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Acquisitions (Details) (USD $)
3 Months Ended 1 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2015
Mar. 31, 2014
Jan. 31, 2015
Mar. 31, 2015
Feb. 28, 2015
Business Acquisitions Information          
Purchased finite-lived intangible assets $ 52,000,000us-gaap_BusinessCombinationRecognizedIdentifiableAssetsAcquiredAndLiabilitiesAssumedIntangibles     $ 52,000,000us-gaap_BusinessCombinationRecognizedIdentifiableAssetsAcquiredAndLiabilitiesAssumedIntangibles  
Supplemental information:          
Cash paid, net of cash acquired 150,000,000us-gaap_PaymentsToAcquireBusinessesNetOfCashAcquired 0us-gaap_PaymentsToAcquireBusinessesNetOfCashAcquired      
Maximum [Member]          
Finite Lived Intangible Assets          
Intangible assets useful life 16 years        
Minimum [Member]          
Finite Lived Intangible Assets          
Intangible assets useful life 2 years        
Weighted Average [Member]          
Finite Lived Intangible Assets          
Intangible assets useful life 13 years        
Static control business          
Supplemental information:          
Annual sales of static business prior to divestiture     46,000,000mmm_SalesAssociatedWithDivestedBusiness
/ us-gaap_SubsegmentsAxis
= mmm_StaticControlBusinessMember
   
Ivera Medical Corp          
Supplemental information:          
Annual sales prior to acquisition       30,000,000mmm_AnnualSalesPriorToAcquisitionOfBusiness
/ us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionAxis
= mmm_IveraMedicalCorpMember
 
Polypore International Inc          
Supplemental information:          
Annual sales prior to acquisition         208,000,000mmm_AnnualSalesPriorToAcquisitionOfBusiness
/ us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionAxis
= mmm_PolyporeInternationalIncMember
Estimated purchase price to acquire business         $ 1,000,000,000mmm_EstimatedPurchasePriceToAquireBusiness
/ us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionAxis
= mmm_PolyporeInternationalIncMember