Employee Separation / Asset Related Charges, Net ( Asset Impairments )(Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Impaired Long-Lived Assets Held and Used [Line Items]
Capitalized computer software, gross	$ 435
Property, Plant, and Equipment, Fair Value Disclosure	0
Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Fair Value Disclosure	28
Cost basis investment ownership		6.00%
Other Segments [Member]
Impaired Long-Lived Assets Held and Used [Line Items]
Asset impairment charges		$ 38
Cost basis investment impairment [Member]
Impaired Long-Lived Assets Held and Used [Line Items]
Cost basis investment impairment		$ 37
Trade Names [Member] \| Industrial Biosciences [Member]
Impaired Long-Lived Assets Held and Used [Line Items]
Asset impairment charges	158
Construction in Progress [Member]
Impaired Long-Lived Assets Held and Used [Line Items]
Asset impairment charges	$ 435

Percent of ownership in cost basis investment

No definition available.

Name:	dd_Costbasisinvestmentownership
Namespace Prefix:	dd_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of write-down of assets recognized in the income statement. Includes, but is not limited to, losses from tangible assets, intangible assets and goodwill.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 360
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 4
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=68055307&loc=d3e2420-110228

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 230
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 28
-Subparagraph (b)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=66902209&loc=d3e3602-108585

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_AssetImpairmentCharges
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount before accumulated amortization of capitalized costs for computer software, including but not limited to, acquired and internally developed computer software.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 985
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6501960&loc=d3e128462-111756

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_CapitalizedComputerSoftwareGross
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

This item represents an other than temporary decline in value that has been recognized against an investment accounted for under the cost method of accounting. The excess of the carrying amount over the fair value of the investment represents the amount of the write down which is or was reflected in earnings. The written down value is a new cost basis with the adjusted value of the investment becoming its new carrying value. Evidence of a loss in value might include, but would not necessarily be limited to, absence of an ability to recover the carrying amount of the investment or inability of the investee to sustain an earnings capacity which would justify the carrying amount of the investment.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 325
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6872867&loc=d3e40691-111596

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_CostmethodInvestmentsOtherThanTemporaryImpairment
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Fair value portion of assets, excluding financial assets, that lack physical substance, having a limited useful life.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 820
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=66048111&loc=d3e19190-110258

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_FiniteLivedIntangibleAssetsFairValueDisclosure
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

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.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ImpairedLongLivedAssetsHeldAndUsedLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Fair value portion of physical assets used in the normal conduct of business to produce goods and services and not intended for resale. Examples include, but are not limited to, land, buildings, machinery and equipment, office equipment, and furniture and fixtures.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentFairValueDisclosure
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis=us-gaap_AllOtherSegmentsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_StatementScenarioAxis=dd_CostbasisinvestmentimpairmentMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_IndefiniteLivedIntangibleAssetsByMajorClassAxis=us-gaap_TradeNamesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis=dd_IndustrialBiosciencesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentByTypeAxis=us-gaap_ConstructionInProgressMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: