Income Taxes - Reconciliation of the Federal Statutory Tax Rate to Total Provisions (Detail)	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2022	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Taxes computed at statutory rate	21.00%	21.00%	21.00%
State income taxes, net of federal income tax benefit	1.41%	2.49%	(3.37%)
Federal research credit	(0.10%)	(0.07%)	(0.79%)
Equity in losses of foreign joint venture	0.11%		0.64%
Impairment on investment in foreign joint venture			11.20%
Tax loss on investment in foreign joint venture			(22.73%)
Foreign rate differential		(0.03%)	1.15%
Noncontrolling interests	(0.85%)	(0.67%)	(2.88%)
CARES Act NOL carryback			(5.77%)
Other, net	(0.44%)	(0.13%)	1.49%
Provision for income taxes	21.13%	22.59%	(0.06%)

Effective income tax rate reconciliation cares act net operating loss carryback.

No definition available.

Name:	nue_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationCARESActNetOperatingLossCarryback
Namespace Prefix:	nue_
Data Type:	dtr-types:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Effective income tax rate reconciliation equity in losses of foreign joint venture.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	nue_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationEquityInLossesOfForeignJointVenture
Namespace Prefix:	nue_
Data Type:	dtr-types:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Effective income tax rate reconciliation impairment on investment in foreign joint venture.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	nue_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationImpairmentOnInvestmentInForeignJointVenture
Namespace Prefix:	nue_
Data Type:	dtr-types:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Effective income tax rate reconciliation tax loss on investment in foreign joint venture.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	nue_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationTaxLossOnInvestmentInForeignJointVenture
Namespace Prefix:	nue_
Data Type:	dtr-types:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Percentage of current income tax expense (benefit) and deferred income tax expense (benefit) pertaining to continuing operations.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121826272&loc=d3e32687-109319

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateContinuingOperations
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	dtr-types:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Percentage of domestic federal statutory tax rate applicable to pretax income (loss).

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SAB Topic 6.I.Fact.4)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=122134291&loc=d3e330036-122817

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 235
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.4-08(h)(2))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120395691&loc=d3e23780-122690

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121826272&loc=d3e32687-109319

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationAtFederalStatutoryIncomeTaxRate
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	dtr-types:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Percentage of the difference between reported income tax expense (benefit) and expected income tax expense (benefit) computed by applying the domestic federal statutory income tax rates to pretax income (loss) from continuing operations applicable to statutory income tax expense (benefit) outside of the country of domicile.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2009/role/commonPracticeRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121826272&loc=d3e32687-109319

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2009/role/commonPracticeRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SAB Topic 6.I.Fact.4)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=122134291&loc=d3e330036-122817

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationForeignIncomeTaxRateDifferential
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	dtr-types:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Percentage of the difference between reported income tax expense (benefit) and expected income tax expense (benefit) computed by applying the domestic federal statutory income tax rates to pretax income (loss) from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interest income (loss) exempt from income taxes.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2009/role/commonPracticeRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SAB Topic 6.I.Fact.4)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=122134291&loc=d3e330036-122817

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2009/role/commonPracticeRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121826272&loc=d3e32687-109319

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationMinorityInterestIncomeExpense
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	dtr-types:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationOtherAdjustments
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	dtr-types:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Percentage of the difference between reported income tax expense (benefit) and expected income tax expense (benefit) computed by applying the domestic federal statutory income tax rates to pretax income (loss) from continuing operations applicable to state and local income tax expense (benefit), net of federal tax expense (benefit).

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationStateAndLocalIncomeTaxes
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	dtr-types:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationTaxCreditsResearch
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	dtr-types:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- References

No definition available.

+ Details

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