| **Income Taxes**                     | 12 Months Ended                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
|--------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
||
| **Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]** |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
| Income Taxes                         | INCOME TAXES The components of Profit before income taxes for the years ended December 31, were as follows: (Millions of dollars)        2015 2014 2013U.S. $230 $207 $91Non-U.S. 389 546 603Total $619 $753 $694       Profit before income taxes, as shown above, is based on the location of the entity to which such earnings are attributable.  Where an entity’s earnings are subject to taxation, however, may not correlate solely to where an entity is located.  For example, the profit before income tax reported in the U.S. may be subject to tax by non-U.S. jurisdictions and profit before income tax outside the U.S. may be subject to tax in the U.S.  Thus, the income tax provision shown below as U.S. or non-U.S. may not correspond to the earnings shown above. The components of the Provision for income taxes were as follows for the years ended December 31: (Millions of dollars)        2015 2014 2013Current income tax provision (benefit):      U.S. $(21) $14 $(14)Non-U.S. 109 138 183State (U.S.) 2 (1) —  90 151 169       Deferred income tax provision (benefit):      U.S. 45 44 17Non-U.S. 21 13 (18)State (U.S.) 2 1 (1)  68 58 (2)       Total Provision for income taxes $158 $209 $167         Current income tax provision is the amount of income taxes reported or expected to be reported on our income tax returns.  We join Caterpillar in the filing of a consolidated U.S. Federal income tax return and certain state income tax returns.  In accordance with our tax sharing agreement with Caterpillar, we generally pay to or receive from Caterpillar our allocated share of income taxes or credits reflected in these consolidated filings. This amount is calculated on a separate return basis by taking taxable income times the applicable statutory tax rate and includes payment for certain tax attributes earned during the year.The actual Provision for income taxes differs from the Provision for income taxes that would result from applying the U.S. statutory rate to Profit before income taxes for the years ended December 31, for the reasons set forth in the following reconciliation: (Millions of dollars)        2015 2014 2013Taxes computed at U.S. statutory rates $217 35.0 % $264 35.0 % $243 35.0 %(Decreases) increases in taxes resulting from:            State Income Tax, net of Federal Tax 3 0.5 % — — % (1) (0.1)%Subsidiaries' results subject to tax rates other than U.S. statutory rates (19) (3.1)% (53) (7.0)% (68) (9.8)%Income from non-U.S. subsidiaries taxed at U.S. statutory rates, net of foreign tax credits (39) (6.3)% — — % — — %Other, net (4) (0.6)% (2) (0.2)% (7) (1.0)%Provision for income taxes $158 25.5 % $209 27.8 % $167 24.1 %               We have recorded income tax expense at U.S. tax rates on all profits, except for undistributed profits of non-U.S. subsidiaries of approximately $2 billion, which are considered indefinitely reinvested.  Upon distribution of these profits in the form of dividends or otherwise, we would be subject to both U.S. income taxes (subject to an adjustment for foreign tax credits) and in some instances withholding taxes payable to the various non-U.S. jurisdictions.  Determination of the amount of unrecognized deferred income tax liability related to indefinitely reinvested profits is not feasible primarily due to the complexity of the legal entity structure and U.S. and local tax laws.  If U.S. tax law changes in the future, there may be a significant negative impact on the provision for income taxes to record an incremental tax liability in the period the change occurs.  At December 31, 2015, cash held by non-U.S. subsidiaries was approximately $342 million.   Accounting for income taxes under generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America requires individual tax-paying entities of the Company to offset deferred income tax assets and liabilities within each particular tax jurisdiction and present them as a single amount in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position.  Amounts in different tax jurisdictions cannot be offset against each other.  The amounts of deferred income taxes at December 31, included in the following lines in our Consolidated Statements of Financial Position were: (Millions of dollars)      2015 2014Assets:    Deferred and refundable income taxes $75 $94Liabilities:    Deferred income taxes and other liabilities (812) (668)Deferred income taxes, net $(737) $(574)      Differences between accounting rules and income tax laws cause differences between the bases of certain assets and liabilities for financial reporting and income tax purposes.  The income tax effects of these differences, to the extent they are temporary, are recorded as deferred income tax assets and liabilities netted by tax jurisdiction and taxpayer.Our consolidated deferred income taxes consisted of the following components as of December 31: (Millions of dollars)      2015 2014Deferred income tax assets:    Allowance for credit losses $142 $149Tax carryforwards 48 46  190 195     Deferred income tax liabilities (primarily lease basis differences) (574) (514)     Valuation allowance for deferred income tax assets (10) (3)     Deferred income tax on translation adjustment (343) (252)     Deferred income taxes, net $(737) $(574)      As of December 31, 2015, amounts and expiration dates of net operating loss (NOL) carryforwards in various U.S. state taxing jurisdictions were: (Millions of dollars)        2016 2017 2018 2019 2020-2031 Total$— $2 $6 $4 $119 $131 The gross deferred income tax asset associated with these NOL carryforwards is $10 million as of December 31, 2015. In some U.S. state income tax jurisdictions, we join with other Caterpillar entities in filing combined income tax returns.  In other U.S. state income tax jurisdictions, we file on a separate, stand-alone basis. As of December 31, 2015, amounts and expiration dates of NOL carryforwards in various non-U.S. taxing jurisdictions were: (Millions of dollars)          2016 2017 2018 2019 2020-2031 Unlimited Total$— $— $— $— $6 $50 $56 Valuation allowances totaling $10 million have been recorded at certain non-U.S. subsidiaries that have not yet demonstrated consistent and/or sustainable profitability to support the recognition of net deferred income tax assets. As of December 31, 2015, approximately $26 million of U.S. foreign tax credits were available for carryforward.  These credits expire in 2025 and 2026.A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amounts of gross unrecognized income tax benefits for uncertain income tax positions, including positions impacting only the timing of income tax benefits was as follows: (Millions of dollars)      2015 2014Reconciliation of unrecognized income tax benefits(1):    Balance at beginning of year $— $—Additions for income tax positions related to prior year 2 —Reductions for income tax positions related to settlements(2) (2) —Balance at end of year $— $—     Amount that, if recognized, would impact the effective tax rate $— $—     (1) Foreign currency translation amounts are included within each line as applicable.(2) Includes cash payment or other reduction of assets to settle liability.We classify interest and penalties on income taxes as a component of the Provision for income taxes.  During the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, we recognized an expense of less than $1 million, a benefit of less than $1 million and a benefit of less than $1 million in interest and penalties, respectively.  As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, the total amount of accrued interest and penalties was less than $1 million. On January 30, 2015, Caterpillar received a Revenue Agent's Report (RAR) from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) indicating the end of field examination of our U.S. tax returns for 2007 to 2009.  In the opinion of management, the ultimate disposition of the matters raised in this report will not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, liquidity or results of operations.  The IRS field examination of our U.S. tax returns for 2010 to 2012 began in 2015.  In our major non-U.S. jurisdictions, tax years are typically subject to examination for three to six years.  Due to the uncertainty related to the timing and potential outcome of audits, we cannot estimate the range of reasonably possible change in unrecognized tax benefits in the next 12 months. |

| X                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - References
No definition available.
+ Details**Name:**us-gaap_IncomeTaxDisclosureAbstract**Namespace Prefix:**us-gaap_**Data Type:**xbrli:stringItemType**Balance Type:**na**Period Type:**duration |
| X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Definition
The entire disclosure for income taxes. Disclosures may include net deferred tax liability or asset recognized in an enterprise's statement of financial position, net change during the year in the total valuation allowance, approximate tax effect of each type of temporary difference and carryforward that gives rise to a significant portion of deferred tax liabilities and deferred tax assets, utilization of a tax carryback, and tax uncertainties information.
+ References
Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 235 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.4-08.(h)) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=26873400&loc=d3e23780-122690Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 3 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32559-109319Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 15 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32718-109319Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 9 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32639-109319Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 2 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32537-109319
+ Details**Name:**us-gaap_IncomeTaxDisclosureTextBlock**Namespace Prefix:**us-gaap_**Data Type:**nonnum:textBlockItemType**Balance Type:**na**Period Type:**duration |