New Accounting Standards (Unaudited)	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2011
New Accounting Standards [Abstract]
New Accounting Standards	NEW ACCOUNTING STANDARDS In May 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued an Accounting Standards Update (ASU) in connection with guidance for fair value measurements and disclosures. This ASU clarifies the FASB's intent on current guidance, modifies and changes certain guidance and principles, and expands disclosures concerning Level 3 fair value measurements in the fair value hierarchy (including quantitative information about significant unobservable inputs within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy). In addition, this ASU requires disclosure of the fair value hierarchy for assets and liabilities not measured at fair value in the statement of financial position, but whose fair value is required to be disclosed. This ASU is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2011, and early application is not permitted. In June 2011, FASB issued an ASU in connection with guidance on the presentation of comprehensive income. The objective of this ASU is to improve the comparability, consistency and transparency of financial reporting and to increase the prominence of items reported in other comprehensive income. This ASU requires an entity to present the components of net income and other comprehensive income and total comprehensive income (includes net income) either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. This ASU eliminates the option to present the components of other comprehensive income as part of the statement of equity, but does not change the items that must be reported in other comprehensive income. This ASU is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2011, and early adoption is permitted. FCX is in the process of determining which presentation it will choose (single statement or two separate statements) and when it will adopt this ASU.

NEW ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

In May 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued an Accounting Standards Update (ASU) in connection with guidance for fair value measurements and disclosures. This ASU clarifies the FASB's intent on current guidance, modifies and changes certain guidance and principles, and expands disclosures concerning Level 3 fair value measurements in the fair value hierarchy (including quantitative information about significant unobservable inputs within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy). In addition, this ASU requires disclosure of the fair value hierarchy for assets and liabilities not measured at fair value in the statement of financial position, but whose fair value is required to be disclosed. This ASU is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2011, and early application is not permitted.

In June 2011, FASB issued an ASU in connection with guidance on the presentation of comprehensive income. The objective of this ASU is to improve the comparability, consistency and transparency of financial reporting and to increase the prominence of items reported in other comprehensive income. This ASU requires an entity to present the components of net income and other comprehensive income and total comprehensive income (includes net income) either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. This ASU eliminates the option to present the components of other comprehensive income as part of the statement of equity, but does not change the items that must be reported in other comprehensive income. This ASU is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2011, and early adoption is permitted. FCX is in the process of determining which presentation it will choose (single statement or two separate statements) and when it will adopt this ASU.