Information Relating to the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Net decrease (increase) in operating working capital
Decrease in accounts and notes receivable	$ 1,207	$ 1,373
Increase in inventories	(332)us-gaap_IncreaseDecreaseInInventories	(1,098)us-gaap_IncreaseDecreaseInInventories
Increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets	(368)	(136)
(Decrease) increase in accounts payable and accrued liabilities	(3,010)	140
Increase in income and other taxes payable	518	103
Net (increase) decrease in operating working capital	(1,985)	382
Cash Payment for Interest on Debt and For Income Taxes
Income taxes	953us-gaap_IncomeTaxesPaid	2,416us-gaap_IncomeTaxesPaid
Net (purchases) sales of time deposits
Time deposits purchased	0cvx_TimeDepositsPurchased	(308)cvx_TimeDepositsPurchased
Time deposits matured	8cvx_TimeDepositsMatured	8cvx_TimeDepositsMatured
Net (purchases) sales of time deposits	8cvx_NetPurchasesOfTimeDeposits	(300)cvx_NetPurchasesOfTimeDeposits
Capital expenditures
Additions to properties, plant and equipment	7,343	8,397
Additions to investments	112	87
Current year dry hole expenditures	147us-gaap_ResultsOfOperationsDryHoleCosts	75us-gaap_ResultsOfOperationsDryHoleCosts
Payments for other liabilities and assets, net	0	(15)
Capital expenditures	7,602	8,544
Expensed exploration expenditures	244	275
Assets acquired through capital lease obligations	7	0
Capital and exploratory expenditures, excluding equity affiliates	7,853	8,819
Company's share of expenditures by equity affiliates	730	612
Capital and exploratory expenditures, including equity affiliates	$ 8,583	$ 9,431

Capital and exploratory expenditures, excluding equity affiliates.

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Capital and exploratory expenditures, including equity affiliates.

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Company's share of expenditures by equity affiliates.

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Net purchases of time deposits.

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Time deposits matured.

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Time deposits purchased.

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- Definition

The amount of cash paid during the current period to foreign, federal, state, and local authorities as taxes on income.

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Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 230

-SubTopic 10

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The increase (decrease) during the reporting period of the sum of amounts due within one year (or one business cycle) from customers for the credit sale of goods and services; and from note holders for outstanding loans.

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The increase (decrease) during the reporting period in the amounts payable to vendors for goods and services received and the amount of obligations and expenses incurred but not paid.

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The increase (decrease) during the period in the amount due for taxes based on the reporting entity's earnings or attributable to the entity's income earning process (business presence) within a given jurisdiction.

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The increase (decrease) during the reporting period in the aggregate value of all inventory held by the reporting entity, associated with underlying transactions that are classified as operating activities.

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The increase (decrease) during the reporting period of all assets and liabilities used in operating activities.

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The increase (decrease) during the reporting period in the value of prepaid expenses and other assets not separately disclosed in the statement of cash flows, for example, deferred expenses, intangible assets, or income taxes.

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The cash outflow for payments to acquire rented equipment which is recorded as an asset.

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-Publisher FASB

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-Glossary Investing Activities

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The cash outflow associated with the acquisition of or advances to an entity that is related to it but not strictly controlled (for example, an unconsolidated subsidiary, affiliate, and joint venture or equity method investment) or the acquisition of an additional interest in a subsidiary (controlled entity).

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The cash outflow to purchase long lived physical asset for use in the normal oil and gas operations and to purchase mineral interests in oil and gas properties not intended for resale.

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The cash outflow for acquisition of or capital improvements on other tangible or intangible assets not otherwise defined in the taxonomy.

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The cash outflow for purchases of and capital improvements on property, plant and equipment (capital expenditures), software, and other intangible assets.

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The cash outflow for exploration and development of oil and gas properties. It includes cash payments related to development of oil and gas wells drilled at previously untested geologic structures (to determine the presence of oil or gas) and wells drilled at sites where the presence of oil or gas has already been established (to extract the oil or gas).

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Dry hole costs from oil and gas producing activities.

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