Interim Financial Results (Details) (USD $) In Millions, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended																12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013		Sep. 30, 2013		Jun. 30, 2013		Mar. 31, 2013		Dec. 31, 2012		Sep. 30, 2012		Jun. 30, 2012		Mar. 31, 2012		Dec. 31, 2013		Dec. 31, 2012		Dec. 31, 2011
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
NET SALES	$ 7,249		$ 7,406		$ 7,335		$ 7,090		$ 7,075		$ 7,026		$ 7,077		$ 6,655		$ 29,080	[1]	$ 27,833	[1]	$ 26,034	[1]
Gross margin (a)	1,973	[2]	2,093	[2]	1,921	[2]	1,870	[2]	1,882	[2]	1,886	[2]	1,807	[2]	1,671	[2]	7,857	[2]	7,246	[2]
Earnings (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes and equity earnings	(155)	[3]	411	[4]	363	[5]	230	[6]	287	[7]	320	[8]	204	[9]	213	[10]	849	[3],[4],[5],[6]	1,024	[10],[7],[8],[9]	1,458
Gain (loss) from discontinued operations, net of taxes	5		(10)		24		26		10		14		16		5		45		45		49
Net earnings (loss) attributable to International Paper Company	$ 436	[11],[12],[3]	$ 382	[13],[4]	$ 259	[5]	$ 318	[14],[6]	$ 235	[15],[7]	$ 237	[8]	$ 134	[9]	$ 188	[10]	$ 1,395	[11],[12],[13],[14],[3],[4],[5],[6]	$ 794	[10],[15],[7],[8],[9]	$ 1,322
Earnings (loss) from continuing operations, per basic share	$ 0.98	[3]	$ 0.88	[4]	$ 0.53	[5]	$ 0.66	[6]	$ 0.52	[7]	$ 0.51	[8]	$ 0.27	[9]	$ 0.42	[10]	$ 3.05	[3],[4],[5],[6]	$ 1.72	[10],[7],[8],[9]	$ 2.95
Gain (loss) from discontinued operations	$ 0.01		$ (0.02)		$ 0.05		$ 0.06		$ 0.02		$ 0.03		$ 0.04		$ 0.01		$ 0.10		$ 0.10		$ 0.11
Net earning (loss) attributable to International Paper Company common shareholders, per basic share	$ 0.99	[11],[12],[3]	$ 0.86	[13],[4]	$ 0.58	[5]	$ 0.72	[14],[6]	$ 0.54	[15],[7]	$ 0.54	[8]	$ 0.31	[9]	$ 0.43	[10]	$ 3.15	[11],[12],[13],[14],[3],[4],[5],[6]	$ 1.82	[10],[15],[7],[8],[9]	$ 3.06
Diluted earnings (loss) per share from continuing operations	$ 0.97	[3]	$ 0.87	[4]	$ 0.52	[5]	$ 0.65	[6]	$ 0.51	[7]	$ 0.51	[8]	$ 0.27	[9]	$ 0.42	[10]	$ 3.01	[3],[4],[5],[6]	$ 1.70	[10],[7],[8],[9]	$ 2.92
Gain (loss) from discontinued operations	$ 0.01		$ (0.02)		$ 0.05		$ 0.06		$ 0.02		$ 0.03		$ 0.04		$ 0.01		$ 0.10		$ 0.10		$ 0.11
Net earning (loss) attributable to International Paper Company common shareholders, per diluted share	$ 0.98	[11],[12],[3]	$ 0.85	[13],[4]	$ 0.57	[5]	$ 0.71	[14],[6]	$ 0.53	[15],[7]	$ 0.54	[8]	$ 0.31	[9]	$ 0.43	[10]	$ 3.11	[11],[12],[13],[14],[3],[4],[5],[6]	$ 1.80	[10],[15],[7],[8],[9]	$ 3.03
Dividends per share of common stock	$ 0.3500		$ 0.3000		$ 0.3000		$ 0.3000		$ 0.3000		$ 0.2625		$ 0.2625		$ 0.2625		$ 1.2500		$ 1.0875
Common stock prices, High	$ 49.52		$ 50.33		$ 49.10		$ 47.25		$ 39.88		$ 37.25		$ 35.59		$ 36.50		$ 50.33		$ 39.88
Common stock prices, Low	$ 42.92		$ 43.95		$ 42.36		$ 39.47		$ 32.95		$ 28.29		$ 27.29		$ 29.45		$ 39.47		$ 27.29

[1] Net sales are attributed to countries based on the location of the seller.

[2] Gross margin represents net sales less cost of products sold, excluding depreciation, amortization and cost of timber harvested.

[3] Includes a pre-tax charge of $12 million ($7 million after taxes) for integration costs associated with the acquisition of Temple-Inland, a pre-tax charge of $67 million ($41 million after taxes) for costs associated with the announced shutdown of our Courtland mill, a pre-tax charge of $8 million ($5 million after taxes) for costs associated with the spin-off of the xpedx operations, a pre-tax charge of $4 million ($3 million after taxes) for costs associated with the restructuring of the Asia Box operations, a pre-tax charge of $400 million ($366 million after taxes) for the impairment of goodwill in the Company's xpedx business, a pre-tax charge of $127 million ($122 million after taxes) for the impairment of goodwill and a trade name intangible asset of the Company's India Papers business, a pre- tax charge of $2 million ($1 million after taxes) for an adjustment associated with the Company's divestiture of the Shorewood operations, and a net pre-tax loss of $0 million ($1 million after taxes) for other items.

[4] Includes a pre-tax charge of $24 million ($15 million after taxes) for integration costs associated with the acquisition of Temple-Inland, a pre-tax charge of $51 million ($31 million after taxes) for costs associated with the announced shutdown of our Courtland mill, a pre-tax charge of $15 million ($9 million after taxes) for debt extinguishment costs, a pre-tax charge of $6 million ($4 million after taxes for costs associated with the restructuring of our xpedx operations, a pre-tax charge of $11 million ($7 million after taxes) for costs associated with the spin-off of the xpedx operations, a pre-tax gain of $9 million ($6 million after taxes) associated with the sale of the Bellevue box plant facility which was closed in 2010, a pre-tax charge of $1 million ($0 million after taxes) for costs associated with the divestiture of three containerboard mills in 2012 and charges of $2 million (before and after taxes) for other items.

[5] Includes a pre-tax charge of $6 million ($4 million after taxes) for an environmental reserve related to the Company's property in Cass Lake, Minnesota, a pre-tax charge of $14 million ($8 million after taxes) for integration costs associated with the acquisition of Temple-Inland, a pre-tax charge of $9 million ($5 million after taxes) to adjust the value of two Company airplanes to market value, a pre-tax gain of $30 million ($19 million after taxes) for insurance reimbursements related to the 2012 Guaranty Bank legal settlement, a pre-tax charge of $3 million ($2 million after taxes) for debt extinguishment costs, a pre-tax charge of $17 million ($10 million after taxes) for costs associated with the restructuring of our xpedx operations, a pre-tax charge of $3 million ($2 million after taxes) for costs associated with the spin-off of the xpedx operations, a gain of $13 million (before and after taxes) related to a bargain purchase adjustment on the first-quarter 2013 acquisition of a majority share of our operations in Turkey, and charges of $3 million (before and after taxes) for other items.

[6] Includes a pre-tax charge of $12 million ($8 million after taxes) for integration costs associated with the acquisition of Temple-Inland, a pre-tax charge of $44 million ($27 million after taxes) for costs associated with the permanent shutdown of a paper machine at our Augusta mill, a pre-tax charge of $6 million ($4 million after taxes) for debt extinguishment costs, a pre-tax charge of $7 million ($4 million after taxes) for costs associated with the restructuring of our xpedx operations, interest income of $6 million ($4 million after taxes) related to the closing of a U.S. federal income tax audit, and pre-tax charges of $2 million ($1 million after taxes) for other items.

[7] Includes a pre-tax charge of $28 million ($19 million after taxes) for integration costs associated with the acquisition of Temple-Inland, a pre-tax charge of $9 million ($6 million after taxes) for debt extinguishment costs, a pre-tax charge of $7 million ($4 million after taxes) for costs associated with the restructuring of our xpedx operations, a gain of $2 million (before and after taxes) for proceeds associated with the 2010 sale of the Arizona Chemical business, a gain of $2 million (before and after taxes) for adjustments related to the sale of the Company's Shorewood operations, a charge of $1 million (before and after taxes) for costs associated with the containerboard mill divestitures, and pre-tax charges of $5 million ($4 million after taxes) for other items.

[8] ncludes a pre-tax charge of $9 million ($5 million after taxes) for an inventory write-off, severance and other charges related to the restructuring of the Company's xpedx operations, a pre-tax charge of $58 million ($34 million after taxes) for integration costs associated with the acquisition of Temple-Inland, a pre-tax charge of $13 million ($8 million after taxes) for debt extinguishment costs, a pre-tax charge of $16 million ($11 million after taxes) for costs associated with the restructuring of the Company's Packaging business in EMEA, a pre-tax charge of $19 million ($49 million after taxes) for costs associated with the containerboard mill divestitures and a pre-tax gain of $5 million ($0 million after taxes) for other items.

[9] Includes a pre-tax charge of $12 million ($8 million after taxes) for an inventory write-off, severance and other charges related to the restructuring of the Company's xpedx operations, a pre-tax charge of $35 million ($22 million after taxes) for integration costs associated with the acquisition of Temple-Inland, a pre-tax charge of $10 million ($6 million after taxes) for debt extinguishment costs, a pre-tax charge of $62 million ($38 million after taxes) to adjust the long-lived assets of the Hueneme mill in Oxnard, California to their fair value in anticipation of its divestiture, a pre-tax charge of $9 million ($5 million after taxes) for costs associated with the third-quarter 2012 divestiture of the Hueneme mill and two other containerboard mills, a pre-tax charge of $6 million ($4 million after taxes) for an adjustment related to the sale of Shorewood, and charges of $2 million (before and after taxes) for other items.

[10] Includes a pre-tax charge of $20 million ($12 million after taxes) related to the write-up of the Temple-Inland inventories to fair value, a pre-tax charge of $21 million ($16 million after taxes) for an inventory write-off, severance and other charges related to the restructuring of the Company's xpedx operations, a pre-tax charge of $43 million ($33 million after taxes) for integration costs associated with the acquisition of Temple-Inland, a pre-tax charge of $16 million ($10 million after taxes) for early debt extinguishment costs, a pre-tax gain of $7 million ($6 million after taxes) for adjustments related to the sale of the Shorewood business, and a gain of $1 million (before and after taxes) for other items.

[11] Includes pre-tax noncontrolling interest income of $4 million ($3 million after taxes) associated with the write-off of a trade name intangible asset in our India Papers business.

[12] Includes a tax benefit of $651 million associated with the closing of a U.S. federal tax audit and a net tax benefit of $3 million for other items.

[13] Includes a tax benefit of $31 million for an income tax reserve release. In addition, the third quarter tax rate includes a $30 million benefit related to the adjustment of the tax basis in certain of the Company's fixed assets.

[14] Includes a tax benefit of $93 million associated with the closing of a U.S. federal income tax audit and a net tax expense of $2 million related to internal restructurings. In addition, the first quarter tax rate includes a benefit of approximately $35 million related to the enactment into law of The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 in January 2013.

[15] Includes a net expense of $14 million related to internal restructurings and a $5 million expense to adjust deferred tax assets related to post-retirement prescription drug coverage (Medicare Part D reimbursements).