Business Restructuring (Schedule of Restructuring Activity) (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Mar. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2012 Person		Sep. 30, 2011
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Severance and Other Costs		$ 160
Pension Curtailment (Gains)/Losses		5
Asset Write-offs		53
Business restructuring	0	208	0	208	[1]	0
Currency Impact	(3)			(3)
Total Reserve Balance at end of year	98			98
Employees Impacted				1,959
Activity to date				(107)
Activity to date				(1,225)
Employees Impacted at year end				734
Severance and Other Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Severance and Other Costs				160
Currency Impact	(3)			(3)
Severance and Other Costs Balance at end of year	98			98
Activity to date				(59)
Pension Curtailment (Gains)/Losses [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Pension Curtailment (Gains)/Losses				(5)
Activity to date				5
Asset Write-offs [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Asset Write-offs				53
Activity to date				(53)
Performance Coatings [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Business restructuring				65
Employees Impacted				740
Performance Coatings [Member] | Severance and Other Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Severance and Other Costs				52
Performance Coatings [Member] | Pension Curtailment (Gains)/Losses [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Pension Curtailment (Gains)/Losses				1
Performance Coatings [Member] | Asset Write-offs [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Asset Write-offs				12
Industrial Coatings [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Business restructuring				46
Employees Impacted				348
Industrial Coatings [Member] | Severance and Other Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Severance and Other Costs				39
Industrial Coatings [Member] | Pension Curtailment (Gains)/Losses [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Pension Curtailment (Gains)/Losses				(1)
Industrial Coatings [Member] | Asset Write-offs [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Asset Write-offs				8
Architectural Coatings - EMEA [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Business restructuring				63
Employees Impacted				795
Architectural Coatings - EMEA [Member] | Severance and Other Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Severance and Other Costs				65
Architectural Coatings - EMEA [Member] | Pension Curtailment (Gains)/Losses [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Pension Curtailment (Gains)/Losses				(5)
Architectural Coatings - EMEA [Member] | Asset Write-offs [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Asset Write-offs				3
Optical and Specialty Materials [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Business restructuring				32
Employees Impacted				50
Optical and Specialty Materials [Member] | Severance and Other Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Severance and Other Costs				2
Optical and Specialty Materials [Member] | Asset Write-offs [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Asset Write-offs				30
Commodity Chemicals [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Business restructuring				1
Employees Impacted				22
Commodity Chemicals [Member] | Severance and Other Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Severance and Other Costs				1
Corporate [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Business restructuring				1
Employees Impacted				4
Corporate [Member] | Severance and Other Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Severance and Other Costs				$ 1

[1] The charge for business restructuring costs in the nine months ended September 30, 2012, includes charges of $65 million related to the Performance Coatings segment, $46 million related to the Industrial Coatings segment, $63 million related to the Architectural Coatings - EMEA segment, $32 million related to the Optical and Specialty Materials segment $1 million related to the Commodity Chemicals segment and $1 million related to Corporate. These costs are considered to be unusual and non-recurring and do not reduce the segment earnings used to evaluate the performance of the operating segments.