Stockholders' Equity - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Oct. 03, 2020	Sep. 28, 2019	Oct. 03, 2020	Sep. 28, 2019	Sep. 06, 2018
Dividends declared per share	$ 0.4025	$ 0.40	$ 1.2075	$ 1.20
Common Stock [Member]
Share repurchase program, available repurchase amount	$ 1,160,000,000		$ 1,160,000,000
Common Stock [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Stock Repurchase Program, Authorized Amount					$ 2,000,000,000.00
Nucor-Yamato Steel Company [Member]
Noncontrolling interest, ownership percentage by parent	51.00%	51.00%	51.00%	51.00%