| **Commitments and Contigencies - (Notes)**              | 12 Months Ended                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              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| **Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]** |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              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| Commitments and Contingencies                           | COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIESLEASESAt December 31, 2014, we had long-term non-cancelable operating leases covering certain facilities and equipment.  The minimum annual rental commitments, net of amounts due under subleases, for each of the five years in the period ending December 31, 2019 are $284 million, $187 million, $118 million, $64 million and $39 million, respectively, and $114 million in the aggregate thereafter.  Rent expense was $747 million, $702 million and $559 million for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.  We have not entered into any significant capital leases during the three years ended December 31, 2014.LITIGATIONWe are subject to a number of lawsuits and claims arising out of the conduct of our business.  The ability to predict the ultimate outcome of such matters involves judgments, estimates and inherent uncertainties.  We record a liability for those contingencies where the incurrence of a loss is probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated, including accruals for self-insured losses which are calculated based on historical claim data, specific loss development factors and other information.  A range of total possible losses for all litigation matters cannot be reasonably estimated.  Based on a consideration of all relevant facts and circumstances, we do not expect the ultimate outcome of any currently pending lawsuits or claims against us will have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows; however, there can be no assurance as to the ultimate outcome of these matters.We insure against risks arising from our business to the extent deemed prudent by our management and to the extent insurance is available, but no assurance can be given that the nature and amount of that insurance will be sufficient to fully indemnify us against liabilities arising out of pending or future legal proceedings or other claims.  Most of our insurance policies contain deductibles or self-insured retentions in amounts we deem prudent and for which we are responsible for payment.  In determining the amount of self-insurance, it is our policy to self-insure those losses that are predictable, measurable and recurring in nature, such as claims for automobile liability, general liability and workers compensation.The following lawsuits have been filed in Delaware in connection with our pending merger with Halliburton:•On November 24, 2014, Gary Molenda, a purported shareholder of the Company, filed a class action lawsuit in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware ("Delaware Chancery Court") against Baker Hughes, the Company’s Board of Directors, Halliburton, and Red Tiger LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Halliburton (“Red Tiger” and together with all defendants, “Defendants”) styled Gary R. Molenda v. Baker Hughes, Inc., et al., Case No. 10390-CB.•On November 26, 2014, a second purported shareholder of the Company, Booth Family Trust, filed a substantially similar class action lawsuit in Delaware Chancery Court.•On December 1, 2014, New Jersey Building Laborers Annuity Fund and James Rice, two additional purported shareholders of the Company, filed substantially similar class action lawsuits in Delaware Chancery Court.•On December 10, 2014, a fifth purported shareholder of the Company, Iron Workers Mid-South Pension Fund, filed another substantially similar class action lawsuit in the Delaware Chancery Court, and•On December 24, 2014, a sixth purported shareholder of the Company, Annette Shipp, filed another substantially similar class action lawsuit in the Delaware Chancery Court.All of the lawsuits make substantially similar claims.  The plaintiffs generally allege that the members of the Company’s Board of Directors breached their fiduciary duties to our shareholders in connection with the merger negotiations by entering into the merger agreement and by approving the merger, and that the Company, Halliburton, and Red Tiger aided and abetted the purported breaches of fiduciary duties.  More specifically, the lawsuits allege that the merger agreement provides inadequate consideration to our shareholders, that the process resulting in the merger agreement was flawed, that the Company’s directors engaged in self-dealing, and that certain provisions of the merger agreement improperly favor Halliburton and Red Tiger, precluding or impeding third parties from submitting potentially superior proposals, among other things.  The lawsuit filed by Annettee Shipp also alleges that our Board of Directors failed to disclose material information concerning the proposed merger in the preliminary registration statement on Form S-4.  On January 7, 2015, James Rice amended his complaint, adding similar allegations regarding the disclosures in the preliminary registration statement on Form S-4.  The lawsuits seek unspecified damages, injunctive relief enjoining the merger, and rescission of the merger agreement, among other relief.  On January 23, 2015, the Delaware lawsuits were consolidated under the caption In re Baker Hughes Inc. Stockholders Litigation, Consolidated C.A. No. 10390-CB.  Pursuant to the Court’s consolidation order, plaintiffs filed a consolidated complaint on February 4, 2015, which alleges substantially similar claims and seeks substantially similar relief to that raised in the six individual complaints, except that while Baker Hughes is named as a defendant, no claims are asserted against the Company.    On November 26, 2014, a seventh class action challenging the merger was filed by a purported Company shareholder in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas (Houston Division).  The lawsuit, styled Marc Rovner v. Baker Hughes Inc., et al., Cause No. 4:14-cv-03416, asserts claims against the Company, most of our current Board of Directors, Halliburton, and Red Tiger.  The lawsuit asserts substantially similar claims and seeks substantially similar relief as that sought in the Delaware lawsuits.  The Defendants are currently scheduled to respond to the complaint on February 13, 2015.On October 9, 2014, our subsidiary filed a Request for Arbitration against a customer before the London Court of International Arbitration, pursuing claims for the non-payment of invoices for goods and services provided in amount provisionally quantified to exceed $67.9 million.  In our Request for Arbitration, we also noted that invoices in an amount exceeding $57 million had been issued to the customer, and would be added to the claim in the event that they became overdue.  The due date for payment of all of these invoices has now passed.  On November 6, 2014, the customer filed its Response and Counterclaim, denying liability and counterclaiming damages for breach of contract of approximately $182 million.  We deny any liability to the customer and intend to pursue our claims against the customer and defend the claims made under the counterclaim.  No timetable for the conduct of the arbitration has yet been established.During 2014, we investigated customer notifications related to a possible equipment failure in a natural gas storage system in the Europe/Africa/Russia Caspian region, which includes certain of our products.  We are currently investigating the cause of the possible failure and, if necessary, possible repair and replacement options for our products.  Similar products were utilized in other natural gas storage systems for this and other customers.  At this time, we are not able to predict whether our products will need to be repaired or replaced and are not able to reasonably estimate the impact, if any, such repairs or replacements or other damages would have on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.We are a defendant in various labor claims including the following matters.  On April 28, 2014, a collective action lawsuit alleging that we failed to pay class of workers overtime in compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA") was filed titled Michael Ciamillo, individually, etc., et al. vs. Baker Hughes Incorporated in the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska (“Ciamillo”).  During the fourth quarter of 2014, the parties agreed to settle the Ciamillo lawsuit, including certain state law claims, for $5 million, subject to final court approval.  On December 10, 2013, a class and collective action lawsuit alleging that we failed to pay a nationwide class of workers overtime in compliance with the FLSA and certain state laws was filed titled Lea et al. v. Baker Hughes, Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Galveston Division ("Lea").  During the second quarter of 2014, the parties agreed to settle the Lea lawsuit, subject to final court approval, and we recorded a charge of $62 million, which includes the Lea settlement amount and associated costs and an amount for settlement of another wage and hour lawsuit.  On October 21, 2013, a collective action lawsuit alleging that we failed to pay a class of workers overtime in compliance with the FLSA was filed titled Zamora et al. v. Baker Hughes Incorporated in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Corpus Christi Division (“Zamora”).  In October of 2014, the parties agreed to settle the Zamora lawsuit for an amount that was not material to our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.On May 30, 2013, we received a Civil Investigative Demand ("CID") from the U.S. Department of Justice ("DOJ") pursuant to the Antitrust Civil Process Act.  The CID seeks documents and information from us for the period from May 29, 2011 through the date of the CID in connection with a DOJ investigation related to pressure pumping services in the U.S.  We are working with the DOJ to provide the requested documents and information.  We are not able to predict what action, if any, might be taken in the future by the DOJ or other governmental authorities as a result of the investigation.We were among several unrelated companies who received a subpoena from the Office of the New York Attorney General, dated June 17, 2011.  The subpoena we received sought information and documents relating to, among other things, natural gas development and hydraulic fracturing, and we have responded.ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERSOur past and present operations include activities that are subject to extensive domestic (including U.S. federal, state and local) and international environmental regulations with regard to air, land and water quality and other environmental matters.  Our environmental procedures, policies and practices are designed to ensure compliance with existing laws and regulations and to minimize the possibility of significant environmental damage.We are involved in voluntary remediation projects at some of our present and former manufacturing locations or other facilities, the majority of which relate to properties no longer actively used in operations.  On rare occasions, remediation activities are conducted as specified by a government agency-issued consent decree or agreed order.  Remediation costs are accrued based on estimates of probable exposure using currently available facts, existing environmental permits, technology and presently enacted laws and regulations.  Remediation cost estimates include direct costs related to the environmental investigation, external consulting activities, governmental oversight fees, treatment equipment and costs associated with long-term operation, maintenance and monitoring of a remediation project.We have also been identified as a potentially responsible party (“PRP”) in remedial activities related to various Superfund sites.  In these instances, we participate in the process set out in the Joint Participation and Defense Agreement to negotiate with government agencies, identify other PRPs, and determine each PRP’s allocation and estimate remediation costs.  We have accrued what we believe to be our pro-rata share of the total estimated cost of remediation and associated management of these Superfund sites.  This share is based upon the ratio that the estimated volume of waste we contributed to the site to the total estimated volume of waste disposed at the site.  Applicable U.S. federal law imposes joint and several liability on each PRP for the cleanup of these sites leaving us with the uncertainty that we may be responsible for the remediation cost attributable to other PRPs who are unable to pay their share.  No accrual has been made under the joint and several liability concept for those Superfund sites where our participation is de minimis since we believe that the probability that we will have to pay material costs above our volumetric share is remote.  We believe there are other PRPs who have greater involvement on a volumetric calculation basis, who have substantial assets and who may be reasonably expected to pay their share of the cost of remediation.  For those Superfund sites where we are a significant PRP, remediation costs are estimated to include recalcitrant parties.  In some cases, we have insurance coverage or contractual indemnities from third parties to cover a portion of the ultimate liability.Our total accrual for environmental remediation is $35 million and $34 million, which includes accruals of $3 million and $4 million for the various Superfund sites, at December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.  The determination of the required accruals for remediation costs is subject to uncertainty, including the evolving nature of environmental regulations and the difficulty in estimating the extent and type of remediation activity that is necessary.OTHERIn the normal course of business with customers, vendors and others, we have entered into off-balance sheet arrangements, such as surety bonds for performance, letters of credit and other bank issued guarantees, which totaled approximately $1.3 billion at December 31, 2014.  It is not practicable to estimate the fair value of these financial instruments.  None of the off-balance sheet arrangements either has, or is likely to have, a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.  We also had commitments outstanding for purchase obligations related to capital expenditures, inventory and services under contracts, for each of the five years in the period ending December 31, 2019 of $532 million, $312 million, $256 million, $156 million and $72 million, respectively, and $99 million in the aggregate thereafter. |

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The entire disclosure for commitments and contingencies.
+ References
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