Commitments and Contingencies (Details 5) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended				12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011 Commercial Litigation - Cogent Inc. Delaware Court of Chancery Claim	Dec. 31, 2011 Commercial Litigation - Cogent Inc. Los Angeles Superior Court Claim	Dec. 31, 2011 Commercial Litigation - Avery Dennison Patent	Dec. 31, 2011 Commercial Litigation - Meda AB USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2011 Commercial Litigation - Acolyte Biomedica Ltd. USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2011 Commercial Litigation - Acolyte Biomedica Ltd. GBP (£)
Loss contingencies
Damages sought by plaintiff						£ 40
Number of Avery patents for which 3M seeks a declaratory judgment			2
Number of new lawsuits filed	3	6
Number of Cogent, Inc. shares held by subsidiary shareholders that have asserted appraisal rights	5.8
The estimated minimum amount the lawsuit seeks to recover				200
Litigation settlement awarded					$ 1.3