Earnings Per Share (Unaudited) (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Millions, $ in Millions		3 Months Ended
		Mar. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2015
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Net loss		$ (4,101)	$ (2,406)
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests		(72)	(58)
Preferred dividends on redeemable noncontrolling interest		(11)	(10)
Undistributed earnings allocable to participating securities		(3)	(3)
Net loss allocable to common stockholders		$ (4,187)	$ (2,477)
Basic weighted-average shares of common stock outstanding		1,251	1,040
Add shares issuable upon exercise or vesting of dilutive stock options and RSUs	[1]	0	0
Diluted weighted-average shares of common stock outstanding		1,251	1,040
Basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders		$ (3.35)	$ (2.38)
Potential anti-dilutive additional shares of common stock (in shares)		10	14
Outstanding stock options with exercise prices greater than average market price of common stock (in shares)		47	40

[1] Excludes approximately 10 million shares of common stock for first-quarter 2016 and 14 million for first-quarter 2015 associated with outstanding stock options with exercise prices less than the average market price of FCX's common stock and RSUs that were anti-dilutive.