
Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues	77	57	168	128
Energy & Transportation \| Reportable Segments Including Intersegment Eliminations
Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues	4,768	4,408	8,904	8,318
Energy & Transportation \| Reportable Segments
Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues	3,941	3,750	7,297	7,028
Depreciation and amortization	162	169	320	335
Consolidated profit before taxes	700	602	1,252	1,012
Segment assets	7,405		7,405		7,791
Capital expenditures	91	96	207	243
Energy & Transportation \| Intersegment Eliminations
Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues	827	658	1,607	1,290
Financial Products Segment \| Reportable Segments Including Intersegment Eliminations
Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues	776	759	1,536	1,502
Financial Products Segment \| Reportable Segments
Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues	776	759	1,536	1,502
Depreciation and amortization	204	213	412	418
Consolidated profit before taxes	191	202	374	370
Segment assets	36,506		36,506		$ 35,224
Capital expenditures	464	612	710	909
Financial Products Segment \| Intersegment Eliminations
Reportable Segments
Sales and revenues	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0

The number of group presidents that comprise the reporting entity's executive office.

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Represents the number of operating segments that are led by the group president who is responsible for corporate services.

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Number of wholly-owned dealers moved from one operating segment to different operating segment.

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Amount of total capital expenditures attributable to the reportable segments.

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Represents the useful life used to amortize goodwill to allocate to segments assets.

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Sum of the carrying amounts as of the balance sheet date of all assets that are recognized. Assets are probable future economic benefits obtained or controlled by an entity as a result of past transactions or events.

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The aggregate expense recognized in the current period that allocates the cost of tangible assets, intangible assets, or depleting assets to periods that benefit from use of the assets.

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Amount of income (loss) from continuing operations before deduction of income tax expense (benefit) and income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interest, and addition of income (loss) from equity method investments.

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Number of operating segments. An operating segment is a component of an enterprise: (a) that engages in business activities from which it may earn revenues and incur expenses (including revenues and expenses relating to transactions with other components of the same enterprise), (b) whose operating results are regularly reviewed by the enterprise's chief operating decision maker to make decisions about resources to be allocated to the segment and assess its performance, and (c) for which discrete financial information is available. An operating segment may engage in business activities for which it has yet to earn revenues, for example, start-up operations may be operating segments before earning revenues.

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Amount of revenue recognized from goods sold, services rendered, insurance premiums, or other activities that constitute an earning process. Includes, but is not limited to, investment and interest income before deduction of interest expense when recognized as a component of revenue, and sales and trading gain (loss).

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Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

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