Significant Accounting Policies - Basis of Presentation (Details)	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2016
Business Segment Information
Number of business segments with product line reporting changes	2

This element represents the number of business segments that had product line reporting changes in the period referenced.

No definition available.

Name:	mmm_NumberOfBusinessSegmentsWithProductLineReportingChanges
Namespace Prefix:	mmm_
Data Type:	xbrli:pureItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration