Commitments and Contingencies (Details 2) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2013 Claim Claimant	Dec. 31, 2012 Claimant
Respirator Mask/Asbestos Litigation
Loss contingencies
Accrued loss contingency reserve	$ 160,000,000	$ 154,000,000
Insurance receivables	80,000,000	87,000,000
Number of individual claimants	2,095	2,060
Number of total claims settled and taken to trial	9
Number of total claims tried to verdict	8
Number of total claims settled and tried to verdict	7
Number of total claims dismissed	1
Increase in insurance liabilities	13,000,000
Payments for fees and settlements related to litigation	7,000,000
Respirator Mask/Asbestos Litigation - State of West Virginia
Loss contingencies
Number of additional defendants	2
Respirator Mask/Asbestos litigation - Excluding Aearo Technologies
Loss contingencies
Accrued loss contingency reserve	132,000,000
Insurance Disclaimer Action
Loss contingencies
Payments received in connection with respirator mask/asbestos receivable	8,000,000
Number of insurers who filed a declaratory judgment action against the company	2
Number of the entity's insurers named in the action, low end of range	60
Respirator Mask/Asbestos Litigation - Aearo Technologies
Loss contingencies
Accrued loss contingency reserve	28,000,000
Quarterly fee paid to Cabot to retain responsibility and liability for products manufactured before July 11, 1995	100,000
Environmental Matters - Remediation
Loss contingencies
Accrued loss contingency reserve	31,000,000	29,000,000
Insurance receivables	11,000,000	11,000,000
Number of years remediation payments expected to be paid for applicable sites	20 years
Environmental Matters - Other
Loss contingencies
Accrued loss contingency reserve	55,000,000	57,000,000
Insurance receivables	15,000,000	15,000,000
Environmental Matters - Regulatory Activities
Loss contingencies
Number of PFCs the EPA has proposed to have public water suppliers monitor	6
Number of years after phase-out decision in May 2000 that the Company stopped manufacturing and using vast majority of perfluorooctanyl compounds	2 years
Environmental Matters - Regulatory Activities | Alabama
Loss contingencies
Number of landfills to be tested by the entity pursuant to a Memorandum of Understanding with the EPA	3
Wastewater treatment plant sludge containing PFCs surrounding Decatur facility pursuant to a permit	20 years
Environmental Matters - Regulatory Activities | Minnesota
Loss contingencies
Number of sites where remediation work will continue into 2013	2
Environmental Matters - Litigation | Morgan County, Alabama
Loss contingencies
Total number of named plaintiffs, second purported class action	3
Environmental Matters - Litigation | Minnesota
Loss contingencies
Number of days court stayed discovery	180 days
Environmental Matters - Litigation | Lake Elmo, Minnesota
Loss contingencies
Claim asserted for alleged contamination, low end	50,000
Environmental Matters - Litigation | New Jersey
Loss contingencies
Lower end of range of number of companies served with a complaint	250
Number of companies, in addition to Maxus Energy, Tierra Solutions and Occidental Chemical involved in an enforcement action	5
Total cost of cleanup proposed by the EPA, of which the Company believes its applicable share, if any, is likely to be a fraction of one percent	1,000,000,000
Total cost of cleanup proposed by EPA of which company believes its applicable share to be fraction of this maximum percentage (as a percent)	1.00%
Number of commercial drum conditioning facilities used	2
Environmental Matters - Litigation | Metropolitan Council, Minnesota
Loss contingencies
Claim asserted for alleged contamination, low end	$ 50,000
Number of wastewater treatment plants from which PFC-containing sludge and biosolids may allegedly be discharged by Metropolitan Council, low end of range	1
Environmental Matters - Other Environmental Litigation
Loss contingencies
Number of years remediation payments expected to be paid for applicable sites	4 years
Number of former disposal sites with PFC present in soil and groundwater in Washington County, Minnesota	2