Significant Accounting Policies - Basis of Presentation (Details)	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2017 division
Significant Accounting Policies
Number of divisions combined to form new division	2

This element represents the number of divisions involved that combined to form a new division.

No definition available.

Name:	mmm_NumberOfDivisionsCombinedToFormNewDivision
Namespace Prefix:	mmm_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration