Document and Entity Information Document (USD $) In Billions, except Share data in Millions, unless otherwise specified	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2011
Entity Information [Line Items]
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Public Float		$ 17.5
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2012
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	337.9
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Entity Registrant Name	EATON CORP
Entity Central Index Key	0000031277
Document Type	10-Q