Note 10 - Acquisition (Details) (USD $)	0 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		0 Months Ended		3 Months Ended							0 Months Ended		3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Jan. 15, 2014		Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Jan. 15, 2014 Convertible Preferred Stock, Series A [Member] Additional Amount Issued at Closing [Member] Samsung Corning Precision Materials Co., Ltd. [Member]	Jan. 15, 2014 Convertible Preferred Stock, Series A [Member] Samsung Corning Precision Materials Co., Ltd. [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 Convertible Preferred Stock, Series A [Member] Samsung Corning Precision Materials Co., Ltd. [Member]	Jan. 15, 2014 Convertible Preferred Stock, Series A [Member]	Jan. 15, 2014 Revenues Generated by Samsung Corning Precision Materials [Member] Samsung Corning Precision Materials Co., Ltd. [Member]	Jan. 15, 2014 Volume of Certain Sales [Member] Samsung Corning Precision Materials Co., Ltd. [Member]	Nov. 30, 2013 Samsung Corning Precision Materials Co., Ltd. [Member] Samsung Display Co., Ltd. [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Samsung Corning Precision Materials Co., Ltd. [Member] Corning Inc. [Member]	Nov. 30, 2013 Samsung Corning Precision Materials Co., Ltd. [Member] Corning Inc. [Member]	Jan. 15, 2014 Samsung Corning Precision Materials Co., Ltd. [Member]		Sep. 30, 2014 Samsung Corning Precision Materials Co., Ltd. [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Samsung Corning Precision Materials Co., Ltd. [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Samsung Corning Precision Materials Co., Ltd. [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Samsung Corning Precision Materials Co., Ltd. [Member]
Note 10 - Acquisition (Details) [Line Items]
Preferred Stock, Par or Stated Value Per Share (in Dollars per share)			$ 100					$ 100
Preferred Stock, Shares Issued (in Shares)			2,300			2,300
Share Price (in Dollars per share)						$ 1,000,000
Stock Issued During Period, Shares, Acquisitions (in Shares)						1,900	1,900
Stock Issued During Period, Shares, New Issues (in Shares)					400
Stock Issued During Period, Value, Acquisitions						$ 1,900,000,000
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration Arrangements, Range of Outcomes, Value, High									665,000,000	100,000,000
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration, Asset														196,000,000		273,000,000	273,000,000	273,000,000	273,000,000
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration Arrangements, Change in Amount of Contingent Consideration, Asset			77,000,000													77,000,000
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage											42.50%	57.50%	50.00%
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred, Equity Interests Issued and Issuable						1,900,000,000								1,911,000,000
Business Combination, Net Fair Value Of Consideration Including Subsequent Acquisition														4,038,000,000	[1]
Fair Value of Reacquired Right														0
Contractual Royalty Rate														3.00%
Current Market Rate of Royalty Contract														12.00%
Settlement Of Preexisting Customer Relationship Including Subsequent Acquisition														320,000,000
Percentage of Loss on Effective Settlement of Contract														100.00%
Settlement Of Preexisting Customer Relationship Before Subsequent Acquisition														184,000,000
Business Combination, Net Fair Value Of Consideration Before Subsequent Acquisition														2,323,000,000	[1]
Business Combination, Step Acquisition, Equity Interest in Acquiree, Fair Value														2,139,000,000
Settlement of Pre-Existing Customer Relationship														136,000,000
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred														1,579,000,000
Proceeds from Equity Method Investment, Dividends or Distributions	1,574,000,000	[2]	1,673,000,000	221,000,000										1,600,000,000
Cash Dividends Paid by Consolidated Subsidiaries														2,800,000,000
Business Combination, Provisional Information, Initial Accounting Incomplete, Adjustment, Consideration Transferred																	39,000,000
Business Combination, Acquisition Related Costs																			92,000,000
Business Combination, Increase in Net Sales from Consolidation of the Acquiree																		$ 1,331,000,000

[1] As Corning was a 57.5% shareholder at the date of acquisition, immediately preceding the acquisition of Samsung Corning Precision Materials, Corning recognized an asset and respective gain as part of the calculation of its previously held equity investment which included approximately $184 million attributed to its economic interest in the royalty contract.

[2] In conjunction with the Framework Agreement, the parties agreed to have Samsung Corning Precision Materials distribute all cash and cash equivalents as a dividend to the shareholders of record as of December 31, 2013. The dividend was not part of the purchase price as the agreement was to distribute cash and cash equivalents as a dividend to the shareholders as soon as practicable. As such, at acquisition Corning did not have legal title to the cash to be distributed, although the dividend was distributed subsequent to the acquisition date. Therefore, the portion of Corning's share of the $1.6 billion dividend received was accounted for in Corning's consolidated financial statements as if the dividend occurred at or immediately prior to the date of acquisition at which time Samsung Corning Precision Materials was still an equity method investment in Corning's consolidated financial statements.