Stockholders' Equity - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Oct. 02, 2021	Oct. 03, 2020	Oct. 02, 2021	Oct. 03, 2020	May 13, 2021
Dividends declared per share	$ 0.405	$ 0.4025	$ 1.215	$ 1.2075
Common Stock [Member]
Share repurchase program, available repurchase amount	$ 1,940,000,000		$ 1,940,000,000
Common Stock [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Stock Repurchase Program, Authorized Amount					$ 3,000,000,000.00
Nucor-Yamato Steel Company [Member]
Noncontrolling interest, ownership percentage by parent	51.00%	51.00%	51.00%	51.00%