| **Finance Receivables (Details 6) $ in Millions**                                                      | 3 Months Ended | 9 Months Ended |        |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------|----------------|--------|
||
| **Financing Receivable, Modifications**                                                                |           |           |   |   |   |
| Remaining commitments                                                                                  | $ 11           |           | $ 11   |   | $ 3 |
| **Finance receivables modified as TDRs**                                                               |           |           |   |   |   |
| Number of Contracts | contracts                                                                        | 352            | 31             | 493    | 78 |   |
| Pre-TDR Recorded Investment                                                                            | $ 152          | $ 110          | $ 387  | $ 242 |   |
| Post-TDR Recorded Investment                                                                           | $ 118          | $ 96           | $ 327  | $ 225 |   |
| **TDRs with a payment default which had been modified within twelve months prior to the default date** |           |           |   |   |   |
| Number of Contracts | contracts                                                                        | 4              | 5              | 35     | 11 |   |
| Post-TDR Recorded Investment                                                                           | $ 0            | $ 0            | $ 4    | $ 1 |   |
| Customer | North America                                                                               |           |           |   |   |   |
| **Finance receivables modified as TDRs**                                                               |           |           |   |   |   |
| Number of Contracts | contracts                                                                        | 2              | 6              | 15     | 10 |   |
| Pre-TDR Recorded Investment                                                                            | $ 0            | $ 0            | $ 16   | $ 1 |   |
| Post-TDR Recorded Investment                                                                           | $ 0            | $ 0            | $ 16   | $ 1 |   |
| **TDRs with a payment default which had been modified within twelve months prior to the default date** |           |           |   |   |   |
| Number of Contracts | contracts                                                                        | 1              | 5              | 14     | 10 |   |
| Post-TDR Recorded Investment                                                                           | $ 0            | $ 0            | $ 3    | $ 1 |   |
| Customer | Europe                                                                                      |           |           |   |   |   |
| **Finance receivables modified as TDRs**                                                               |           |           |   |   |   |
| Number of Contracts | contracts                                                                        | 0              | 4              | 3      | 23 |   |
| Pre-TDR Recorded Investment                                                                            | $ 0            | $ 0            | $ 11   | $ 2 |   |
| Post-TDR Recorded Investment                                                                           | $ 0            | $ 0            | $ 8    | $ 2 |   |
| **TDRs with a payment default which had been modified within twelve months prior to the default date** |           |           |   |   |   |
| Number of Contracts | contracts                                                                        | 1              | 0              | 14     | 0 |   |
| Post-TDR Recorded Investment                                                                           | $ 0            | $ 0            | $ 1    | $ 0 |   |
| Customer | Asia/Pacific                                                                                |           |           |   |   |   |
| **Finance receivables modified as TDRs**                                                               |           |           |   |   |   |
| Number of Contracts | contracts                                                                        | 4              | 1              | 8      | 21 |   |
| Pre-TDR Recorded Investment                                                                            | $ 1            | $ 1            | $ 4    | $ 26 |   |
| Post-TDR Recorded Investment                                                                           | $ 1            | $ 1            | $ 4    | $ 26 |   |
| **TDRs with a payment default which had been modified within twelve months prior to the default date** |           |           |   |   |   |
| Number of Contracts | contracts                                                                        |           |           | 3      | 0 |   |
| Post-TDR Recorded Investment                                                                           |           |           | $ 0    | $ 0 |   |
| Customer | Mining                                                                                      |           |           |   |   |   |
| **Finance receivables modified as TDRs**                                                               |           |           |   |   |   |
| Number of Contracts | contracts                                                                        | 1              | 2              | 2      | 2 |   |
| Pre-TDR Recorded Investment                                                                            | $ 33           | $ 15           | $ 43   | $ 15 |   |
| Post-TDR Recorded Investment                                                                           | $ 30           | $ 14           | $ 35   | $ 14 |   |
| Customer | Latin America                                                                               |           |           |   |   |   |
| **Finance receivables modified as TDRs**                                                               |           |           |   |   |   |
| Number of Contracts | contracts                                                                        | 341            | 10             | 431    | 10 |   |
| Pre-TDR Recorded Investment                                                                            | $ 105          | $ 1            | $ 117  | $ 1 |   |
| Post-TDR Recorded Investment                                                                           | $ 74           | $ 2            | $ 87   | $ 2 |   |
| **TDRs with a payment default which had been modified within twelve months prior to the default date** |           |           |   |   |   |
| Number of Contracts | contracts                                                                        | 2              | 0              | 4      | 1 |   |
| Post-TDR Recorded Investment                                                                           | $ 0            | $ 0            | $ 0    | $ 0 |   |
| Customer | Latin America | Amounts related to four customers                                           |           |           |   |   |   |
| **Finance receivables modified as TDRs**                                                               |           |           |   |   |   |
| Number of Contracts | contracts                                                                        | 321            |           |   |   |   |
| Pre-TDR Recorded Investment                                                                            | $ 94           |           |   |   |   |
| Post-TDR Recorded Investment                                                                           | $ 64           |           |   |   |   |
| Customer | Caterpillar Power Finance                                                                   |           |           |   |   |   |
| **Finance receivables modified as TDRs**                                                               |           |           |   |   |   |
| Number of Contracts | contracts                                                                        | 4              | 8              | 34     | 12 |   |
| Pre-TDR Recorded Investment                                                                            | $ 13           | $ 93           | $ 196  | $ 197 |   |
| Post-TDR Recorded Investment                                                                           | $ 13           | $ 79           | $ 177  | $ 180 |   |
| Dealer                                                                                                 |           |           |   |   |   |
| **Finance receivables modified as TDRs**                                                               |           |           |   |   |   |
| Number of Contracts | contracts                                                                        | 0              | 0              | 0      | 0 |   |
| Caterpillar Purchased Receivables                                                                      |           |           |   |   |   |
| **Finance receivables modified as TDRs**                                                               |           |           |   |   |   |
| Number of Contracts | contracts                                                                        | 0              | 0              | 0      | 0 |   |

| X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Definition
Loan and finance lease receivables modified as TDRs
+ References
No definition available.
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| X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Definition
Loans and leases modified as TDRs within previous twelve months that subsequently defaulted
+ References
No definition available.
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| X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Definition
Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.
+ References
No definition available.
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| X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Definition
Number of financing receivables that have been modified by troubled debt restructurings.
+ References
Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 310 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 33 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=66008989&loc=SL6953676-111524
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| X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Definition
Post-modification amount of investment in financing receivables modified by troubled debt restructurings.
+ References
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| X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Definition
Pre-modification amount of investment in financing receivables modified by troubled debt restructurings.
+ References
Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 310 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 33 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=66008989&loc=SL6953676-111524
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| X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Definition
Number of financing receivables that have been modified by troubled debt restructurings within the previous 12 months and for which there was a payment default.
+ References
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| X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Definition
Amount of investment related to financing receivables modified by troubled debt restructurings within the previous 12 months, for which there was a payment default.
+ References
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| X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Definition
Reflects the unfunded portion of contractual agreements to lend funds to borrowers for loans whose terms have been modified by troubled debt restructuring.
+ References
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|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
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| X                                                                                                                                                         |
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| X                                                                                                                                                                                  |
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