| BUSINESS COMBINATIONS AND DISPOSITIONS (Details 2) In Millions, unless otherwise specified | 1 Months Ended | 6 Months Ended | 12 Months Ended | 12 Months Ended | 12 Months Ended | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul. 31, 2012
 Russian MDI Acquisition
 USD ($) | Dec. 31, 2012
 Russian MDI Acquisition
 USD ($) | Dec. 31, 2012
 Russian MDI Acquisition
 USD ($) | Dec. 31, 2011
 Russian MDI Acquisition
 USD ($) | Dec. 31, 2010
 Russian MDI Acquisition
 USD ($) | Jul. 03, 2012
 Russian MDI Acquisition
 USD ($) | Jul. 03, 2012
 Russian MDI Acquisition
 EUR (€) | Dec. 31, 2011
 Laffans Petrochemicals Limited
 USD ($) | Dec. 31, 2010
 Laffans Petrochemicals Limited
 USD ($) | Apr. 02, 2011
 Laffans Petrochemicals Limited
 USD ($) | Dec. 31, 2012
 Ciba's textile effects business
 USD ($) | Dec. 31, 2011
 Ciba's textile effects business
 USD ($) | Dec. 31, 2010
 Ciba's textile effects business
 USD ($) | |
| Estimated pro forma revenues and net income attributable | |||||||||||||
| Remaining percentage of noncontrolling interest acquired | 55.00% | 55.00% | |||||||||||
| Ownership interest immediately prior to acquisition (as a percent) | 45.00% | 45.00% | |||||||||||
| Fair value of previously noncontrolling interest | $ 13 | ||||||||||||
| Non-cash pretax loss on consolidation of Investment | 4 | ||||||||||||
| Discount rate (as a percent) | 17.00% | ||||||||||||
| Terminal growth rate (as a percent) | 4.00% | ||||||||||||
| Acquisition cost | |||||||||||||
| Cash payments made | 16 | 13 | 23 | ||||||||||
| Fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed: | |||||||||||||
| Accounts receivable | 2 | 9 | |||||||||||
| Inventories | 9 | 2 | |||||||||||
| Other current assets | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||
| Property, plant and equipment | 31 | 12 | |||||||||||
| Intangible assets | 3 | ||||||||||||
| Accounts payable | (4) | (3) | |||||||||||
| Accrued liabilities | (1) | (1) | |||||||||||
| Other noncurrent liabilities | (1) | ||||||||||||
| Deferred income taxes | (2) | ||||||||||||
| Long-term debt | (7) | ||||||||||||
| Total fair value of net assets acquired | 29 | 23 | |||||||||||
| Revenues | 28 | ||||||||||||
| Earnings | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Estimated pro forma revenues and net income (loss) attributable to business acquisition | |||||||||||||
| Revenues | 11,231 | 11,257 | 9,277 | 11,235 | 9,301 | ||||||||
| Net income attributable to business acquisition | 254 | 181 | |||||||||||
| Additional extraordinary gain (loss) on the acquisition | $ 2 | $ 4 | $ (1) | ||||||||||
| X | ||||||||||
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- Definition Represents discount rate used as an input to measure fair value . No definition available. 
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| X | ||||||||||
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- Definition Represents terminal growth rate used as an input to measure fair value. No definition available. 
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| X | ||||||||||
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- Definition The amount of acquisition cost of a business combination allocated to deferred tax liability. No definition available. 
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| X | ||||||||||
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- Definition Amount of cash paid to acquire the entity. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef 
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| X | ||||||||||
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- Details 
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| X | ||||||||||
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- Details 
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| X | ||||||||||
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- Definition Percentage of voting equity interests acquired in the business combination. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef 
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| X | ||||||||||
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- Details 
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| X | ||||||||||
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- Definition The amount of acquisition cost of a business combination allocated to an identifiable intangible asset that will be amortized. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef 
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| X | ||||||||||
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- Definition The amount of acquisition cost of a business combination allocated to inventory, including finished goods, work-in-process, and raw materials. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef 
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| X | ||||||||||
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- Definition The amount of acquisition cost of a business combination allocated to prepaid expenses and other current assets. Does not include amounts allocated to cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities, receivables, inventory, and assets not to be used. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef 
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| X | ||||||||||
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- Definition The amount of acquisition cost of a business combination allocated to receivables. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef 
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| X | ||||||||||
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- Definition The amount of acquisition cost of a business combination allocated to accounts payable of the acquired entity. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef 
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| X | ||||||||||
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- Definition The amount of acquisition cost of a business combination allocated to accrued expenses of the acquired entity. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef 
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| X | ||||||||||
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- Definition The amount of acquisition cost of a business combination allocated to the current portion of long-term debt of the acquired entity. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef 
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| X | ||||||||||
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- Definition Amount of acquisition cost of a business combination allocated to other noncurrent liabilities not separately disclosed. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef 
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| X | ||||||||||
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- Definition The amount of acquisition cost of a business combination allocated to property, plant and equipment to be used in ongoing operations. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef 
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| X | ||||||||||
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- Definition The pro forma income from continuing operations before changes in accounting and extraordinary items, net of tax effect, for the period as if the business combination or combinations had been completed at the beginning of a period. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef 
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| X | ||||||||||
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- Definition The pro forma revenue for a period as if the business combination or combinations had been completed at the beginning of the period. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef 
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| X | ||||||||||
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- Definition This element represents the amount of earnings or loss of the acquiree since the acquisition date included in the consolidated income statement for the reporting period. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef 
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| X | ||||||||||
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- Definition This element represents the amount of revenue of the acquiree since the acquisition date included in the consolidated income statement for the reporting period. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef 
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| X | ||||||||||
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- Definition The net amount recognized as of the acquisition date for the aggregate identifiable assets acquired in excess of or less than the aggregate liabilities assumed. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef 
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| X | ||||||||||
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- Details 
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| X | ||||||||||
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- Definition In a business combination achieved in stages, this element represents the acquisition-date fair value of the equity interest in the acquiree held by the acquirer immediately before the acquisition date. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef 
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| X | ||||||||||
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- Definition In a business combination achieved in stages, this element represents the acquisition-date percentage of equity in the acquiree held by the acquirer immediately before the acquisition date. No definition available. 
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| X | ||||||||||
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- Definition In a business combination achieved in stages, this element represents the amount of gain recognized by the entity as a result of remeasuring to fair value the equity interest in the acquiree it held before the business combination. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef 
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| X | ||||||||||
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- Definition Amount of the excess of the fair value of acquired net assets over the cost of an acquired business after pro rata reduction of the amounts that otherwise would have been assigned to acquired assets except financial assets other than investments accounted for by the equity method, assets to be disposed of by sale, deferred tax assets, prepaid assets relating to pension and postretirement benefit plans, and other current assets. This amount is considered an extraordinary item and often referred to as negative goodwill. This element is gross of the related tax effect. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef 
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