Operating Units (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended		0 Months Ended					0 Months Ended	9 Months Ended			1 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended			9 Months Ended	1 Months Ended		9 Months Ended			9 Months Ended			9 Months Ended										3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		0 Months Ended		9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	60 Months Ended					9 Months Ended			0 Months Ended				9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011	Mar. 31, 2011	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011	Jul. 02, 2012 Investment Funds [Member]	Jun. 30, 2011 Investment Funds [Member]	Apr. 29, 2011 Investment Funds [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Investment Funds [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Investment Funds [Member]	Jun. 30, 2011 Investment Funds [Member] Exit Facility [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 ARI [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 ARI [Member] Top three customers [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 ARI [Member] Top three customers [Member]	Apr. 30, 2012 Federal-Mogul [Member]	Feb. 29, 2012 Federal-Mogul [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Federal-Mogul [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 Federal-Mogul [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Federal-Mogul [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 Federal-Mogul [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Federal-Mogul [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 CVR Energy, Inc. [Member]	Apr. 30, 2011 Tropicana [Member]	Nov. 30, 2010 Tropicana [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Tropicana [Member] slot_machines table_games hotel_rooms casinos sqft	Nov. 15, 2010 Tropicana [Member]	Dec. 29, 2009 Tropicana [Member] Exit Facility [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Viskase [Member] distribution_centers manufacturing_facilities	Sep. 30, 2012 Real Estate [Member] real_estate_properties	Dec. 31, 2011 Real Estate [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 WestPoint Home [Member] Top seven customers [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 WestPoint Home [Member] Top seven customers [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 NEVADA Tropicana [Member] casinos	Sep. 30, 2012 MISSISSIPPI Tropicana [Member] casinos	Sep. 30, 2012 INDIANA Tropicana [Member] casinos	Sep. 30, 2012 LOUISIANA Tropicana [Member] casinos	Sep. 30, 2012 NEW JERSEY Tropicana [Member] casinos	Sep. 30, 2012 ARUBA Tropicana [Member] casinos	Sep. 30, 2012 MASSACHUSETTS Real Estate [Member] real_estate_property_units	Sep. 30, 2012 FLORIDA Real Estate [Member] real_estate_property_units	Sep. 30, 2012 Railcar Segment [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 Railcar Segment [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Railcar Segment [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 Railcar Segment [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Energy Segment [Member]		Sep. 30, 2012 Energy Segment [Member]		May 04, 2012 Energy Segment [Member] CVR Partners, LP [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Energy Segment [Member] Crude Oil Gathering [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Energy Segment [Member] Nitrogen Fertilizer [Member] T	Dec. 31, 2011 Energy Segment [Member] Nitrogen Fertilizer [Member] T	Jun. 30, 2012 Energy Segment [Member] Nitrogen Fertilizer [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Coffeyville, Kansas [Member] Energy Segment [Member] Petroleum [Member] bbl	Sep. 30, 2012 Coffeyville, Kansas [Member] Energy Segment [Member] Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil [Member] miles	Sep. 30, 2012 Wynnewood, Oklahoma [Member] Energy Segment [Member] Petroleum [Member] bbl	Sep. 30, 2012 Cushing, Oklahoma [Member] Energy Segment [Member] Petroleum [Member] bbl	Sep. 30, 2012 PHILIPPINES Viskase [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Employee Severance [Member] Federal-Mogul [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Facility Closing [Member] Federal-Mogul [Member]	Aug. 01, 2012 Immediate Family Member of Management or Principal Owner [Member] Saragon Co- Manager Agreements [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 Immediate Family Member of Management or Principal Owner [Member] Saragon Co- Manager Agreements [Member]	Aug. 01, 2012 Immediate Family Member of Management or Principal Owner [Member] Saragon Co- Manager Agreements [Member] Investment Funds [Member]	Aug. 01, 2012 Immediate Family Member of Management or Principal Owner [Member] Saragon Co- Manager Agreements [Member] High River [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Restructuring 2012 [Member] Federal-Mogul [Member]
Operting Unit Information [Line Items]
Future rental receipts in next twelve months																																									$ 5,000,000		$ 5,000,000
Asset Management, Term of The New Co-Manager Agreements																																																													4 years
Special Profit Interest Allocation			9,000,000
Incentive Allocation			7,000,000
Investment in funds						300,000,000
Fair value of investment in Funds									2,300,000,000	3,100,000,000
Percentage of equity ownership in subsidiary												55.60%							77.60%			82.00%		51.50%	65.10%			71.40%																					70.00%
Gross accounts receivable factored																	187,000,000		187,000,000		203,000,000
Gross accounts receivable factored, qualifying as sales																	187,000,000		187,000,000		202,000,000
Outstanding transferred receivables for which cash had not yet been drawn																	0		0		0
Proceeds from factoring qualifying as sales																	335,000,000	412,000,000	1,100,000,000	1,300,000,000
Accounts receivable discount expense																	1,000,000	2,000,000	5,000,000	7,000,000
Maximum exposures to accounts receivable factoring and securitization facilities																	19,000,000		19,000,000		23,000,000
Restructuring charges	5,000,000	5,000,000		21,000,000	9,000,000												5,000,000	3,000,000	19,000,000	4,000,000																					0	0	0	0	0	[1]	0	[1]																	8,000,000
Restructuring and Related Cost, Expected Cost																			37,000,000																																								26,000,000	11,000,000
Cash advances from insurance carrier															5,000,000	25,000,000
Insurance recoverables																	0		0		21,000,000
Barrels per day																																																		50,000				115,000	145,000	70,000
Crude oil pipeline, length, miles																																																							350
Storage capacity, barrels of oil																																																						1,200,000		500,000	1,000,000
Production, Barrels of Oil, Leased Storage Capacity																																																									3,300,000
Tons of ammonia per day																																																			1,225
Tons of UAN per day																																																			2,025
Cubic feet of hydrogen per day																																																			84,000,000
Tons of ammonia																																																				411,189
Ammonia upgraded into UAN, percentage																																																				72.00%
Tons of UAN																																																				714,130
Plant expansion program, term, years																																																			2 years
Planned annual increase in UAN production, next two years																																																			400,000
Planned annual increase in UAN production, next two years, percentage																																																			50.00%
Percentage of pet coke utilized by nitrogen fertlizer plant produced and supplied by subsidiary																																																					70.00%
Number of casinos operated by subsidiary																									8								3	1	1	1	1	1
Square feet of gaming space																									381,000
Number of slot machines																									7,121
Number of table games																									233
Number of hotel rooms																									6,045
Shares of stock acquired in subsidiary																										668,000
Shares of subsidiary stock owned																										13,538,446
Distribution-in-kind received, shares								13,538,446
Distribution-in-kind received, value								216,000,000			71,000,000
Redemption value of limited and general partnership interest in subsidiary							71,000,000	216,000,000
Consolidation, Less than Wholly Owned Subsidiary, Parent Ownership Interest, Changes, Additional Interest Issued to Parent																							27,000,000
Consolidation, Less than Wholly Owned Subsidiary, Non-controlling Interest, Changes, Due to additional interests acquired by controlling enity																							27,000,000
Percentage of loans held by related entity																											50.00%
Manufacturing facilities operated by subsidiary																												8
Distribution centers operated by subsidiary																												10
Percentage of net sales from customers located outside the United States																												69.00%
Capital investment, including machinery	188,000,000	141,000,000		617,000,000	359,000,000																																				49,000,000	10,000,000	168,000,000	12,000,000	40,000,000	[1]	71,000,000	[1]										7,000,000
Total capital investment to date on project																																																										13,000,000
Anticipated additional equipment expenditures for remainder of 2012 through December 31, 2016																																																										3,000,000
Number of rental real estate properties																													29
Number of Units of Residential Housing in Future Development																																							322	870
Pledged net investment in financing leases and net rental real estate leasted to others																													74,000,000	77,000,000
Percentage of subsidiary net sales attributable to top customers													72.00%	50.00%																	72.00%	63.00%
Asset Management Costs, Percentage of Profit, One Time Lump Sum Payment																																																													7.50%	5.10%
Investment Funds to be Made Available by Affiliates																																																													3,000,000,000
Investment Funds to be Made Available by Affiliates, Percentage by Entity																																																															80.00%	20.00%
Future rental receipts in two years																																									22,000,000		22,000,000
Future rental receipts in three years																																									21,000,000		21,000,000
Future rental receipts in four years																																									18,000,000		18,000,000
Future rental receipts in five years																																									17,000,000		17,000,000
Future rental receipts after five years																																									21,000,000		21,000,000
Operating Leases, Future Minimum Payments Receivable																																									$ 104,000,000		$ 104,000,000

[1] We consolidated CVR effective May 4, 2012.