This element represents a settlement fine.

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- Definition

The number of years the Company expects it will pay the amounts recorded over the periods of remediation for the applicable sites

+ Details

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- Definition

The number patents not infringed by the entity.

+ Details

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- Definition

The total number of claimants who have asserted individual claims in a loss contingency matter.

+ Details

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- Definition

The number of claims settled and taken to trial.

+ Details

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- Definition

Subset of the number of claims settled and tried to verdict.

+ Details

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- Definition

The number of claims settled and tried to verdict.

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- Definition

The high end of the range of the number of defendants named in a typical complaint.

+ Details

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- Definition

The low end of the range of the number of defendants named in a typical complaint.

+ Details

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Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The number of lawsuits in which specific dollar claims for damages have been asserted.

+ Details

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Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The percentage of total claims in which specific dollar claims for damages have been asserted.

+ Details

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- Details

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Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Cumulative number of shares held by the subsidiary.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	mmm
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Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Payments received in connection with respirator mask/asbestos receivable

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	mmm
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Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The net change during the reporting period in the amount of benefits the ceding insurer expects to recover on insurance policies ceded to other insurance entities as of the balance sheet date for all guaranteed benefit types.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 95
-Paragraph 28

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Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount due in settlement of a claim for reimbursement from an insurance company when the Company has suffered a loss covered under an insurance policy.

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- Definition

Carrying amount as of the balance sheet date of reserves for the costs of settling insured claims and costs incurred in the claims settlement process attributable to asbestos and environmental claims, before estimated recoveries from reinsurers.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher AICPA
-Name Audit and Accounting Guide (AAG)
-Number AAG-PLI
-Chapter 4
-Paragraph 132, 133, 135, 136, 137
-IssueDate 2006-09-01

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher AICPA
-Name Statement of Position (SOP)
-Number 94-5
-Paragraph 11, 12

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- Definition

Net changes in the period to asbestos and environmental claims reserve, before estimated recoveries from reinsurers.

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- 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.

+ Details

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- Definition

The carrying amount as of the balance sheet date of the combined total of loss contingency reserves.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 5
-Paragraph 9, 10, 11, 12

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- Definition

The total number of new claims filed pertaining to a loss contingency during the period.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 5
-Paragraph 9, 10, 11, 12

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Balance Type:	na
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- Definition

Identifies individuals or entities that are co-defendants in a law suit, and who may have to pay all or a portion of any damages awarded.

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- Definition

The total amount of pending claims pertaining to a loss contingency accrual as of the balance sheet date.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 5
-Paragraph 9, 10, 11, 12

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- Definition

The estimated minimum amount of possible loss from the contingency.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name FASB Interpretation (FIN)
-Number 14
-Paragraph 3

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-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 5
-Paragraph 9, 10, 11, 12

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Commitments and Contingencies (Detail 4) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended													12 Months Ended								12 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2010 Respirator Mask/Asbestos Litigation USD ($) number	Sep. 30, 2010 Respirator Mask/Asbestos Litigation USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2010 Respirator Mask/Asbestos Litigation USD ($) number	Dec. 31, 2009 Respirator Mask/Asbestos Litigation USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2008 Respirator Mask/Asbestos Litigation USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2010 Respirator Mask/Asbestos Litigation Specific Monetary Damages number	Dec. 31, 2010 Respirator Mask/Asbestos Litigation Less than $100,000 specific damages number	Dec. 31, 2010 Respirator Mask/Asbestos Litigation Less than $100,000 specific damages $10 million punitive damages number	Dec. 31, 2010 Respirator Mask/Asbestos Litigation More than $100,000 and less than $3 million specific damages number	Dec. 31, 2010 Respirator Mask/Asbestos Litigation $10 million specific damages number	Dec. 31, 2010 Respirator Mask/Asbestos Litigation $10 million specific damages $10 million punitive damages number	Dec. 31, 2010 Respirator Mask/Asbestos Litigation More than $10 million and less than $50 million specific damages $15 million punitive damages number	Dec. 31, 2010 Respirator Mask/Asbestos Litigation $50 million specific damages $50 million punitive damages number	Dec. 31, 2010 Respirator Mask/Asbestos Litigation - Aearo Technologies USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2010 Respirator Mask/Asbestos litigation - Excluding Aearo Technologies USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2010 Respirator Mask/Asbestos Litigation - State of West Virginia	Dec. 31, 2010 Environmental Matters - Remediation USD ($) years	Dec. 31, 2008 Environmental Matters - Remediation EUR (€)	Dec. 31, 2009 Environmental Matters - Remediation USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2008 Environmental Matters - Remediation USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2010 Environmental Matters - Other USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2009 Environmental Matters - Other USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2008 Environmental Matters - Other USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2010 Environmental Matters - Other Environmental Liabilities years	Dec. 31, 2010 Insurance Disclaimer Action USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2010 Commercial Litigation - Cogent Inc. Delaware Court of Chancery number	Dec. 31, 2010 Commercial Litigation - Cogent Inc. Los Angeles Superior Court number	Dec. 31, 2010 Commercial Litigation - Avery Dennison number	Dec. 31, 2010 Commercial Litigation - Meda AB USD ($)
Loss Contingencies
Number of individual claimants	2,148		2,148	2,510
Number of lawsuits pending	854		854				158	5	98	3	2	1	1
Number of total claims settled and taken to trial			9
Number of total claims settled and tried to verdict			8
Subset of the number of total claims settled and tried to verdict			7
Number of total claims dismissed and being appealed			1
Number of lawsuits pending, specific claims asserted percentage						31.00%
Number of defendants included in typical complaint, low end of range						12
Number of defendants included in typical complaint, high end of range						275
Number of lawsuits pending, specific claims asserted						261
Number of additional defendants																2
Accrued loss contingency reserve	$ 126		$ 126	$ 138	$ 140									$ 32			$ 24		$ 31	$ 31	$ 90	$ 117	$ 137
Liability for asbestos and environmental claims gross-excluding Aearo Inc.															94
Insurance receivables	122		122	143	193												15		15	15					14
Increase in insurance liabilities	14	5	19
Increase in insurance recovery receivable	3	1	4
Payments received in connection with respirator mask/asbestos receivable			25
Number of new lawsuits filed																										3	6
Number of years remediation payments expected to be paid for applicable sites, high end of range																	20							5
The estimated minimum amount the lawsuit seeks to recover																													200
Number of Cogent, Inc. shares held by subsidiary shareholders																										5.8
Litigation settlement fine																		€ 1.97
Number of Avery patents for which 3M seeks a declaratory judgement																												2