Commitments and Contingencies - Additional Information (Detail)		3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 08, 2016 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($) Plaintiff	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Apr. 28, 2016 USD ($)
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Line Items]
Potential environmental liabilities		$ 0
Liquidated damages exposure		241,000,000
Reduction in Transaction Price [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Line Items]
Liquidated damages exposure		166,000,000
Cost Reimbursable Projects [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Line Items]
Loss contingency, damages amount	$ 4,500,000,000
Asserted claims against customer	$ 250,000,000
Consolidated Joint Venture Projects [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Line Items]
Asserted claims against customer			$ 103,000,000
Net of amonts owned to joint venture			$ 189,000,000
Reserve for estimated project losses		55,000,000
Reserve for estimated project losses at joint venture level		85,000,000
Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V. Sale of Nuclear Operations [Memeber] | Westinghouse Electric Company LLC [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Line Items]
Estimated negative closing working capital amount				$ 976,500,000
Amount of working capital less than target working capital				2,100,000,000
Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V. Sale of Nuclear Operations [Memeber] | Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V. [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Line Items]
Closing working capital amount				1,600,000,000
Amount of working capital greater than target working capital				$ 427,800,000
Loss contingency accrual liability amount		$ 0
Mercury Litigation [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of plaintiffs | Plaintiff		54
Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V. Securities Litigation [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Line Items]
Loss contingency accrual liability amount		$ 0
Gotham Diversified Neutral Master Fund, LP, et al. v. Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V. et al., and Appaloosa Investment L.P., et al., v. Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V., et al. [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Line Items]
Loss contingency accrual liability amount		0
Daniel Cohen, et al. v. Chicago Bridge & Iron Company, N.V., et al. [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Line Items]
Loss contingency accrual liability amount		0
Edwards v. McDermott International, Inc., et al.. [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Line Items]
Loss contingency accrual liability amount		0
Chicago Bridge and Iron Company N.V. Shareholders
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Line Items]
Loss contingency accrual liability amount		$ 0