Stock-Based Compensation - Additional Information (Detail) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
Apr. 02, 2016 USD ($) Installment Anniversaries	Apr. 04, 2015 USD ($)
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock options exercise prices as percentage of the market value on the date of the grant	100.00%
Compensation expenses for stock options	$ 0.2	$ 0.1
Restricted Stock [Member] \| LTIP [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Portion of restricted stock award vesting on anniversary	0.333%
Eligible age of officer for restricted stock award	55 years
Restricted Stock Units [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Unrecognized compensation expense related to stock	$ 26.3
Weighted-average recognition period for unrecognized compensation expense related to stock (years)	1 year 10 months 24 days
Number of anniversaries of grant date upon which restricted stock units vest \| Anniversaries	3
Installments in which restricted stock units vest and are converted to common stock \| Installment	3
Compensation expense	$ 4.9	5.3
Restricted Stock Units [Member] \| AIP [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Eligible age of officer for restricted stock award	55 years
Amount of annual incentive award payment participant can elect to defer	50.00%
Additional common stock units for election of deferred annual incentive award, percentage	25.00%
Stock Options [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock options vesting period	3 years
Stock options term, years	10 years
Unrecognized compensation expense related to stock	$ 1.1
Weighted-average recognition period for unrecognized compensation expense related to stock (years)	2 years
Restricted Stock And Restricted Stock Units [Member] \| AIP and LTIP [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Unrecognized compensation expense related to stock	$ 1.3
Weighted-average recognition period for unrecognized compensation expense related to stock (years)	2 years
Compensation expense	$ 2.2	$ 1.1

Additional common stock units for election of deferred annual incentive award, percentage.

No definition available.

Name:	nue_AdditionalCommonStockUnitsForElectionOfDeferredAnnualIncentiveAwardPercentage
Namespace Prefix:	nue_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Age for eligible employee.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	nue_AgeForEligibleEmployee
Namespace Prefix:	nue_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of annual incentive award payment participant can elect to defer.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	nue_AmountOfAnnualIncentiveAwardPaymentParticipantCanElectToDefer
Namespace Prefix:	nue_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Fraction of restricted stock award vesting on anniversary.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	nue_FractionOfRestrictedStockAwardVestingOnAnniversary
Namespace Prefix:	nue_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Installments in which restricted stock units vest and are converted to common stock.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	nue_InstallmentsInWhichRestrictedStockUnitsVestAndAreConvertedToCommonStock
Namespace Prefix:	nue_
Data Type:	xbrli:positiveIntegerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Number of anniversaries of grant date upon which restricted stock units vest.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	nue_NumberOfAnniversariesOfGrantDateUponWhichRestrictedStockUnitsVest
Namespace Prefix:	nue_
Data Type:	xbrli:positiveIntegerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Stock option exercise price as percentage of market value.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	nue_StockOptionExercisePriceAsPercentageOfMarketValue
Namespace Prefix:	nue_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The period in which a stock option can be exercised.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	nue_StockOptionTerm
Namespace Prefix:	nue_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Represents the expense recognized during the period arising from equity-based compensation arrangements (for example, shares of stock, unit, stock options or other equity instruments) with employees, directors and certain consultants qualifying for treatment as employees.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 718
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SAB TOPIC 14.F)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=27013229&loc=d3e301413-122809

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 718
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (b)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6415400&loc=d3e5047-113901

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 718
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (h)(1)(i)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6415400&loc=d3e5070-113901

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher SEC
-Name Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB)
-Number Topic 14
-Section F

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_AllocatedShareBasedCompensationExpense
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Unrecognized cost of unvested share-based compensation awards.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 718
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (i)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6415400&loc=d3e5070-113901

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EmployeeServiceShareBasedCompensationNonvestedAwardsTotalCompensationCostNotYetRecognized
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Weighted average period over which unrecognized compensation is expected to be recognized for equity-based compensation plans, in 'PnYnMnDTnHnMnS' format, for example, 'P1Y5M13D' represents the reported fact of one year, five months, and thirteen days.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EmployeeServiceShareBasedCompensationNonvestedAwardsTotalCompensationCostNotYetRecognizedPeriodForRecognition1
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Period which an employee's right to exercise an award is no longer contingent on satisfaction of either a service condition, market condition or a performance condition, in 'PnYnMnDTnHnMnS' format, for example, 'P1Y5M13D' represents the reported fact of one year, five months, and thirteen days.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 718
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (a)(1)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6415400&loc=d3e5070-113901

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardAwardVestingPeriod1
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The noncash expense that accounts for the value of stock or unit options distributed to employees as compensation.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 230
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 28
-Subparagraph (b)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=56944662&loc=d3e3602-108585

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_StockOptionPlanExpense
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis=us-gaap_RestrictedStockMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_PlanNameAxis=nue_LTIPMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis=us-gaap_RestrictedStockUnitsRSUMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_PlanNameAxis=nue_AipMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis=us-gaap_EmployeeStockOptionMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis=nue_RestrictedStockAndRestrictedStockUnitsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_PlanNameAxis=nue_AipAndLtipMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: