Consolidated Statements of Income (Loss) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Consolidated Statements of Income (Loss) [Abstract]
Net sales	$ 11,503	$ 11,290	$ 10,116
Cost of sales	7,468	6,829	6,096
Gross margin	4,035	4,461	4,020
Operating expenses:
Selling, general and administrative expenses	1,585	1,799	1,473
Research, development and engineering expenses	1,031	993	864
Amortization of purchased intangibles	113	94	75
Operating income	1,306	1,575	1,608
Equity in earnings of affiliated companies (Note 6)	17	390	361
Interest income	21	38	45
Interest expense	(221)	(191)	(155)
Translated earnings contract gain (loss), net	248	(93)	(121)
Other expense, net	(155)	(216)	(81)
Income before income taxes	1,216	1,503	1,657
Provision for income taxes (Note 5)	(256)	(437)	(2,154)
Net income (loss) attributable to Corning Incorporated	$ 960	$ 1,066	$ (497)
Earnings (loss) per common share attributable to Corning Incorporated:
Basic (Note 17)	$ 1.11	$ 1.19	$ (0.66)
Diluted (Note 17)	$ 1.07	$ 1.13	$ (0.66)