LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) 10-Q 30 Oct 18 2018 Q3 Quarterly report Financial data

Document and Entity Information

Document and Entity Information - shares	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Oct. 26, 2018
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2018
Amendment Flag	false
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2,018
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Central Index Key	1,489,393
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Registrant Name	LyondellBasell Industries N.V.
Trading Symbol	LYB
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		383,657,690
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Small Business	false

Consolidated Statements of Inco

Consolidated Statements of Income - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Sales and other operating revenues:
Trade	$ 9,926	$ 8,312	$ 29,441	$ 24,775
Related parties	229	204	687	574
Sales revenue, net	10,155	8,516	30,128	25,349
Operating costs and expenses:
Cost of sales	8,499	6,939	24,801	20,531
Selling, general and administrative expenses	309	218	803	622
Research and development expenses	30	27	87	77
Costs and expenses	8,838	7,184	25,691	21,230
Operating income	1,317	1,332	4,437	4,119
Interest expense	(90)	(94)	(272)	(396)
Interest income	14	5	40	15
Other income, net	17	114	57	173
Income from continuing operations before equity investments and income taxes	1,258	1,357	4,262	3,911
Income from equity investments	89	81	253	240
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	1,347	1,438	4,515	4,151
Provision for income taxes	232	380	514	1,154
Income from continuing operations	1,115	1,058	4,001	2,997
Loss from discontinued operations, net of tax	(2)	(2)	(3)	(14)
Net income	1,113	1,056	3,998	2,983
Net loss attributable to non-controlling interests	0	1	0	2
Net income attributable to the Company shareholders	$ 1,113	$ 1,057	$ 3,998	$ 2,985
Net income (loss) attributable to the Company shareholders - Basic:
Continuing operations (in dollars per share)	$ 2.86	$ 2.67	$ 10.21	$ 7.49
Discontinued operations (in dollars per share)	0	0	(0.01)	(0.03)
Basic (in dollars per share)	2.86	2.67	10.20	7.46
Net income (loss) attributable to the Company shareholders - Diluted:
Continuing operations (in dollars per share)	2.85	2.67	10.19	7.49
Discontinued operations (in dollars per share)	0	0	(0.01)	(0.03)
Diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 2.85	$ 2.67	$ 10.18	$ 7.46

Consolidated Statements of Comp

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Net income	$ 1,113	$ 1,056	$ 3,998	$ 2,983
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax –
Financial derivatives	51	(21)	89	(20)
Unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale debt securities	0	1	0	(1)
Unrealized gains on equity securities and equity securities held by equity investees	0	6	0	10
Defined pension and other postretirement benefit plans	6	7	20	20
Foreign currency translations	(8)	23	(63)	143
Total other comprehensive income, net of tax	49	16	46	152
Comprehensive income	1,162	1,072	4,044	3,135
Comprehensive loss attributable to non-controlling interests	0	1	0	2
Comprehensive income attributable to the Company shareholders	$ 1,162	$ 1,073	$ 4,044	$ 3,137

Consolidated Balance Sheets

Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 521	$ 1,523
Restricted cash	11	5
Short-term investments	944	1,307
Accounts receivable:
Trade, net	3,883	3,359
Related parties	204	180
Inventories	4,596	4,217
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	1,224	1,147
Total current assets	11,383	11,738
Property, plant and equipment at cost	18,116	16,570
Less: Accumulated depreciation	(6,094)	(5,573)
Property, plant and equipment, net	12,022	10,997
Investments and long-term receivables:
Investment in PO joint ventures	440	420
Equity investments	1,688	1,635
Other investments and long-term receivables	20	17
Goodwill	1,819	570
Intangible assets, net	982	568
Other assets	342	261
Total assets	28,696	26,206
Current liabilities:
Current maturities of long-term debt	984	2
Short-term debt	214	68
Accounts payable:
Trade	2,928	2,258
Related parties	627	637
Accrued liabilities	1,489	1,812
Total current liabilities	6,242	4,777
Long-term debt	7,471	8,549
Other liabilities	2,017	2,275
Deferred income taxes	1,774	1,655
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	123	0
Stockholders’ equity:
Ordinary shares, €0.04 par value, 1,275 million shares authorized, 387,177,776 and 394,512,054 shares outstanding, respectively	22	31
Additional paid-in capital	7,033	10,206
Retained earnings	6,453	15,746
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(1,309)	(1,285)
Treasury stock, at cost, 13,032,504 and 183,928,109 ordinary shares, respectively	(1,155)	(15,749)
Total Company share of stockholders’ equity	11,044	8,949
Noncontrolling interests	25	1
Total equity	11,069	8,950
Total liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity	$ 28,696	$ 26,206

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Pa

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parentheticals) - € / shares	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Stockholders’ equity:
Ordinary shares par value (in euros per share)	€ 0.04	€ 0.04
Ordinary shares, shares authorized (in shares)	1,275,000,000	1,275,000,000
Ordinary shares, shares outstanding (in shares)	387,177,776	394,512,054
Treasury stock, shares (in shares)	13,032,504	183,928,109

Consolidated Statements of Cash

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income	$ 3,998	$ 2,983
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	908	876
Amortization of debt-related costs	11	12
Charges related to repayment of debt	0	49
Share-based compensation	33	39
Equity investments -
Equity income	(253)	(240)
Distributions of earnings, net of tax	200	190
Deferred income taxes	111	217
Gain on sale of business and equity method investments	0	(108)
Changes in assets and liabilities that provided (used) cash:
Accounts receivable	(128)	(278)
Inventories	(202)	(219)
Accounts payable	257	121
Other, net	(761)	82
Net cash provided by operating activities	4,174	3,724
Cash flows from investing activities:
Expenditures for property, plant and equipment	(1,407)	(1,146)
Acquisition of A. Schulman, net of cash acquired	(1,776)	0
Payments for repurchase agreements	0	(512)
Proceeds from repurchase agreements	0	381
Purchases of available-for-sale debt securities	(50)	(653)
Proceeds from sales and maturities of available-for-sale debt securities	410	499
Proceeds from maturities of held-to-maturity securities	0	75
Purchases of equity securities	(64)	0
Proceeds from sales of equity securities	64	0
Net proceeds from sales of business and equity method investments	0	155
Proceeds from settlement of net investment hedges	872	609
Payments for settlement of net investment hedges	(850)	(658)
Other, net	(100)	(4)
Net cash used in investing activities	(2,901)	(1,254)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Repurchases of Company ordinary shares	(801)	(866)
Dividends paid	(1,176)	(1,060)
Issuance of long-term debt	0	990
Repayments of long-term debt	(394)	(1,000)
Debt extinguishment costs	0	(65)
Payments of debt issuance costs	0	(8)
Net of proceeds from (repayments of) commercial paper	140	(178)
Other, net	(11)	(4)
Net cash used in financing activities	(2,242)	(2,191)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash	(27)	54
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash	(996)	333
Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period	1,528	878
Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period	$ 532	$ 1,211

Consolidated Statement of Stock

Consolidated Statement of Stockholders' Equity - USD ($) $ in Millions	Total	Ordinary Shares	Treasury Stock	Additional Paid-in Capital	Retained Earnings	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	Company Share of Stockholders' Equity	Non-Controlling Interests
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2016		$ 31	$ (14,945)	$ 10,191	$ 12,282	$ (1,511)	$ 6,048	$ 25
Net income (loss)	$ 2,983	0	0	0	2,985	0	2,985	(2)
Other comprehensive income	152	0	0	0	0	152	152	0
Share-based compensation		0	36	9	0	0	45	0
Dividends		0	0	0	(1,060)	0	(1,060)	0
Repurchase of Company ordinary shares	(845)	0	(845)	0	0	0	(845)	0
Purchase of non-controlling interest		0	0	1	0	0	1	(22)
Ending balance at Sep. 30, 2017		31	(15,754)	10,201	14,207	(1,359)	7,326	1
Beginning balance at Jun. 30, 2017		31	(15,494)	10,198	13,506	(1,375)	6,866	2
Net income (loss)	1,056	0	0	0	1,057	0	1,057	(1)
Other comprehensive income	16	0	0	0	0	16	16	0
Share-based compensation		0	6	3	0	0	9	0
Dividends		0	0	0	(356)	0	(356)	0
Repurchase of Company ordinary shares		0	(266)	0	0	0	(266)	0
Ending balance at Sep. 30, 2017		31	(15,754)	10,201	14,207	(1,359)	7,326	1
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2017	8,950	31	(15,749)	10,206	15,746	(1,285)	8,949	1
Net income (loss)	3,998	0	0	0	3,998	0	3,998	0
Other comprehensive income	46	0	0	0	0	46	46	0
Share-based compensation		0	31	20	0	0	51	0
Dividends	(1,176)	0	0	0	(1,176)	0	(1,176)	0
Repurchase of Company ordinary shares	(821)	0	(821)	0	0	0	(821)	0
Purchase of non-controlling interest		0	0	(28)	0	0	(28)	0
Cancellation of treasury shares		(9)	15,384	(3,165)	(12,210)	0	0	0
Acquisition of A. Schulman Inc.		0	0	0	0	0	0	24
Ending balance at Sep. 30, 2018	11,069	22	(1,155)	7,033	6,453	(1,309)	11,044	25
Beginning balance at Jun. 30, 2018		31	(16,200)	10,190	17,939	(1,358)	10,602	1
Net income (loss)	1,113	0	0	0	1,113	0	1,113	0
Other comprehensive income	49	0	0	0	0	49	49	0
Share-based compensation		0	4	8	0	0	12	0
Dividends		0	0	0	(389)	0	(389)	0
Repurchase of Company ordinary shares		0	(343)	0	0	0	(343)	0
Cancellation of treasury shares		(9)	15,384	(3,165)	(12,210)	0	0	0
Acquisition of A. Schulman Inc.		0	0	0	0	0	0	24
Ending balance at Sep. 30, 2018	$ 11,069	22	(1,155)	7,033	6,453	(1,309)	11,044	25
Adoption of accounting standards		$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 95	$ (70)	$ 25	$ 0

Consolidated Statement of Sto_2

Consolidated Statement of Stockholders' Equity (Parentheticals) - $ / shares	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Statement of Stockholders' Equity [Abstract]
Dividends per share (in dollars per share)	$ 1	$ 0.90	$ 3	$ 2.65

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation [Text Block]	1. Basis of Presentation LyondellBasell Industries N.V., together with its consolidated subsidiaries (collectively “LyondellBasell N.V.”), is a worldwide manufacturer of chemicals and polymers, a refiner of crude oil, a significant producer of gasoline blending components and a developer and licensor of technologies for production of polymers. Unless otherwise indicated, the “Company,” “we,” “us,” “our” or similar words are used to refer to LyondellBasell N.V. The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements are unaudited and have been prepared from the books and records of LyondellBasell N.V. in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Rule 10-1 of Regulation S-X for interim financial information. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and notes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) for complete financial statements. In our opinion, all adjustments, including normal recurring adjustments, considered necessary for a fair statement have been included. The results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for the entire year. These Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 . On August 21, 2018, we acquired A. Schulman Inc. (“A. Schulman”), a global supplier of high-performance plastic compounds, composites and resins, pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger dated February 15, 2018. As a result of the acquisition, A. Schulman became a wholly owned subsidiary and its results of operations are consolidated prospectively from August 21, 2018 (see Note 3 ).

Accounting and Reporting Change

Accounting and Reporting Changes	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Accounting Changes and Error Corrections [Abstract]
Accounting and Reporting Changes [Text Block]	2. Accounting and Reporting Changes Standard Description Period of Adoption Effect on the Consolidated Financial Statements Recently Adopted Guidance Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) (including subsequent amendments: ASU 2015-14, ASU 2016-08, ASU 2016-10, ASU 2016-12 and ASU 2016-20) This guidance requires entities to recognize revenue upon the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration expected to be received in exchange for those goods and services. This guidance also enhanced related disclosures and was effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. First quarter of 2018 See Note 4 for disclosures related to the adoption of this guidance. ASU 2016-01, Financial Instruments-Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities This guidance includes a requirement for equity investments (except those accounted for under the equity method of accounting or those that result in consolidation of the investee) to be measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income. This guidance was effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. First quarter of 2018 We adopted this guidance prospectively and recorded a cumulative effect adjustment of $15 million to beginning retained earnings. ASU 2018-03 , Technical Corrections and Improvements to Financial Instruments – Overall (Subtopic 825-10) This ASU was issued as part of the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s ongoing agenda to make improvements clarifying the Accounting Standards Codification and provides technical corrections and improvements related to ASU 2016-01. This ASU was effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. First quarter of 2018 The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact. Standard Description Period of Adoption Effect on the Consolidated Financial Statements ASU 2016-16, Accounting for Income Taxes: Intra-Entity Asset Transfers of Assets Other than Inventory This ASU is aimed at reducing complexity in accounting standards. Under current GAAP, the tax effects of intra-entity asset transfers (intercompany sales) are deferred until the transferred asset is sold to a third party or otherwise recovered through use. This new guidance eliminates the exception for all intra-entity sales of assets other than inventory. A reporting entity would be required to recognize tax expense from the sale of assets in the seller’s tax jurisdiction when the transfer occurs, even though the pre-tax effects of that transaction are eliminated in consolidation. Any deferred tax asset that arises in the buyer’s jurisdiction would also be recognized at the time of the transfer. This guidance was effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted. First quarter of 2018 (early adopted) We adopted this guidance using the modified-retrospective method and recorded a cumulative-effect adjustment of $9 million to beginning retained earnings. ASU 2018-02, Income Statement—Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income This guidance permits entities to reclassify tax effects stranded in accumulated other comprehensive income as a result of the U.S.-enacted “H.R.1,” also known as the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” (the “Tax Act”) to retained earnings. This amendment will be effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. First quarter of 2018 (early adopted) We adopted this guidance using the specific identification method and recorded a cumulative-effect adjustment of $52 million to beginning retained earnings. ASU 2017-01, Clarifying the Definition of a Business This ASU clarifies the definition of a business with the objective of adding guidance to assist entities with evaluating whether a transaction should be accounted for as an acquisition or disposal of an asset or a business. This amendment was effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. First quarter of 2018 The prospective adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact. ASU 2017-05, Clarifying the Scope of Asset Derecognition Guidance and Accounting for Partial Sales of Nonfinancial Assets This guidance provides clarification about the term in substance nonfinancial asset , other aspects of the scope of Subtopic 610-20 Other Income , and how an entity should account for partial sales of nonfinancial assets once the amendments in ASU 2014-09 become effective. This amendment was effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. First quarter of 2018 The retrospective adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact. ASU 2017-07, Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost This guidance requires changes in the presentation of current service cost and other components of net benefit cost. This amendment was effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. First quarter of 2018 The retrospective adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact. Standard Description Period of Adoption Effect on the Consolidated Financial Statements ASU 2017-12, Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities This guidance makes more financial and nonfinancial hedging strategies eligible for hedge accounting, amends the presentation and disclosure requirements and changes how companies assess effectiveness. This amendment will be effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Early application is permitted. First quarter of 2018 (early adopted) The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact. Accounting Guidance Issued But Not Adopted as of September 30, 2018 ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (including subsequent amendments: ASU 2018-01, Land Easement Practical Expedient for Transition to Topic 842, ASU 2018-10, Codification Improvements to Topic 842 , and ASU 2018-11, Leases, Targeted Improvements ) This guidance, as amended, requires lessee leases with a term longer than 12 months to be recognized as a lease liability and a right-of-use asset representing the right to use the underlying asset for the lease term. Topic 842 retains a classification distinction between finance leases and operating leases, with the classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the income statement. Enhanced disclosures are also required. This amendment will be effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. January 1, 2019 We have made significant progress assessing the impact of this guidance through review of existing lease contracts and other purchase obligations that contain embedded lease features. We are finalizing the implementation of a lease accounting software solution. We are also approaching the end of our efforts to update our systems and processes, including our internal control framework. ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments This guidance, as amended, modifies the current incurred loss model of recognizing credit losses and requires a current expected credit loss model which requires utilizing historical, current and forecasted information to develop a current estimate of credit losses for financial assets recorded either at amortized costs or fair value through Other Comprehensive Income. The guidance will be effective for public entities for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. January 1, 2020 We are currently assessing the impact of the amendment of this guidance on our Consolidated Financial Statements. Standard Description Period of Adoption Effect on the Consolidated Financial Statements ASU 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework - Change to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement This guidance eliminates, adds and modifies certain disclosure requirements for fair value measurements as part of its disclosure framework project. It removes transfer disclosures between Level 1 and Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy, and adds disclosures for the range and weighted average used to develop significant unobservable inputs for Level 3 fair value measurements. The guidance will be effective for public entities for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. January 1, 2020 We are currently assessing the impact of this guidance on our Consolidated Financial Statements. ASU 2018-14, Compensation - Retirement Benefits - Defined Benefit Plans - General (Subtopic 715-20): Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Defined Benefit Plans This guidance changes disclosure requirements for employers that sponsor defined benefit pension and/or other postretirement benefit plans. It eliminates the requirement of certain disclosures that are no longer considered cost beneficial; however, it adds more pertinent disclosures. The guidance will be effective for public entities for annual periods ending after December 15, 2020. Early adoption is permitted. January 1, 2021 We are currently assessing the impact of this guidance on our Consolidated Financial Statements. ASU 2018-15, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement that is a Service Contract (a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issue Task Force) This guidance requires a customer in a hosted, cloud computing arrangement that is a service contract to follow the internal-use software guidance to determine which implementation costs to capitalize as assets or expense as incurred. Capitalized costs are amortized over the term of the hosting arrangement when the recognized asset is ready for use. The guidance will be effective for public entities for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. January 1, 2020 We are currently assessing the impact of this guidance on our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Business Combination

Business Combination	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Business Combination Disclosure [Text Block]	3. Business Combination On August 21, 2018 , through an indirect wholly owned subsidiary, we acquired all of the outstanding common stock of A. Schulman Inc. , a Delaware corporation for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $1,940 million , including a $1,240 million cash payment to the former common stock holders, $594 million for the repayment of A. Schulman debt and $106 million for the settlement of stock-based compensation plans and other purchase consideration. The acquisition of A. Schulman, a global supplier of high-performance plastic compounds, composites and powders, builds upon our already existing platform in this space, allowing us to create our Advanced Polymer Solutions business with broad geographic reach, leading technologies and a diverse product portfolio . Preliminary Purchase Price Allocation— The following table summarizes the allocation of the purchase price based on the fair value of the assets acquired and liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interests and noncontrolling interests assumed on the acquisition date. Millions of dollars Cash and cash equivalents $ 71 Restricted cash 10 Accounts receivable 407 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 77 Inventories 300 Property, plant and equipment 431 Equity investments 16 Goodwill 1,259 Intangible assets 488 Other assets 170 Total assets $ 3,229 Current maturities of long-term debt $ 397 Accounts payable 327 Accrued liabilities 103 Other liabilities 164 Deferred income taxes 149 Total liabilities 1,140 Redeemable noncontrolling interests 125 Noncontrolling interests 24 Total liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interests and noncontrolling interests $ 1,289 Total net assets acquired $ 1,940 In determining the fair value, we utilized various forms of the income, cost and market approaches depending on the asset or liability being fair valued, primarily using Level 3 inputs. The estimation of fair value required significant judgment related to future net cash flows (including net sales, cost of products sold, selling and marketing costs, and working capital/contributory asset charges), discount rates reflecting the risk inherent in each cash flow stream, competitive trends, market comparisons and other factors. Inputs were generally determined by taking into account historical data, supplemented by current and anticipated market conditions, and growth rates. The purchase price allocation presented above, including the residual amount allocated to goodwill, is based on preliminary information and is subject to change as additional information concerning final asset and liability valuations is obtained. The primary areas of the preliminary purchase price allocation that have not been finalized relate to the fair value of inventories, accounts receivables, property, plant and equipment, investments, intangible assets, contingencies and the related impacts on deferred income taxes and cumulative translation adjustments. During the measurement period, we will adjust assets and liabilities if new information is obtained about facts and circumstances that existed as of the acquisition date that, if known, would have resulted in revised estimated values of those assets or liabilities as of that date. The effect of measurement period adjustments to the estimated fair values will be reflected as if the adjustments had been completed on the acquisition date. The impact of all changes that do not qualify as measurement period adjustments will be included in current period earnings. Inventories— The acquired inventory of $300 million comprises $180 million of finished goods, $8 million of work-in-process and $112 million of raw materials and supplies. Fair value of finished goods was based on the estimated selling price of finished goods on hand less costs to sell, including disposal and holding period costs, and a reasonable profit margin on the selling and disposal effort for each specific category of finished goods being evaluated. Fair value of work in process was based on the estimated selling price once completed less total costs to complete the manufacturing process, costs to sell including disposal and holding period costs, a reasonable profit margin on the remaining manufacturing, selling, and disposal effort. Raw materials were valued based on current replacement cost. Other Current Assets and Current Liabilities— Due to the short maturity of these assets and liabilities, their fair values closely approximate their carrying values; therefore, their fair values are deemed to be their respective carrying values. The gross contractual amount of the receivables presented in the table above is $415 million . Property, Plant and Equipment— The fair value of the components of property, plant and equipment acquired are represented in the table below: Millions of dollars Land $ 54 Major manufacturing equipment 197 Buildings 141 Light equipment and instrumentation 12 Office furniture 9 Information system equipment 2 Construction in progress 16 Total $ 431 Fair value for the acquired property, plant and equipment was determined using two valuation methods: the market approach and the replacement cost approach. The market approach represents a sales comparison that measures the value of an asset through an analysis of sales and offerings of comparable assets. The replacement cost approach measures the value of an asset by estimating the cost to acquire or construct comparable assets adjusted for the age and condition of the asset. Goodwill— Goodwill represents the excess of consideration over the net fair value of the acquired assets and liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interest and noncontrolling interest assumed. The acquisition resulted in $1,259 million of goodwill, which will not be deductible for tax purposes. The goodwill recognized in this transaction largely consists of the acquired workforce and expected synergies resulting from the acquisition. Cost synergies will be achieved through a combination of workforce consolidations, savings from procurement synergies, optimizing warehouse and logistic footprints, implementing systems and processes best practices and leveraging existing research and development knowledge management systems. All of the goodwill was assigned to our APS segment. As a result of the reorganization of our operating segments, an additional $40 million of goodwill attributed to the polypropylene compounding, Catalloy and polybutene-1 businesses previously reported in our O&P–EAI segment was assigned to our APS segment at the acquisition date. Intangible Assets —The fair value, weighted average useful life and useful life of each class of intangible asset acquired are presented in the following table: Millions of dollars Fair Value Weighted Average Life (Years) Useful Life (Years) Customer relationships $ 265 15 15 Trade name and trademarks 106 5 5 Know-how 89 8 5 - 8 Various contracts 28 2 1 - 2 Total $ 488 Know-how in the table above represents formulations, know-how and trade secrets associated with manufacturing processes. The fair values of know-how and trade name and trademarks were determined using the relief from royalty method. The excess earnings method was used to determine the fair value of customer relationships. These methods are all variations of the income approach. The total weighted-average life of the acquired intangible assets that are subject to amortization is 11 years. Other Assets and Other Liabilities— Other assets include deferred tax assets and pension assets while other liabilities are primarily related to pension and other postretirement benefit plans. Long-Term Debt— In August 2018, we notified bondholders that we would call the assumed $375 million 6.875% Senior Notes due June 2023 at a price of 105.156% of par. In conjunction with the repayment of the debt in September 2018, we paid a make-whole premium of $19 million . These notes were recognized at redemption value which approximates fair value at the acquisition date. Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests— Our redeemable noncontrolling interests relate to 124,347 shares of cumulative perpetual special stock issued by our consolidated subsidiary, A. Schulman, Inc. (“A. Schulman Special Stock”). Holders of A. Schulman Special Stock are entitled to receive cumulative dividends at the rate of 6% per share on the liquidation preference of $1,000 per share. These shares may be redeemed at any time at the discretion of the holders. In August and September of 2018, 2,820 shares of A. Schulman Special Stock were redeemed for approximately $3 million . As of September 30, 2018 , 121,527 shares of A. Schulman Special Stock were outstanding. At the acquisition date, the fair value was estimated using the Black Derman Toy binomial lattice technique, which models the decision to redeem or hold by considering the maximum of the redemption value and the hold value throughout the term of the instrument and chooses the action that maximizes the return to the holder. This model requires assumptions on credit spread, yield volatility and risk-free rates. Acquisition Costs —We incurred approximately $30 million of acquisition-related transaction costs in connection with the acquisition of A. Schulman during the nine months ended September 30, 2018. These costs comprising banker, legal and consulting fees were classified in our Consolidated Statements of Income for the three-and-nine months ended September 30, 2018 as selling, general and administrative expenses. Pro forma Information— Our Consolidated Financial Statements include the operating results of A. Schulman from August 21, 2018 to September 30, 2018, including revenues of $269 million and loss from continuing operations before income taxes of $2 million . Pro forma results of operations for this acquisition have not been presented because the effects of the acquisition were not material to our pre-acquisition financial results.

Revenues

Revenues	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Revenues [Text Block]	4. Revenues Adoption of New Revenue Accounting Guidance— On January 1, 2018, we adopted the accounting standard ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers and all related amendments using the modified retrospective method applied to those contracts which were not completed as of January 1, 2018. We recognized an $18 million adjustment to the beginning retained earnings balance for the cumulative effect of initially applying the new standard. Comparative information has not been restated and continues to be reported under the accounting standards in effect for those periods. The impact of the adoption of this new guidance was immaterial for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 , and we expect the impact to be immaterial to our Consolidated Financial Statements on an ongoing basis. Revenue Recognition— Substantially all our revenues are derived from contracts with customers. We account for contracts when both parties have approved the contract and are committed to perform, the rights of the parties and payment terms have been identified, the contract has commercial substance, and collectability is probable. Payments are typically required within a short period following the transfer of control of the product to the customer. We occasionally require customers to prepay purchases to ensure collectability. Such prepayments do not represent financing arrangements, since payment and fulfillment of the performance obligation occurs within a short time frame. We elected to apply the practical expedient not to adjust the promised amount of consideration for the effects of a significant financing component when, at contract inception, we expect that payment will occur in one year or less. Revenue is recognized when obligations under the terms of a contract with our customer are satisfied. This generally occurs at the point in time when performance obligations are fulfilled and control transfers to the customer. In most instances, control transfers upon transfer of risk of loss and title to the customer, which usually occurs when we ship products to the customer from our manufacturing facility. Revenue is measured as the amount of consideration we expect to receive in exchange for transferring goods. Customer incentives are generally based on volumes purchased and recognized over the period earned. Sales, value added, and other taxes that we collect concurrent with revenue-producing activities are excluded from the transaction price as they represent amounts collected on behalf of third parties. Incidental costs incurred to obtain a contract are immaterial in the context of the contract and are recognized as expense. We have elected the practical expedient to recognize the incremental costs of obtaining a contract as an expense when incurred if the amortization period of the asset that we otherwise would have recognized is one year or less. Shipping and handling costs are treated as a fulfillment cost and not a separate performance obligation. Contract Balances— Contract balances typically arise when a difference in timing between the transfer of control to the customer and receipt of consideration occurs. Our contract liabilities, which are reflected in our Consolidated Financial Statements as Accrued liabilities and Other liabilities, consist primarily of customer payments for products or services received before the transfer of control to the customer occurs. These contract liabilities were $89 million as of September 30, 2018 . Revenue recognized in the reporting period included in the contract liability balance at the beginning of the period was immaterial. Disaggregation of Revenues —We participate globally across the petrochemical value chain and are an industry leader in many of our product lines. Our chemical businesses consist primarily of large processing plants that convert large volumes of liquid and gaseous hydrocarbon feedstocks into plastic resins and other chemicals. Our chemical products tend to be basic building blocks for other chemicals and plastics, while our plastic products are typically used in large volume applications. Our refining business consists of our Houston refinery, which processes crude oil into refined products such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. Petrochemical products generally follow global price trends of crude oil, natural gas liquids and/or natural gas. Price volatility significantly affects our revenues, as our sales contracts are tied to global commodity indexes. Other factors such as global industry capacities and operating rates, foreign exchange rates and worldwide geopolitical trends also affect our revenues. The following table presents our revenues disaggregated by key products for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 : Millions of dollars Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Sales and other operating revenues: Olefins & co-products $ 1,021 $ 2,987 Polyethylene 1,830 5,765 Polypropylene 1,414 4,405 PO & derivatives 642 1,949 Oxyfuels and related products 934 2,670 Intermediate chemicals 866 2,635 Compounding and solutions 797 1,990 Advanced polymers 240 718 Refined products 2,236 6,536 Other 175 473 Total $ 10,155 $ 30,128 The following table presents our revenues disaggregated by geography, based upon the location of the customer, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 : Millions of dollars Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Sales and other operating revenues: United States $ 5,011 $ 14,528 Germany 741 2,326 Italy 376 1,203 France 371 1,118 Mexico 627 1,705 The Netherlands 259 835 Other 2,770 8,413 Total $ 10,155 $ 30,128 Transaction Price Allocated to the Remaining Performance Obligations —We have elected to exclude contracts which have an initial term of one year or less from this disclosure. Our contracts with customers are commodity supply arrangements that settle based on market prices at future delivery dates; therefore, transaction prices are entirely variable. Transaction prices are known at the time revenue is recognized since they are generally determined by the commodity price index at a specific date, at month-end or at the month average once products are shipped to our customers. Future estimates of transaction prices for disclosure purposes are substantially constrained as they are highly susceptible to factors outside our influence, including volatility in commodity markets, industry production capacities and operating rates, planned and unplanned industry operating interruptions, foreign exchange rates and worldwide geopolitical trends.

Accounts Receivable

Accounts Receivable	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Receivables [Abstract]
Accounts Receivable [Text Block]	5. Accounts Receivable Our allowance for doubtful accounts receivable, which is reflected in the Consolidated Balance Sheets as a reduction of accounts receivable, totaled $16 million and $17 million at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , respectively.

Inventories

Inventories	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Inventories [Text Block]	6. Inventories Inventories consisted of the following components: Millions of dollars September 30, December 31, Finished goods $ 3,056 $ 2,932 Work-in-process 184 142 Raw materials and supplies 1,356 1,143 Total inventories $ 4,596 $ 4,217

Debt

Debt	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Debt [Text Block]	7. Debt Long-term loans, notes and other long-term debt, net of unamortized discount and debt issuance cost, consisted of the following: Millions of dollars September 30, December 31, Senior Notes due 2019, $1,000 million, 5.0% ($1 million of debt issuance cost) $ 979 $ 961 Senior Notes due 2021, $1,000 million, 6.0% ($6 million of debt issuance cost) 960 981 Senior Notes due 2024, $1,000 million, 5.75% ($7 million of debt issuance cost) 993 992 Senior Notes due 2055, $1,000 million, 4.625% ($16 million of discount; $11 million of debt issuance cost) 973 973 Guaranteed Notes due 2022, €750 million, 1.875% ($2 million of discount; $3 million of debt issuance cost) 864 894 Guaranteed Notes due 2023, $750 million, 4.0% ($5 million of discount; $3 million of debt issuance cost) 742 740 Guaranteed Notes due 2027, $1,000 million, 3.5% ($9 million of discount; $7 million of debt issuance cost) 931 984 Guaranteed Notes due 2027, $300 million, 8.1% 300 300 Guaranteed Notes due 2043, $750 million, 5.25% ($21 million of discount; $7 million of debt issuance cost) 722 722 Guaranteed Notes due 2044, $1,000 million, 4.875% ($11 million of discount; $9 million of debt issuance cost) 980 979 Other 11 25 Total 8,455 8,551 Less current maturities (984 ) (2 ) Long-term debt $ 7,471 $ 8,549 Fair value hedging adjustments associated with the fair value hedge accounting of our fixed-for-floating interest rate swaps for the applicable periods are as follows: Gains (Losses) Cumulative Fair Value Hedging Adjustments Included in Carrying Amount of Debt Inception Year Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, December 31, Millions of dollars 2018 2017 2018 2017 2018 2017 Senior Notes due 2019, 5.0% 2014 $ (7 ) $ (4 ) $ (16 ) $ (46 ) $ 20 $ 36 Senior Notes due 2021, 6.0% 2016 2 2 22 (1 ) 34 12 Guaranteed Notes due 2027, 3.5% 2017 12 — 54 (10 ) 53 (1 ) Guaranteed Notes due 2022, 1.875% 2018 1 — — — — — Total $ 8 $ (2 ) $ 60 $ (57 ) $ 107 $ 47 The cumulative fair value hedging adjustments remaining at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 associated with our Senior Notes due 2019 included $13 million and $31 million , respectively, for hedges that have been discontinued. The $46 million loss in the nine months ended September 30, 2017 included a $44 million charge for the write-off of the cumulative fair value hedging adjustment related to our 5% Senior Notes due 2019 described below. These fair value adjustments are recognized in Interest expense in the Consolidated Statements of Income. Short-term loans, notes, and other short-term debt consisted of the following: Millions of dollars September 30, December 31, $2,500 million Senior Revolving Credit Facility $ — $ — $900 million U.S. Receivables Facility — — Commercial paper 140 — Precious metal financings 70 64 Other 4 4 Total short-term debt $ 214 $ 68 Long-Term Debt Guaranteed Notes due 2027— In March 2017 , LYB International Finance II B.V. (“LYB Finance II”), a direct, 100% owned finance subsidiary of LyondellBasell Industries N.V., as defined in Rule 3-10(b) of Regulation S-X, issued $1,000 million of 3.5% guaranteed notes due 2027 at a discounted price of 98.968% . Senior Notes due 2019 —In March 2017, we redeemed $1,000 million aggregate principal amount of our outstanding 5% senior notes due 2019 , and paid $65 million in make-whole premiums. In conjunction with the redemption of these notes, we recognized non-cash charges of $4 million for the write-off of unamortized debt issuance costs and $44 million for the write-off of the cumulative fair value hedge accounting adjustment related to the redeemed notes. The remaining balance of these notes is due in April 2019 and is reflected in our Consolidated Balance Sheets in Current maturities of long-term debt. Short-Term Debt Senior Revolving Credit Facility —Our $2,500 million revolving credit facility, which expires in June 2022 , may be used for dollar and euro denominated borrowings, has a $500 million sublimit for dollar and euro denominated letters of credit, a $1,000 million uncommitted accordion feature, and supports our commercial paper program. The aggregate balance of outstanding borrowings, including amounts outstanding under our commercial paper program, and letters of credit under this facility may not exceed $2,500 million at any given time. Borrowings under the facility bear interest at a Base Rate or LIBOR, plus an applicable margin. Additional fees are incurred for the average daily unused commitments. The facility contains customary covenants and warranties, including specified restrictions on indebtedness and liens. In addition, we are required to maintain a leverage ratio at the end of every fiscal quarter of 3.50 to 1.00 or less for the period covering the most recent four quarters. We are in compliance with these covenants as of September 30, 2018 . Commercial Paper Program —We have a commercial paper program under which we may issue up to $2,500 million of privately placed, unsecured, short-term promissory notes (“commercial paper”). This program is backed by our $2,500 million senior revolving credit facility. Proceeds from the issuance of commercial paper may be used for general corporate purposes, including dividends and share repurchases. Interest rates on the commercial paper outstanding at September 30, 2018 are based on the terms of the notes and range from 230 to 240 basis points. U.S. Receivables Facility —In July 2018, we amended our U.S. accounts receivable facility to, among other things, extend the term of the facility to July 2021 . The facility has a purchase limit of $900 million in addition to a $300 million uncommitted accordion feature. This facility provides liquidity through the sale or contribution of trade receivables by certain of our U.S. subsidiaries to a wholly owned, bankruptcy-remote subsidiary on an ongoing basis and without recourse. The bankruptcy-remote subsidiary may then, at its option and subject to a borrowing base of eligible receivables, sell undivided interests in the pool of trade receivables to financial institutions participating in the facility. In the event of liquidation, the bankruptcy-remote subsidiary’s assets will be used to satisfy the claims of its creditors prior to any assets or value in the bankruptcy-remote subsidiary becoming available to us. We are responsible for servicing the receivables. This facility also provides for the issuance of letters of credit up to $200 million . The term of the facility may be extended in accordance with the terms of the agreement. The facility is also subject to customary warranties and covenants, including limits and reserves and the maintenance of specified financial ratios. We are required to maintain a leverage ratio at the end of every fiscal quarter of 3.50 to 1.00 or less for the period covering the most recent four quarters. Performance obligations under the facility are guaranteed by the parent company. Additional fees are incurred for the average daily unused commitments. At September 30, 2018 , there were no borrowings or letters of credit under the facility. Weighted Average Interest Rate —At September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , our weighted average interest rate on outstanding short-term debt was 3.0% and 1.8% , respectively. Debt Discount and Issuance Costs —For the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 , amortization of debt discounts and debt issuance costs resulted in amortization expense of $11 million and $ 16 million , respectively, which is included in Interest expense in the Consolidated Statements of Income. Other Information —On December 28, 2016 , LYB International Finance III, LLC was formed as a private company with limited liability in Delaware . LYB International Finance III, LLC is a direct, 100% owned finance subsidiary of LyondellBasell N.V., as defined in Rule 3-10(b) of Regulation S-X. Any debt securities issued by LYB International Finance III, LLC will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by LyondellBasell N.V.

Financial Instruments and Fair

Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Financial Instruments and Fair Value [Abstract]
Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements [Text Block]	8. Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements We are exposed to market risks, such as changes in commodity pricing, currency exchange rates and interest rates. To manage the volatility related to these exposures, we selectively enter into derivative transactions pursuant to our risk management policies. A summary of our financial instruments, risk management policies, derivative instruments, hedging activities and fair value measurement can be found in Notes 2 and 14 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 . If applicable, updates have been included in the respective sections below. At September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , we had marketable securities classified as cash and cash equivalents of $189 million and $1,035 million , respectively. Foreign Currency Gain (Loss) —Other income, net, in the Consolidated Statements of Income reflected foreign currency gains of $6 million and $14 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 , respectively, and foreign currency losses of less than $1 million and $6 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 , respectively. Financial Instruments Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis —The following table summarizes financial instruments outstanding as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis: September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Millions of dollars Notional Amount Fair Value Notional Amount Fair Value Balance Sheet Classification Assets– Derivatives designated as hedges: Commodities $ 49 $ 21 $ — $ — Prepaid expenses and other current assets Commodities 1 — — — Other assets Foreign currency 236 55 — 26 Prepaid expenses and other current assets Foreign currency 2,000 58 2,000 25 Other assets Interest rates 1,000 82 — 20 Prepaid expenses and other current assets Interest rates 647 15 650 1 Other assets Derivatives not designated as hedges: Commodities 151 12 77 20 Prepaid expenses and other current assets Foreign currency 1,164 10 19 — Prepaid expenses and other current assets Non-derivatives: Available-for-sale debt securities 586 586 960 960 Short-term investments Equity securities 350 358 350 347 Short-term investments Total $ 6,184 $ 1,197 $ 4,056 $ 1,399 Liabilities– Derivatives designated as hedges: Commodities $ — $ — $ 97 $ 8 Accrued liabilities Commodities — — 5 — Other liabilities Foreign currency — 34 139 29 Accrued liabilities Foreign currency 950 101 950 140 Other liabilities Interest rates 1,000 10 — 5 Accrued liabilities Interest rates 2,000 86 3,350 58 Other liabilities Derivatives not designated as hedges: Commodities 8 3 108 29 Accrued liabilities Foreign currency 213 1 995 11 Accrued liabilities Non-derivatives: Performance share awards 32 32 23 23 Accrued liabilities Performance share awards 2 2 27 27 Other liabilities Total $ 4,205 $ 269 $ 5,694 $ 330 All derivatives and available-for-sale debt securities in the tables above are classified as Level 2. Our limited partnership investments included in our equity securities discussed below, are measured at fair value using the net asset value (“NAV”) per share (or its equivalent) practical expedient and have not been classified in the fair value hierarchy. At September 30, 2018 , our outstanding foreign currency and commodity contracts not designated as hedges mature from October 2018 to August 2019 and from October 2018 to December 2018 , respectively. Financial Instruments Not Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis —The following table presents the carrying value and estimated fair value of our financial instruments that are not measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 . Short-term loans receivable, which represent our repurchase agreements, and short-term and long-term debt are recorded at amortized cost in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The carrying and fair values of short-term and long-term debt exclude capital leases and commercial paper. September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Millions of dollars Carrying Value Fair Value Carrying Value Fair Value Non-derivatives: Assets: Short-term loans receivable $ 550 $ 550 $ 570 $ 570 Liabilities: Short-term debt $ 70 $ 67 $ 64 $ 75 Long-term debt 8,444 8,772 8,526 9,442 Total $ 8,514 $ 8,839 $ 8,590 $ 9,517 All financial instruments in the table above are classified as Level 2 . There were no transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 for any of our financial instruments during the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and the year ended December 31, 2017 . Net Investment Hedges— In 2018 , we entered into €800 million of foreign currency contracts that were designated as net investment hedges. On June 15, 2018 , €400 million of these foreign currency contracts expired, resulting in €400 million ( $473 million at the expiry spot rate) settlement payment to and $498 million receipt from our counterparties, respectively. On September 10, 2018, €325 million of our foreign currency contracts expired, resulting in €325 million ( $377 million at the expiry spot rate) settlement payment to and $374 million receipt from our counterparties, respectively. In 2017 , we entered into €617 million of foreign currency contracts that were designated as net investment hedges. In 2016 , we issued euro denominated notes payable due 2022 with notional amounts totaling €750 million that were designated as a net investment hedge. In May 2018 , we dedesignated and redesignated a €125 million tranche of our euro denominated notes payable due 2022 as a net investment hedge. At September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , we had outstanding foreign currency contracts with an aggregate notional value of €817 million ( $886 million ) and €742 million ( $789 million ), respectively, designated as net investment hedges. In addition, at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 we had outstanding foreign-currency denominated debt, with notional amount totaling €750 million ( $869 million ) and €750 million ( $899 million ), respectively, designated as a net investment hedge. There was no ineffectiveness recorded during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 related to these hedging relationships. Cash Flow Hedges— The following table summarizes our cash flow hedges outstanding at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 : September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Millions of dollars Notional Value Notional Value Expiration Date Foreign currency $ 2,300 $ 2,300 2021 to 2027 Interest rates 1,500 1,000 2019 to 2021 Commodities 50 102 2018 to 2019 There was less than $1 million of ineffectiveness recorded during the three months ended September 30, 2017 and $1 million of ineffectiveness recorded during the nine months ended September 30, 2017 related to these hedging relationships. In June 2018 and July 2018 , we entered into forward-starting interest rate swaps with a total notional amount of $300 million and $200 million , respectively, to mitigate the risk of variability in interest rates for an expected debt issuance by November 2021. These swaps were designated as cash flow hedges and will be terminated upon debt issuance. As of September 30, 2018 , $1 million is scheduled to be reclassified as a decrease to interest expense and $21 million is scheduled to be reclassified as a decrease to cost of sales over the next twelve months. Fair Value Hedges— In May 2018 , we entered into a euro fixed-for-floating interest rate swap to mitigate the change in the fair value of €125 million ( $147 million ) of our €750 million notes payable due 2022 associated with the risk of variability in the 6-month EURIBOR rate (the benchmark interest rate). The fixed-rate and variable-rate are settled annually and semi-annually, respectively. In February 2017, we entered into U.S. dollar fixed-for-floating interest rate swaps to mitigate changes in the fair value of our $1,000 million 3.5% guaranteed notes due 2027 associated with the risk of variability in the 3 Month USD LIBOR rate (the benchmark interest rate). The fixed-rate and variable-rate are settled semi-annually and quarterly, respectively. In March 2017, concurrent with the redemption of $1,000 million of our outstanding 5% senior notes due 2019, we dedesignated the related $2,000 million fair value hedge and terminated swaps in the notional amount of $1,000 million. At the same time, we redesignated the remaining $1,000 million notional amount of swaps as a fair value hedge of the remaining $1,000 million of 5% senior notes outstanding. We had outstanding interest rate contracts with aggregate notional amounts of $3,147 million and $3,000 million at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , respectively, designated as fair value hedges. Our interest rate contracts outstanding at September 30, 2018 mature from 2019 to 2027 . There was $4 million and $11 million of ineffectiveness recorded for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 , respectively, related to these hedging relationships. Impact on Earnings and Other Comprehensive Income —The following table summarizes the pre-tax effect of derivative instruments and non-derivative instruments on Other comprehensive income and earnings for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 : Effect of Financial Instruments Three Months Ended September 30, Gain (Loss) Recognized in AOCI Gain (Loss) Reclassified from AOCI to Income Gain (Loss) Recognized in Income Income Statement Millions of dollars 2018 2017 2018 2017 2018 2017 Classification Derivatives designated as net investment hedges: Foreign currency $ 4 $ (57 ) $ — $ — $ 8 $ — Interest expense Derivatives designated as cash flow hedges: Commodities 30 3 (11 ) — — — Cost of sales Foreign currency 11 (98 ) (13 ) 74 11 9 Other income, net; Interest expense Interest rates 48 (5 ) — — — — Interest expense Derivatives designated as fair value hedges: Interest rates — — — — (12 ) 3 Interest expense Derivatives not designated as hedges: Commodities — — — — 2 (6 ) Sales and other operating revenues Commodities — — — — 7 6 Cost of sales Foreign currency — — — — 12 (6 ) Other income, net Non-derivatives designated as net investment hedges: Long-term debt 5 (30 ) — — — — Other income, net Total $ 98 $ (187 ) $ (24 ) $ 74 $ 28 $ 6 Effect of Financial Instruments Nine Months Ended September 30, Gain (Loss) Recognized in AOCI Gain (Loss) Reclassified from AOCI to Income Gain (Loss) Recognized in Income Income Statement Millions of dollars 2018 2017 2018 2017 2018 2017 Classification Derivatives designated as net investment hedges: Foreign currency $ 65 $ (170 ) $ — $ — $ 21 $ — Interest expense Derivatives designated as cash flow hedges: Commodities 36 (4 ) (7 ) — — — Cost of sales Foreign currency 37 (233 ) (75 ) 232 29 32 Other income, net; Interest expense Interest rates 115 (23 ) — — — (1 ) Interest expense Derivatives designated as fair value hedges: Interest rates — — — — (74 ) 21 Interest expense Derivatives not designated as hedges: Commodities — — — — 1 (9 ) Sales and other operating revenues Commodities — — — — 16 (31 ) Cost of sales Foreign currency — — — — 28 (7 ) Other income, net Non-derivatives designated as net investment hedges: Long-term debt 31 (95 ) — — — — Other income, net Total $ 284 $ (525 ) $ (82 ) $ 232 $ 21 $ 5 The derivative amounts excluded from effectiveness testing for foreign currency contracts designated as net investment hedges recognized in other comprehensive income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 were losses of $1 million and gains of $14 million , respectively. The derivative amounts excluded from effectiveness testing for foreign currency contracts designated as net investment hedges recognized in interest expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 were gains of $8 million and $21 million , respectively. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 , losses of $13 million and $75 million , respectively, for our foreign currency contracts designated as cash flow hedges were reclassified from AOCI to Other income, net. The pre-tax effect of the periodic receipt of fixed interest and payment of variable interest associated with our fixed-for-floating interest rate swaps resulted in interest expense losses of $3 million and $1 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 , respectively; and, resulted in interest expense gains of $5 million and $18 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively. These gains and losses are not included in the tables above. Investments in Available-for-Sale Debt Securities —The following table summarizes the amortized cost, gross unrealized gains and losses, and fair value of our available-for-sale debt securities that are outstanding as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 : September 30, 2018 Millions of dollars Cost Gross Unrealized Gains Gross Unrealized Losses Fair Value Available-for-sale debt securities: Bonds $ 586 $ 1 $ (1 ) $ 586 Total available-for-sale debt securities $ 586 $ 1 $ (1 ) $ 586 December 31, 2017 Millions of dollars Cost Gross Unrealized Gains Gross Unrealized Losses Fair Value Available-for-sale securities: Commercial paper $ 180 $ — $ — $ 180 Bonds 630 — — 630 Certificates of deposit 150 — — 150 Limited partnership investments 350 2 (5 ) 347 Total available-for-sale securities $ 1,310 $ 2 $ (5 ) $ 1,307 No losses related to other-than-temporary impairments of our available-for-sale debt securities have been recorded in Accumulated other comprehensive loss during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and the year ended December 31, 2017 . As of September 30, 2018 , bonds classified as available-for-sale debt securities had maturities between two and twenty-five months . The proceeds from maturities and sales of our available-for-sale debt securities during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 are summarized in the following table: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Millions of dollars 2018 2017 2018 2017 Proceeds from maturities of securities $ — $ 12 $ 410 $ 499 Proceeds from sales of securities — — — — No gain or loss was realized in connection with the sales of our available-for-sale debt securities during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 . During the nine months ended September 30, 2017 , we had maturities of our held-to-maturity securities of $75 million . The following table summarizes the fair value and unrealized losses related to available-for-sale debt securities that were in a continuous unrealized loss position for less than and greater than twelve months as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 : September 30, 2018 Less than 12 months Greater than 12 months Millions of dollars Fair Value Unrealized Loss Fair Value Unrealized Loss Available-for-sale debt securities: Bonds $ 155 $ (1 ) $ — $ — December 31, 2017 Less than 12 months Greater than 12 months Millions of dollars Fair Value Unrealized Loss Fair Value Unrealized Loss Available-for-sale securities: Limited partnership investments $ 117 $ (5 ) $ — $ — Investments in Equity Securities —Our equity securities primarily consist of our limited partnership investments, which include investments in, among other things, equities and equity related securities, debt securities, credit instruments, global interest rate products, currencies, commodities, futures, options, warrants and swaps. These investments may be redeemed at least monthly with advance notice ranging up to ninety days. These investments had a notional amount of $350 million and a fair value of $358 million at September 30, 2018 . The following table summarizes the portion of unrealized gains and losses for the equity securities that are outstanding as of September 30, 2018 : Millions of dollars Net gains recognized during the period $ 1 Less: Net gains recognized during the period on securities sold 2 Unrealized losses recognized during the period $ (1 )

Pension and Other Postretiremen

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]
Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits [Text Block]	9. Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Net periodic pension benefits included the following cost components for the periods presented: U.S. Plans Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Millions of dollars 2018 2017 2018 2017 Service cost $ 13 $ 11 $ 38 $ 35 Interest cost 15 15 45 45 Expected return on plan assets (30 ) (30 ) (91 ) (91 ) Actuarial and investment loss amortization 5 5 16 16 Net periodic benefit costs $ 3 $ 1 $ 8 $ 5 Non-U.S. Plans Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Millions of dollars 2018 2017 2018 2017 Service cost $ 8 $ 9 $ 25 $ 28 Interest cost 8 5 24 16 Expected return on plan assets (6 ) (4 ) (18 ) (13 ) Settlement loss — — 1 — Actuarial and investment loss amortization 3 4 8 11 Net periodic benefit costs $ 13 $ 14 $ 40 $ 42 Net periodic other postretirement benefits included the following cost components for the periods presented: U.S. Plans Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Millions of dollars 2018 2017 2018 2017 Service cost $ 1 $ — $ 2 $ 2 Interest cost 2 3 7 7 Net periodic benefit costs $ 3 $ 3 $ 9 $ 9 Non-U.S. Plans Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Millions of dollars 2018 2017 2018 2017 Service cost $ — $ 1 $ 1 $ 2 Interest cost — — 1 1 Actuarial loss amortization 1 1 1 2 Net periodic benefit costs $ 1 $ 2 $ 3 $ 5 The components of net periodic benefit cost other than the service cost component are included in Other income, net in the Consolidated Statements of Income.

Income Taxes

Income Taxes	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes [Text Block]	10. Income Taxes Our effective income tax rate for the three months ended September 30, 2018 was 17.2% compared with 26.4% for the three months ended September 30, 2017 . For the nine months ended September 30, 2018 , the effective income tax rate was 11.4% compared with 27.8% for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 . Our effective income tax rate fluctuates based on, among other factors, changes in statutory tax rates, changes in pretax income in countries with varying statutory tax rates, changes in valuation allowances, changes in foreign exchange gains/losses, the amount of exempt income and changes in unrecognized tax benefits associated with uncertain tax positions. Compared with the three months ended September 30, 2017 , the lower effective tax rate for the three months ended September 30, 2018 was primarily attributable to the impact of the reduction to the U.S. federal statutory tax rate as a result of the Tax Act, changes in pretax income in countries with varying statutory tax rates, increases in exempt income, and changes in foreign exchange gains/losses. Compared with the nine months ended September 30, 2017, the lower effective tax rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 was primarily attributable to changes in unrecognized tax benefits associated with uncertain tax positions, the impact of the reduction to the U.S. federal statutory tax rate as a result of the Tax Act and increases in exempt income, partially offset by the repeal of the U.S. domestic production activity deduction. We operate in multiple jurisdictions throughout the world, and our tax returns are periodically audited or subjected to review by tax authorities. We are currently under examination in a number of tax jurisdictions. As a result, there is an uncertainty in income taxes recognized in our financial statements. Positions challenged by the tax authorities may be settled or appealed by us. During the nine months ended September 30, 2018 , we entered into an audit settlement impacting specific uncertain tax positions. This audit settlement resulted in a $346 million non-cash benefit to our effective tax rate consisting of the recognition of $288 million of previously unrecognized tax benefits as a reduction for tax positions of prior years and the release of $58 million of previously accrued interest. This non-cash reduction in unrecognized tax benefits is reflected on our Consolidated Balance Sheet in Other liabilities and on our Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows in Other operating activities. Tax benefits totaling $262 million and $544 million were unrecognized as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. It is reasonably possible that, within the next twelve months, due to the settlement of uncertain tax positions with various tax authorities and the expiration of statutes of limitations, unrecognized tax benefits could decrease by up to approximately $180 million . We recognize interest associated with unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense. Income tax expense includes a benefit of interest totaling $46 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2018, and interest expense totaling $16 million in the year ended December 31, 2017. We accrued approximately $17 million and $63 million for interest and penalties as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. We monitor income tax developments in countries where we conduct business. On December 22, 2017, the Tax Act was enacted with some provisions effective as early as 2017 while others were delayed until 2018. This change in U.S. tax law included a reduction in the federal corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% for years beginning after 2017, which resulted in the remeasurement of our U.S. net deferred income tax liabilities. Our 2017 income tax provision included a provisional estimate of $819 million income tax benefit related to the remeasurement of our U.S. net deferred income tax liabilities. The impact of the Tax Act may differ from this reasonable estimate due to additional guidance that may be issued, changes in assumptions made, and the finalization of certain U.S. income tax positions with the filing of our 2017 U.S. income tax return which will allow for the ability to conclude whether any further adjustments are necessary to our deferred tax assets and liabilities. Any adjustments to these provisional amounts will be reported as a component of income tax expense in the reporting period in which any such adjustments are identified which will be no later than the fourth quarter of 2018.

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies [Text Block]	11. Commitments and Contingencies Financial Assurance Instruments —We have obtained letters of credit, performance and surety bonds and have issued financial and performance guarantees to support trade payables, potential liabilities and other obligations. Considering the frequency of claims made against the financial instruments we use to support our obligations, and the magnitude of those financial instruments in light of our current financial position, management does not expect that any claims against or draws on these instruments would have a material adverse effect on our Consolidated Financial Statements. We have not experienced any unmanageable difficulty in obtaining the required financial assurance instruments for our current operations. Environmental Remediation —Our accrued liability for future environmental remediation costs at current and former plant sites and other remediation sites totaled $92 million and $102 million as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , respectively. At September 30, 2018 , the accrued liabilities for individual sites range from less than $1 million to $17 million . The remediation expenditures are expected to occur over a number of years, and not to be concentrated in any single year. In our opinion, it is reasonably possible that losses in excess of the liabilities recorded may have been incurred. However, we cannot estimate any amount or range of such possible additional losses. New information about sites, new technology or future developments such as involvement in investigations by regulatory agencies, could require us to reassess our potential exposure related to environmental matters. The following table summarizes the activity in our accrued environmental liability included in “Accrued liabilities” and “Other liabilities:” Nine Months Ended Millions of dollars 2018 2017 Beginning balance $ 102 $ 95 Changes in estimates 1 3 Amounts paid (9 ) (7 ) Foreign exchange effects (2 ) 8 Ending balance $ 92 $ 99 Access Indemnity Demand —In December 2010, one of our subsidiaries received demand letters from affiliates of Access Industries (collectively, “Access Entities”), a more than five percent shareholder of the Company , demanding indemnity for losses, including attorney’s fees and expenses, arising out of a 2007 management agreement and a pending lawsuit styled Edward S. Weisfelner, as Litigation Trustee of the LB Litigation Trust v. Leonard Blavatnik, et al., Adversary Proceeding No. 09-1375 (REG), in the United States Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New York . In the Weisfelner lawsuit, the plaintiffs sought recovery from Access all amounts earned by the Access Entities related to their purchase of shares of Lyondell Chemical Company (“Lyondell Chemical”) prior to its acquisition by Basell AF S.C.A.; distributions by Basell AF S.C.A. to its shareholders before it acquired Lyondell Chemical; and management and transaction fees and expenses. The Access Entities also demanded $100 million in management fees under the management agreement between an Access affiliate and the predecessor of LyondellBasell AF, as well as other unspecified amounts relating to advice purportedly given in connection with financing and other strategic transactions. In June 2009, an Access affiliate filed a proof of claim in Bankruptcy Court against LyondellBasell AF seeking “no less than $723,963.65 ” for the amounts allegedly owed under the 2007 management agreement. We did not believe that the 2007 management agreement was in effect or that the Company or any Company-affiliated entity owed any obligation under the management agreement, including for management fees or for indemnification. We defended our position in proceedings and against any claims or demands that were asserted. In April 2011, Lyondell Chemical filed an objection to the claim and brought a declaratory judgment action for a determination that the demands were not valid and the declaratory judgment action was stayed per the parties’ agreement pending the outcome of the Weisfelner lawsuit. The Weisfelner lawsuit went to trial in October 2016. In April 2017, the trial court awarded $12.6 million to the plaintiffs and denied all other relief, and in May 2017 the court issued its Final Judgment reflecting this ruling. The plaintiffs filed an appeal to the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York, which largely affirmed the Final Judgment on January 24, 2018. In April 2018, the Company and the Access Entities agreed to settle all claims, including under the 2009 Proof of Claim and 2007 Management Agreement, described in the April 2011 declaratory judgment action and the Access Entities’ December 2010 demand letters. No payments were required by either side under the settlement agreement; the declaratory judgment action was dismissed and the Proof of Claim was withdrawn. Indemnification —We are parties to various indemnification arrangements, including arrangements entered into in connection with acquisitions, divestitures and the formation and dissolution of joint ventures. Pursuant to these arrangements, we provide indemnification to and/or receive indemnification from other parties in connection with liabilities that may arise in connection with the transactions and in connection with activities prior to completion of the transactions. These indemnification arrangements typically include provisions pertaining to third party claims relating to environmental and tax matters and various types of litigation. As of September 30, 2018 , we had not accrued any significant amounts for our indemnification obligations, and we are not aware of other circumstances that would likely lead to significant future indemnification obligations. We cannot determine with certainty the potential amount of future payments under the indemnification arrangements until events arise that would trigger a liability under the arrangements. As part of our technology licensing contracts, we give indemnifications to our licensees for liabilities arising from possible patent infringement claims with respect to certain proprietary licensed technologies. Such indemnifications have a stated maximum amount and generally cover a period of five to ten years.

Stockholders' Equity

Stockholders' Equity	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]
Stockholders' Equity [Text Block]	12. Stockholders’ Equity Dividend Distributions —The following table summarizes the dividends paid in the periods presented: Millions of dollars, except per share amounts Dividend Per Ordinary Share Aggregate Dividends Paid Date of Record March $ 1.00 $ 395 March 5, 2018 June 1.00 392 June 11, 2018 September 1.00 389 September 5, 2018 $ 3.00 $ 1,176 Share Repurchase Programs —In June 2018 , our shareholders approved a proposal to authorize us to repurchase up to 57,844,016 of our ordinary shares through December 1, 2019 (“ June 2018 Share Repurchase Program ”), which superseded the remaining authorization under our May 2017 Share Repurchase Program. The timing and amount of these repurchases, which are determined based on our evaluation of market conditions and other factors, may be executed from time to time through open market or privately negotiated transactions. The repurchased shares, which are recorded at cost, are classified as Treasury stock and may be retired or used for general corporate purposes, including for various employee benefit and compensation plans. The following table summarizes our share repurchase activity for the periods presented: Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 Millions of dollars, except shares and per share amounts Shares Repurchased Average Purchase Price Total Purchase Price, Including Commissions May 2017 Share Repurchase Program 4,004,753 $ 106.05 $ 425 June 2018 Share Repurchase Program 3,674,062 107.89 396 7,678,815 $ 106.93 $ 821 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 Millions of dollars, except shares and per share amounts Shares Repurchased Average Purchase Price Total Purchase Price, Including Commissions May 2016 Share Repurchase Program 3,501,084 $ 85.71 $ 300 May 2017 Share Repurchase Program 6,516,917 83.54 545 10,018,001 $ 84.30 $ 845 Due to the timing of settlements, total cash paid for share repurchases for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 was $801 million and $866 million , respectively. Ordinary Shares —The changes in the outstanding amounts of ordinary shares are as follows: Nine Months Ended 2018 2017 Ordinary shares outstanding: Beginning balance 394,512,054 404,046,331 Share-based compensation 285,186 343,663 Warrants exercised — 4,184 Employee stock purchase plan 82,758 81,964 Purchase of ordinary shares (7,702,222 ) (10,018,001 ) Ending balance 387,177,776 394,458,141 Treasury Shares— The changes in the amounts of treasury shares held by the Company are as follows: Nine Months Ended 2018 2017 Ordinary shares held as treasury shares: Beginning balance 183,928,109 174,389,139 Share-based compensation (285,186 ) (343,663 ) Warrants exercised — 509 Employee stock purchase plan (82,758 ) (81,964 ) Purchase of ordinary shares 7,702,222 10,018,001 Treasury shares canceled (178,229,883 ) — Ending balance 13,032,504 183,982,022 During the three months ended September 30, 2018, following approval by our management and shareholders, we canceled 178,229,883 ordinary shares held in our treasury account in accordance with cancellation requirements under Dutch law. Purchase of ordinary shares during the three months ended September 30, 2018 includes 23,407 shares that were returned to us at no cost resulting from unclaimed distributions to creditors. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) —The components of, and after-tax changes in, Accumulated other comprehensive loss as of and for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 are presented in the following table: Millions of dollars Financial Derivatives Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Available -for-Sale Debt Securities Unrealized Defined Benefit Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments Total Balance – January 1, 2018 $ (120 ) $ — $ 17 $ (421 ) $ (761 ) $ (1,285 ) Adoption of accounting standards (2 ) — (17 ) (51 ) — (70 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications 186 — — — (48 ) 138 Tax expense before reclassifications (36 ) — — — (15 ) (51 ) Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (81 ) — — 26 — (55 ) Tax (expense) benefit 20 — — (6 ) — 14 Net other comprehensive income (loss) 89 — — 20 (63 ) 46 Balance – September 30, 2018 $ (33 ) $ — $ — $ (452 ) $ (824 ) $ (1,309 ) Millions of dollars Financial Derivatives Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Available -for-Sale Debt Securities Unrealized Defined Benefit Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments Total Balance – January 1, 2017 $ (75 ) $ 1 $ — $ (498 ) $ (939 ) $ (1,511 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications (260 ) (1 ) 8 — 112 (141 ) Tax benefit before reclassifications 73 — 2 — 31 106 Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) 232 — — 29 — 261 Tax expense (65 ) — — (9 ) — (74 ) Net other comprehensive income (loss) (20 ) (1 ) 10 20 143 152 Balance – September 30, 2017 $ (95 ) $ — $ 10 $ (478 ) $ (796 ) $ (1,359 ) The amounts reclassified out of each component of Accumulated other comprehensive loss are as follows: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Affected Line Item on the Consolidated Statements of Income Millions of dollars 2018 2017 2018 2017 Reclassification adjustments for: Financial derivatives – Foreign currency $ (13 ) $ 74 $ (75 ) $ 232 Other income, net Financial derivatives – Commodities (10 ) — (6 ) — Cost of sales Income tax expense (benefit) (5 ) 18 (20 ) 65 Provision for income taxes Financial derivatives, net of tax (18 ) 56 (61 ) 167 Amortization of defined pension items: Actuarial loss 9 10 25 29 Settlement loss — — 1 — Income tax expense 3 3 6 9 Defined pension items, net of tax 6 7 20 20 Total reclassifications, before tax (14 ) 84 (55 ) 261 Income tax expense (benefit) (2 ) 21 (14 ) 74 Provision for income taxes Total reclassifications, after tax $ (12 ) $ 63 $ (41 ) $ 187 Amount included in net income Amortization of prior service cost and actuarial loss is included in the computation of net periodic pension and other postretirement benefit costs (see Note 9 ).

Per Share Data

Per Share Data	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Per Share Data [Text Block]	13. Per Share Data Basic earnings per share are based upon the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the periods. Diluted earnings per share includes the effect of certain stock option awards and other equity-based compensation awards. We have unvested restricted stock units that are considered participating securities for earnings per share. Earnings per share data and dividends declared per share of common stock are as follows: Three Months Ended September 30, 2018 2017 Millions of dollars Continuing Operations Discontinued Operations Continuing Operations Discontinued Operations Net income (loss) $ 1,115 $ (2 ) $ 1,058 $ (2 ) Less: net loss attributable to non-controlling interests — — 1 — Net income (loss) attributable to the Company shareholders 1,115 (2 ) 1,059 (2 ) Net income attributable to participating securities (2 ) — (1 ) — Net income (loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders – basic and diluted $ 1,113 $ (2 ) $ 1,058 $ (2 ) Millions of shares, except per share amounts Basic weighted average common stock outstanding 389 389 395 395 Effect of dilutive securities: PSU awards 1 1 — — Potential dilutive shares 390 390 395 395 Earnings (loss) per share: Basic $ 2.86 $ — $ 2.67 $ — Diluted $ 2.85 $ — $ 2.67 $ — Millions of shares, except per share amounts Participating securities 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.4 Dividends declared per share of common stock $ 1.00 $ — $ 0.90 $ — Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 2017 Millions of dollars Continuing Operations Discontinued Operations Continuing Operations Discontinued Operations Net income (loss) $ 4,001 $ (3 ) $ 2,997 $ (14 ) Less: net loss attributable to non-controlling interests — — 2 — Net income (loss) attributable to the Company shareholders 4,001 (3 ) 2,999 (14 ) Net income attributable to participating securities (4 ) — (3 ) — Net income (loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders – basic and diluted $ 3,997 $ (3 ) $ 2,996 $ (14 ) Millions of shares, except per share amounts Basic weighted average common stock outstanding 391 391 400 400 Effect of dilutive securities: PSU awards 1 1 — — Potential dilutive shares 392 392 400 400 Earnings (loss) per share: Basic $ 10.21 $ (0.01 ) $ 7.49 $ (0.03 ) Diluted $ 10.19 $ (0.01 ) $ 7.49 $ (0.03 ) Millions of shares, except per share amounts Participating securities 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.4 Dividends declared per share of common stock $ 3.00 $ — $ 2.65 $ —

Segment and Related Information

Segment and Related Information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Segment and Related Information [Text Block]	14. Segment and Related Information In conjunction with our acquisition of A. Schulman, we formed the Advanced Polymer Solutions business management function for the product lines acquired in the acquisition. In addition, the responsibility for business decisions relating to polypropylene compounding, Catalloy and polybutene-1, previously reflected in our O&P–EAI and O&P–Americas segments, were moved to our new Advanced Polymer Solutions business management function. These products are now reflected in our new Advanced Polymer Solutions segment. All comparable periods presented have been revised to reflect this change. We disclose the results of each of our operating segments in accordance with ASC 280, Segment Reporting . Each of our six operating segments is managed by a senior executive reporting directly to our Chief Executive Officer, the chief operating decision maker. Discrete financial information is available for each of the segments, and our Chief Executive Officer uses the operating results of each of the operating segments for performance evaluation and resource allocation. The activities of each of our segments from which they earn revenues and incur expenses are described below: • Olefins and Polyolefins–Americas (“O&P–Americas”). Our O&P–Americas segment produces and markets olefins and co-products, polyethylene and polypropylene. • Olefins and Polyolefins–Europe, Asia, International (“O&P–EAI”). Our O&P–EAI segment produces and markets olefins and co-products, polyethylene, and polypropylene. • Intermediates and Derivatives (“I&D”). Our I&D segment produces and markets propylene oxide and its co-products and derivatives, oxyfuels and related products and intermediate chemicals such as styrene monomer, acetyls, ethylene oxide and ethylene glycol. • Advanced Polymer Solutions (“APS”) . Our APS segment produces and markets compounding and solutions, such as polypropylene compounds, engineered plastics, masterbatches, engineered composites, colors and powders, and advanced polymers, which includes Catalloy and polybutene-1. • Refining . Our Refining segment refines heavy, high-sulfur crude oils and other crude oils of varied types and sources available on the U.S. Gulf Coast into refined products, including gasoline and distillates. • Technology . Our Technology segment develops and licenses chemical and polyolefin process technologies and manufactures and sells polyolefin catalysts. Our chief operating decision maker uses EBITDA as the primary measure for reviewing our segments’ profitability and therefore, in accordance with ASC 280, Segment Reporting , we have presented EBITDA for all segments. We define EBITDA as earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation and amortization. “Other” includes intersegment eliminations and items that are not directly related or allocated to business operations, such as foreign exchange gains (losses) and components of pension and other postretirement benefit costs other than service cost. Sales between segments are made primarily at prices approximating prevailing market prices. Summarized financial information concerning reportable segments is shown in the following table for the periods presented: Three Months Ended September 30, 2018 Millions of dollars O&P– O&P– I&D APS Refining Technology Other Total Sales and other operating revenues: Customers $ 1,843 $ 2,434 $ 2,463 $ 1,038 $ 2,236 $ 141 $ — $ 10,155 Intersegment 927 209 46 1 263 30 (1,476 ) — 2,770 2,643 2,509 1,039 2,499 171 (1,476 ) 10,155 Income from equity investments 18 69 2 — — — — 89 EBITDA 704 262 504 70 84 98 10 1,732 Three Months Ended September 30, 2017 Millions of dollars O&P– O&P– I&D APS Refining Technology Other Total Sales and other operating revenues: Customers $ 1,731 $ 2,451 $ 2,043 $ 731 $ 1,491 $ 69 $ — $ 8,516 Intersegment 616 189 34 — 179 29 (1,047 ) — 2,347 2,640 2,077 731 1,670 98 (1,047 ) 8,516 Income from equity investments 8 69 4 — — — — 81 EBITDA 591 599 402 124 58 47 — 1,821 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 Millions of dollars O&P– Americas O&P– EAI I&D APS Refining Technology Other Total Sales and other operating revenues: Customers $ 5,324 $ 7,866 $ 7,314 $ 2,709 $ 6,536 $ 379 $ — $ 30,128 Intersegment 2,634 637 122 1 789 89 (4,272 ) — 7,958 8,503 7,436 2,710 7,325 468 (4,272 ) 30,128 Income from equity investments 50 199 4 — — — — 253 EBITDA 2,131 1,036 1,632 314 251 267 24 5,655 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 Millions of dollars O&P– Americas O&P– EAI I&D APS Refining Technology Other Total Sales and other operating revenues: Customers $ 5,383 $ 7,083 $ 6,142 $ 2,194 $ 4,306 $ 241 $ — $ 25,349 Intersegment 1,917 553 99 — 430 84 (3,083 ) — 7,300 7,636 6,241 2,194 4,736 325 (3,083 ) 25,349 Income from equity investments 33 202 5 — — — — 240 EBITDA 2,130 1,638 1,080 356 53 155 (4 ) 5,408 Our O&P–Americas results for the first nine months of 2017 included a $31 million gain on the first quarter sale of a portion of our Lake Charles, Louisiana site. EBITDA for our O&P–EAI segment in the first nine months of 2017 included a $108 million gain on the third quarter 2017 sale of our 27% interest in Geosel and the beneficial impact of a $21 million non-cash gain stemming from the elimination of an obligation associated with a lease. Our APS segment results for the third quarter and first nine months of 2018 included $49 million of transaction and integration costs associated with our acquisition of A. Schulman in August 2018. Our I&D segment results for the first nine months of 2017 included charges approximating $40 million primarily related to the settlement of precious metal financings. A reconciliation of EBITDA to Income from continuing operations before income taxes is shown in the following table for each of the periods presented: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Millions of dollars 2018 2017 2018 2017 EBITDA: Total segment EBITDA $ 1,722 $ 1,821 $ 5,631 $ 5,412 Other EBITDA 10 — 24 (4 ) Less: Depreciation and amortization expense (309 ) (294 ) (908 ) (876 ) Interest expense (90 ) (94 ) (272 ) (396 ) Add: Interest income 14 5 40 15 Income from continuing operations before income taxes $ 1,347 $ 1,438 $ 4,515 $ 4,151

Revenue (Policies)

Revenue (Policies)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Revenue from contract with customer [Policy Text Block]	Revenue Recognition— Substantially all our revenues are derived from contracts with customers. We account for contracts when both parties have approved the contract and are committed to perform, the rights of the parties and payment terms have been identified, the contract has commercial substance, and collectability is probable. Payments are typically required within a short period following the transfer of control of the product to the customer. We occasionally require customers to prepay purchases to ensure collectability. Such prepayments do not represent financing arrangements, since payment and fulfillment of the performance obligation occurs within a short time frame. We elected to apply the practical expedient not to adjust the promised amount of consideration for the effects of a significant financing component when, at contract inception, we expect that payment will occur in one year or less. Revenue is recognized when obligations under the terms of a contract with our customer are satisfied. This generally occurs at the point in time when performance obligations are fulfilled and control transfers to the customer. In most instances, control transfers upon transfer of risk of loss and title to the customer, which usually occurs when we ship products to the customer from our manufacturing facility. Revenue is measured as the amount of consideration we expect to receive in exchange for transferring goods. Customer incentives are generally based on volumes purchased and recognized over the period earned. Sales, value added, and other taxes that we collect concurrent with revenue-producing activities are excluded from the transaction price as they represent amounts collected on behalf of third parties. Incidental costs incurred to obtain a contract are immaterial in the context of the contract and are recognized as expense. We have elected the practical expedient to recognize the incremental costs of obtaining a contract as an expense when incurred if the amortization period of the asset that we otherwise would have recognized is one year or less. Shipping and handling costs are treated as a fulfillment cost and not a separate performance obligation.

Accounting and Reporting Chan_2

Accounting and Reporting Changes (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Accounting Changes and Error Corrections [Abstract]
Schedule of accounting and reporting changes [Table Text Block]	Standard Description Period of Adoption Effect on the Consolidated Financial Statements Recently Adopted Guidance Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) (including subsequent amendments: ASU 2015-14, ASU 2016-08, ASU 2016-10, ASU 2016-12 and ASU 2016-20) This guidance requires entities to recognize revenue upon the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration expected to be received in exchange for those goods and services. This guidance also enhanced related disclosures and was effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. First quarter of 2018 See Note 4 for disclosures related to the adoption of this guidance. ASU 2016-01, Financial Instruments-Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities This guidance includes a requirement for equity investments (except those accounted for under the equity method of accounting or those that result in consolidation of the investee) to be measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income. This guidance was effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. First quarter of 2018 We adopted this guidance prospectively and recorded a cumulative effect adjustment of $15 million to beginning retained earnings. ASU 2018-03 , Technical Corrections and Improvements to Financial Instruments – Overall (Subtopic 825-10) This ASU was issued as part of the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s ongoing agenda to make improvements clarifying the Accounting Standards Codification and provides technical corrections and improvements related to ASU 2016-01. This ASU was effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. First quarter of 2018 The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact. Standard Description Period of Adoption Effect on the Consolidated Financial Statements ASU 2016-16, Accounting for Income Taxes: Intra-Entity Asset Transfers of Assets Other than Inventory This ASU is aimed at reducing complexity in accounting standards. Under current GAAP, the tax effects of intra-entity asset transfers (intercompany sales) are deferred until the transferred asset is sold to a third party or otherwise recovered through use. This new guidance eliminates the exception for all intra-entity sales of assets other than inventory. A reporting entity would be required to recognize tax expense from the sale of assets in the seller’s tax jurisdiction when the transfer occurs, even though the pre-tax effects of that transaction are eliminated in consolidation. Any deferred tax asset that arises in the buyer’s jurisdiction would also be recognized at the time of the transfer. This guidance was effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted. First quarter of 2018 (early adopted) We adopted this guidance using the modified-retrospective method and recorded a cumulative-effect adjustment of $9 million to beginning retained earnings. ASU 2018-02, Income Statement—Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income This guidance permits entities to reclassify tax effects stranded in accumulated other comprehensive income as a result of the U.S.-enacted “H.R.1,” also known as the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” (the “Tax Act”) to retained earnings. This amendment will be effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. First quarter of 2018 (early adopted) We adopted this guidance using the specific identification method and recorded a cumulative-effect adjustment of $52 million to beginning retained earnings. ASU 2017-01, Clarifying the Definition of a Business This ASU clarifies the definition of a business with the objective of adding guidance to assist entities with evaluating whether a transaction should be accounted for as an acquisition or disposal of an asset or a business. This amendment was effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. First quarter of 2018 The prospective adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact. ASU 2017-05, Clarifying the Scope of Asset Derecognition Guidance and Accounting for Partial Sales of Nonfinancial Assets This guidance provides clarification about the term in substance nonfinancial asset , other aspects of the scope of Subtopic 610-20 Other Income , and how an entity should account for partial sales of nonfinancial assets once the amendments in ASU 2014-09 become effective. This amendment was effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. First quarter of 2018 The retrospective adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact. ASU 2017-07, Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost This guidance requires changes in the presentation of current service cost and other components of net benefit cost. This amendment was effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. First quarter of 2018 The retrospective adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact. Standard Description Period of Adoption Effect on the Consolidated Financial Statements ASU 2017-12, Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities This guidance makes more financial and nonfinancial hedging strategies eligible for hedge accounting, amends the presentation and disclosure requirements and changes how companies assess effectiveness. This amendment will be effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Early application is permitted. First quarter of 2018 (early adopted) The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact. Accounting Guidance Issued But Not Adopted as of September 30, 2018 ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (including subsequent amendments: ASU 2018-01, Land Easement Practical Expedient for Transition to Topic 842, ASU 2018-10, Codification Improvements to Topic 842 , and ASU 2018-11, Leases, Targeted Improvements ) This guidance, as amended, requires lessee leases with a term longer than 12 months to be recognized as a lease liability and a right-of-use asset representing the right to use the underlying asset for the lease term. Topic 842 retains a classification distinction between finance leases and operating leases, with the classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the income statement. Enhanced disclosures are also required. This amendment will be effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. January 1, 2019 We have made significant progress assessing the impact of this guidance through review of existing lease contracts and other purchase obligations that contain embedded lease features. We are finalizing the implementation of a lease accounting software solution. We are also approaching the end of our efforts to update our systems and processes, including our internal control framework. ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments This guidance, as amended, modifies the current incurred loss model of recognizing credit losses and requires a current expected credit loss model which requires utilizing historical, current and forecasted information to develop a current estimate of credit losses for financial assets recorded either at amortized costs or fair value through Other Comprehensive Income. The guidance will be effective for public entities for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. January 1, 2020 We are currently assessing the impact of the amendment of this guidance on our Consolidated Financial Statements. Standard Description Period of Adoption Effect on the Consolidated Financial Statements ASU 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework - Change to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement This guidance eliminates, adds and modifies certain disclosure requirements for fair value measurements as part of its disclosure framework project. It removes transfer disclosures between Level 1 and Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy, and adds disclosures for the range and weighted average used to develop significant unobservable inputs for Level 3 fair value measurements. The guidance will be effective for public entities for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. January 1, 2020 We are currently assessing the impact of this guidance on our Consolidated Financial Statements. ASU 2018-14, Compensation - Retirement Benefits - Defined Benefit Plans - General (Subtopic 715-20): Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Defined Benefit Plans This guidance changes disclosure requirements for employers that sponsor defined benefit pension and/or other postretirement benefit plans. It eliminates the requirement of certain disclosures that are no longer considered cost beneficial; however, it adds more pertinent disclosures. The guidance will be effective for public entities for annual periods ending after December 15, 2020. Early adoption is permitted. January 1, 2021 We are currently assessing the impact of this guidance on our Consolidated Financial Statements. ASU 2018-15, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement that is a Service Contract (a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issue Task Force) This guidance requires a customer in a hosted, cloud computing arrangement that is a service contract to follow the internal-use software guidance to determine which implementation costs to capitalize as assets or expense as incurred. Capitalized costs are amortized over the term of the hosting arrangement when the recognized asset is ready for use. The guidance will be effective for public entities for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. January 1, 2020 We are currently assessing the impact of this guidance on our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Business Combination (Tables)

Business Combination (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Schedule of recognized identified assets acquired and liabilities assumed [Table Text Block]	Preliminary Purchase Price Allocation— The following table summarizes the allocation of the purchase price based on the fair value of the assets acquired and liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interests and noncontrolling interests assumed on the acquisition date. Millions of dollars Cash and cash equivalents $ 71 Restricted cash 10 Accounts receivable 407 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 77 Inventories 300 Property, plant and equipment 431 Equity investments 16 Goodwill 1,259 Intangible assets 488 Other assets 170 Total assets $ 3,229 Current maturities of long-term debt $ 397 Accounts payable 327 Accrued liabilities 103 Other liabilities 164 Deferred income taxes 149 Total liabilities 1,140 Redeemable noncontrolling interests 125 Noncontrolling interests 24 Total liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interests and noncontrolling interests $ 1,289 Total net assets acquired $ 1,940
Property, plant and equipment assets acquired as part of business combination [Table Text Block]	Property, Plant and Equipment— The fair value of the components of property, plant and equipment acquired are represented in the table below: Millions of dollars Land $ 54 Major manufacturing equipment 197 Buildings 141 Light equipment and instrumentation 12 Office furniture 9 Information system equipment 2 Construction in progress 16 Total $ 431
Schedule of finite lived intangible assets acquired as part of business combination [Table Text Block]	Intangible Assets —The fair value, weighted average useful life and useful life of each class of intangible asset acquired are presented in the following table: Millions of dollars Fair Value Weighted Average Life (Years) Useful Life (Years) Customer relationships $ 265 15 15 Trade name and trademarks 106 5 5 Know-how 89 8 5 - 8 Various contracts 28 2 1 - 2 Total $ 488

Revenues (Tables)

Revenues (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Disaggregation of revenue [Table Text Block]	The following table presents our revenues disaggregated by key products for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 : Millions of dollars Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Sales and other operating revenues: Olefins & co-products $ 1,021 $ 2,987 Polyethylene 1,830 5,765 Polypropylene 1,414 4,405 PO & derivatives 642 1,949 Oxyfuels and related products 934 2,670 Intermediate chemicals 866 2,635 Compounding and solutions 797 1,990 Advanced polymers 240 718 Refined products 2,236 6,536 Other 175 473 Total $ 10,155 $ 30,128 The following table presents our revenues disaggregated by geography, based upon the location of the customer, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 : Millions of dollars Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Sales and other operating revenues: United States $ 5,011 $ 14,528 Germany 741 2,326 Italy 376 1,203 France 371 1,118 Mexico 627 1,705 The Netherlands 259 835 Other 2,770 8,413 Total $ 10,155 $ 30,128

Inventories (Tables)

Inventories (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of inventory, current [Table Text Block]	Inventories consisted of the following components: Millions of dollars September 30, December 31, Finished goods $ 3,056 $ 2,932 Work-in-process 184 142 Raw materials and supplies 1,356 1,143 Total inventories $ 4,596 $ 4,217

Debt (Tables)

Debt (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of long-term debt [Table Text Block]	Long-term loans, notes and other long-term debt, net of unamortized discount and debt issuance cost, consisted of the following: Millions of dollars September 30, December 31, Senior Notes due 2019, $1,000 million, 5.0% ($1 million of debt issuance cost) $ 979 $ 961 Senior Notes due 2021, $1,000 million, 6.0% ($6 million of debt issuance cost) 960 981 Senior Notes due 2024, $1,000 million, 5.75% ($7 million of debt issuance cost) 993 992 Senior Notes due 2055, $1,000 million, 4.625% ($16 million of discount; $11 million of debt issuance cost) 973 973 Guaranteed Notes due 2022, €750 million, 1.875% ($2 million of discount; $3 million of debt issuance cost) 864 894 Guaranteed Notes due 2023, $750 million, 4.0% ($5 million of discount; $3 million of debt issuance cost) 742 740 Guaranteed Notes due 2027, $1,000 million, 3.5% ($9 million of discount; $7 million of debt issuance cost) 931 984 Guaranteed Notes due 2027, $300 million, 8.1% 300 300 Guaranteed Notes due 2043, $750 million, 5.25% ($21 million of discount; $7 million of debt issuance cost) 722 722 Guaranteed Notes due 2044, $1,000 million, 4.875% ($11 million of discount; $9 million of debt issuance cost) 980 979 Other 11 25 Total 8,455 8,551 Less current maturities (984 ) (2 ) Long-term debt $ 7,471 $ 8,549 Fair value hedging adjustments associated with the fair value hedge accounting of our fixed-for-floating interest rate swaps for the applicable periods are as follows: Gains (Losses) Cumulative Fair Value Hedging Adjustments Included in Carrying Amount of Debt Inception Year Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, December 31, Millions of dollars 2018 2017 2018 2017 2018 2017 Senior Notes due 2019, 5.0% 2014 $ (7 ) $ (4 ) $ (16 ) $ (46 ) $ 20 $ 36 Senior Notes due 2021, 6.0% 2016 2 2 22 (1 ) 34 12 Guaranteed Notes due 2027, 3.5% 2017 12 — 54 (10 ) 53 (1 ) Guaranteed Notes due 2022, 1.875% 2018 1 — — — — — Total $ 8 $ (2 ) $ 60 $ (57 ) $ 107 $ 47 The cumulative fair value hedging adjustments remaining at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 associated with our Senior Notes due 2019 included $13 million and $31 million , respectively, for hedges that have been discontinued. The $46 million loss in the nine months ended September 30, 2017 included a $44 million charge for the write-off of the cumulative fair value hedging adjustment related to our 5% Senior Notes due 2019 described below. These fair value adjustments are recognized in Interest expense in the Consolidated Statements of Income.
Schedule of short-term debt [Table Text Block]	Short-term loans, notes, and other short-term debt consisted of the following: Millions of dollars September 30, December 31, $2,500 million Senior Revolving Credit Facility $ — $ — $900 million U.S. Receivables Facility — — Commercial paper 140 — Precious metal financings 70 64 Other 4 4 Total short-term debt $ 214 $ 68

Financial Instruments and Fai_2

Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Financial Instruments and Fair Value [Abstract]
Summary of fair value of outstanding financial instruments [Table Text Block]	Financial Instruments Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis —The following table summarizes financial instruments outstanding as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis: September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Millions of dollars Notional Amount Fair Value Notional Amount Fair Value Balance Sheet Classification Assets– Derivatives designated as hedges: Commodities $ 49 $ 21 $ — $ — Prepaid expenses and other current assets Commodities 1 — — — Other assets Foreign currency 236 55 — 26 Prepaid expenses and other current assets Foreign currency 2,000 58 2,000 25 Other assets Interest rates 1,000 82 — 20 Prepaid expenses and other current assets Interest rates 647 15 650 1 Other assets Derivatives not designated as hedges: Commodities 151 12 77 20 Prepaid expenses and other current assets Foreign currency 1,164 10 19 — Prepaid expenses and other current assets Non-derivatives: Available-for-sale debt securities 586 586 960 960 Short-term investments Equity securities 350 358 350 347 Short-term investments Total $ 6,184 $ 1,197 $ 4,056 $ 1,399 Liabilities– Derivatives designated as hedges: Commodities $ — $ — $ 97 $ 8 Accrued liabilities Commodities — — 5 — Other liabilities Foreign currency — 34 139 29 Accrued liabilities Foreign currency 950 101 950 140 Other liabilities Interest rates 1,000 10 — 5 Accrued liabilities Interest rates 2,000 86 3,350 58 Other liabilities Derivatives not designated as hedges: Commodities 8 3 108 29 Accrued liabilities Foreign currency 213 1 995 11 Accrued liabilities Non-derivatives: Performance share awards 32 32 23 23 Accrued liabilities Performance share awards 2 2 27 27 Other liabilities Total $ 4,205 $ 269 $ 5,694 $ 330 All derivatives and available-for-sale debt securities in the tables above are classified as Level 2. Our limited partnership investments included in our equity securities discussed below, are measured at fair value using the net asset value (“NAV”) per share (or its equivalent) practical expedient and have not been classified in the fair value hierarchy. At September 30, 2018 , our outstanding foreign currency and commodity contracts not designated as hedges mature from October 2018 to August 2019 and from October 2018 to December 2018 , respectively.
Schedule of the carrying value and estimated fair value of non-derivative financial instruments [Table Text Block]	Financial Instruments Not Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis —The following table presents the carrying value and estimated fair value of our financial instruments that are not measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 . Short-term loans receivable, which represent our repurchase agreements, and short-term and long-term debt are recorded at amortized cost in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The carrying and fair values of short-term and long-term debt exclude capital leases and commercial paper. September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Millions of dollars Carrying Value Fair Value Carrying Value Fair Value Non-derivatives: Assets: Short-term loans receivable $ 550 $ 550 $ 570 $ 570 Liabilities: Short-term debt $ 70 $ 67 $ 64 $ 75 Long-term debt 8,444 8,772 8,526 9,442 Total $ 8,514 $ 8,839 $ 8,590 $ 9,517 All financial instruments in the table above are classified as Level 2 . There were no transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 for any of our financial instruments during the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and the year ended December 31, 2017 .
Summary of cash flow hedges [Table Text Block]	Cash Flow Hedges— The following table summarizes our cash flow hedges outstanding at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 : September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Millions of dollars Notional Value Notional Value Expiration Date Foreign currency $ 2,300 $ 2,300 2021 to 2027 Interest rates 1,500 1,000 2019 to 2021 Commodities 50 102 2018 to 2019 There was less than $1 million of ineffectiveness recorded during the three months ended September 30, 2017 and $1 million of ineffectiveness recorded during the nine months ended September 30, 2017 related to these hedging relationships. In June 2018 and July 2018 , we entered into forward-starting interest rate swaps with a total notional amount of $300 million and $200 million , respectively, to mitigate the risk of variability in interest rates for an expected debt issuance by November 2021. These swaps were designated as cash flow hedges and will be terminated upon debt issuance.
Summary of the impact of financial instruments on earnings and other comprehensive income [Table Text Block]	Impact on Earnings and Other Comprehensive Income —The following table summarizes the pre-tax effect of derivative instruments and non-derivative instruments on Other comprehensive income and earnings for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 : Effect of Financial Instruments Three Months Ended September 30, Gain (Loss) Recognized in AOCI Gain (Loss) Reclassified from AOCI to Income Gain (Loss) Recognized in Income Income Statement Millions of dollars 2018 2017 2018 2017 2018 2017 Classification Derivatives designated as net investment hedges: Foreign currency $ 4 $ (57 ) $ — $ — $ 8 $ — Interest expense Derivatives designated as cash flow hedges: Commodities 30 3 (11 ) — — — Cost of sales Foreign currency 11 (98 ) (13 ) 74 11 9 Other income, net; Interest expense Interest rates 48 (5 ) — — — — Interest expense Derivatives designated as fair value hedges: Interest rates — — — — (12 ) 3 Interest expense Derivatives not designated as hedges: Commodities — — — — 2 (6 ) Sales and other operating revenues Commodities — — — — 7 6 Cost of sales Foreign currency — — — — 12 (6 ) Other income, net Non-derivatives designated as net investment hedges: Long-term debt 5 (30 ) — — — — Other income, net Total $ 98 $ (187 ) $ (24 ) $ 74 $ 28 $ 6 Effect of Financial Instruments Nine Months Ended September 30, Gain (Loss) Recognized in AOCI Gain (Loss) Reclassified from AOCI to Income Gain (Loss) Recognized in Income Income Statement Millions of dollars 2018 2017 2018 2017 2018 2017 Classification Derivatives designated as net investment hedges: Foreign currency $ 65 $ (170 ) $ — $ — $ 21 $ — Interest expense Derivatives designated as cash flow hedges: Commodities 36 (4 ) (7 ) — — — Cost of sales Foreign currency 37 (233 ) (75 ) 232 29 32 Other income, net; Interest expense Interest rates 115 (23 ) — — — (1 ) Interest expense Derivatives designated as fair value hedges: Interest rates — — — — (74 ) 21 Interest expense Derivatives not designated as hedges: Commodities — — — — 1 (9 ) Sales and other operating revenues Commodities — — — — 16 (31 ) Cost of sales Foreign currency — — — — 28 (7 ) Other income, net Non-derivatives designated as net investment hedges: Long-term debt 31 (95 ) — — — — Other income, net Total $ 284 $ (525 ) $ (82 ) $ 232 $ 21 $ 5 The derivative amounts excluded from effectiveness testing for foreign currency contracts designated as net investment hedges recognized in other comprehensive income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 were losses of $1 million and gains of $14 million , respectively. The derivative amounts excluded from effectiveness testing for foreign currency contracts designated as net investment hedges recognized in interest expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 were gains of $8 million and $21 million , respectively.
Schedule of available-for-sale debt securities reconciliation [Table Text Block]	Investments in Available-for-Sale Debt Securities —The following table summarizes the amortized cost, gross unrealized gains and losses, and fair value of our available-for-sale debt securities that are outstanding as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 : September 30, 2018 Millions of dollars Cost Gross Unrealized Gains Gross Unrealized Losses Fair Value Available-for-sale debt securities: Bonds $ 586 $ 1 $ (1 ) $ 586 Total available-for-sale debt securities $ 586 $ 1 $ (1 ) $ 586 December 31, 2017 Millions of dollars Cost Gross Unrealized Gains Gross Unrealized Losses Fair Value Available-for-sale securities: Commercial paper $ 180 $ — $ — $ 180 Bonds 630 — — 630 Certificates of deposit 150 — — 150 Limited partnership investments 350 2 (5 ) 347 Total available-for-sale securities $ 1,310 $ 2 $ (5 ) $ 1,307 No losses related to other-than-temporary impairments of our available-for-sale debt securities have been recorded in Accumulated other comprehensive loss during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and the year ended December 31, 2017 . As of September 30, 2018 , bonds classified as available-for-sale debt securities had maturities between two and twenty-five months .
Summary of proceeds from maturities and sales of available-for-sale debt securities [Table Text Block]	The proceeds from maturities and sales of our available-for-sale debt securities during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 are summarized in the following table: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Millions of dollars 2018 2017 2018 2017 Proceeds from maturities of securities $ — $ 12 $ 410 $ 499 Proceeds from sales of securities — — — — No gain or loss was realized in connection with the sales of our available-for-sale debt securities during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 . During the nine months ended September 30, 2017 , we had maturities of our held-to-maturity securities of $75 million .
Summary of available-for-sale debt securities, continuous unrealized loss position, fair value [Table Text Block]	The following table summarizes the fair value and unrealized losses related to available-for-sale debt securities that were in a continuous unrealized loss position for less than and greater than twelve months as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 : September 30, 2018 Less than 12 months Greater than 12 months Millions of dollars Fair Value Unrealized Loss Fair Value Unrealized Loss Available-for-sale debt securities: Bonds $ 155 $ (1 ) $ — $ — December 31, 2017 Less than 12 months Greater than 12 months Millions of dollars Fair Value Unrealized Loss Fair Value Unrealized Loss Available-for-sale securities: Limited partnership investments $ 117 $ (5 ) $ — $ —
Summary of the portion of unrealized gains and losses for equity securities outstanding [Table Text Block]	The following table summarizes the portion of unrealized gains and losses for the equity securities that are outstanding as of September 30, 2018 : Millions of dollars Net gains recognized during the period $ 1 Less: Net gains recognized during the period on securities sold 2 Unrealized losses recognized during the period $ (1 )

Pension and Other Postretirem_2

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]
Schedule of the components of net periodic benefit costs (credits) [TableText Block]	Net periodic pension benefits included the following cost components for the periods presented: U.S. Plans Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Millions of dollars 2018 2017 2018 2017 Service cost $ 13 $ 11 $ 38 $ 35 Interest cost 15 15 45 45 Expected return on plan assets (30 ) (30 ) (91 ) (91 ) Actuarial and investment loss amortization 5 5 16 16 Net periodic benefit costs $ 3 $ 1 $ 8 $ 5 Non-U.S. Plans Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Millions of dollars 2018 2017 2018 2017 Service cost $ 8 $ 9 $ 25 $ 28 Interest cost 8 5 24 16 Expected return on plan assets (6 ) (4 ) (18 ) (13 ) Settlement loss — — 1 — Actuarial and investment loss amortization 3 4 8 11 Net periodic benefit costs $ 13 $ 14 $ 40 $ 42 Net periodic other postretirement benefits included the following cost components for the periods presented: U.S. Plans Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Millions of dollars 2018 2017 2018 2017 Service cost $ 1 $ — $ 2 $ 2 Interest cost 2 3 7 7 Net periodic benefit costs $ 3 $ 3 $ 9 $ 9 Non-U.S. Plans Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Millions of dollars 2018 2017 2018 2017 Service cost $ — $ 1 $ 1 $ 2 Interest cost — — 1 1 Actuarial loss amortization 1 1 1 2 Net periodic benefit costs $ 1 $ 2 $ 3 $ 5

Commitments and Contingencies (

Commitments and Contingencies (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of environmental loss contingencies [Table Text Block]	The following table summarizes the activity in our accrued environmental liability included in “Accrued liabilities” and “Other liabilities:” Nine Months Ended Millions of dollars 2018 2017 Beginning balance $ 102 $ 95 Changes in estimates 1 3 Amounts paid (9 ) (7 ) Foreign exchange effects (2 ) 8 Ending balance $ 92 $ 99

Stockholders' Equity (Tables)

Stockholders' Equity (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]
Dividends declared [Table Text Block]	Dividend Distributions —The following table summarizes the dividends paid in the periods presented: Millions of dollars, except per share amounts Dividend Per Ordinary Share Aggregate Dividends Paid Date of Record March $ 1.00 $ 395 March 5, 2018 June 1.00 392 June 11, 2018 September 1.00 389 September 5, 2018 $ 3.00 $ 1,176
Schedule of share repurchase programs [Table Text Block]	The following table summarizes our share repurchase activity for the periods presented: Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 Millions of dollars, except shares and per share amounts Shares Repurchased Average Purchase Price Total Purchase Price, Including Commissions May 2017 Share Repurchase Program 4,004,753 $ 106.05 $ 425 June 2018 Share Repurchase Program 3,674,062 107.89 396 7,678,815 $ 106.93 $ 821 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 Millions of dollars, except shares and per share amounts Shares Repurchased Average Purchase Price Total Purchase Price, Including Commissions May 2016 Share Repurchase Program 3,501,084 $ 85.71 $ 300 May 2017 Share Repurchase Program 6,516,917 83.54 545 10,018,001 $ 84.30 $ 845 Due to the timing of settlements, total cash paid for share repurchases for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 was $801 million and $866 million , respectively.
Schedule of changes in ordinary and treasury shares outstanding during the period [Table Text Block]	Ordinary Shares —The changes in the outstanding amounts of ordinary shares are as follows: Nine Months Ended 2018 2017 Ordinary shares outstanding: Beginning balance 394,512,054 404,046,331 Share-based compensation 285,186 343,663 Warrants exercised — 4,184 Employee stock purchase plan 82,758 81,964 Purchase of ordinary shares (7,702,222 ) (10,018,001 ) Ending balance 387,177,776 394,458,141 Treasury Shares— The changes in the amounts of treasury shares held by the Company are as follows: Nine Months Ended 2018 2017 Ordinary shares held as treasury shares: Beginning balance 183,928,109 174,389,139 Share-based compensation (285,186 ) (343,663 ) Warrants exercised — 509 Employee stock purchase plan (82,758 ) (81,964 ) Purchase of ordinary shares 7,702,222 10,018,001 Treasury shares canceled (178,229,883 ) — Ending balance 13,032,504 183,982,022
Schedule of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) [Table Text Block]	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) —The components of, and after-tax changes in, Accumulated other comprehensive loss as of and for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 are presented in the following table: Millions of dollars Financial Derivatives Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Available -for-Sale Debt Securities Unrealized Defined Benefit Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments Total Balance – January 1, 2018 $ (120 ) $ — $ 17 $ (421 ) $ (761 ) $ (1,285 ) Adoption of accounting standards (2 ) — (17 ) (51 ) — (70 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications 186 — — — (48 ) 138 Tax expense before reclassifications (36 ) — — — (15 ) (51 ) Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (81 ) — — 26 — (55 ) Tax (expense) benefit 20 — — (6 ) — 14 Net other comprehensive income (loss) 89 — — 20 (63 ) 46 Balance – September 30, 2018 $ (33 ) $ — $ — $ (452 ) $ (824 ) $ (1,309 ) Millions of dollars Financial Derivatives Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Available -for-Sale Debt Securities Unrealized Defined Benefit Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments Total Balance – January 1, 2017 $ (75 ) $ 1 $ — $ (498 ) $ (939 ) $ (1,511 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications (260 ) (1 ) 8 — 112 (141 ) Tax benefit before reclassifications 73 — 2 — 31 106 Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) 232 — — 29 — 261 Tax expense (65 ) — — (9 ) — (74 ) Net other comprehensive income (loss) (20 ) (1 ) 10 20 143 152 Balance – September 30, 2017 $ (95 ) $ — $ 10 $ (478 ) $ (796 ) $ (1,359 )
Reclassification out of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) [Table Text Block]	The amounts reclassified out of each component of Accumulated other comprehensive loss are as follows: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Affected Line Item on the Consolidated Statements of Income Millions of dollars 2018 2017 2018 2017 Reclassification adjustments for: Financial derivatives – Foreign currency $ (13 ) $ 74 $ (75 ) $ 232 Other income, net Financial derivatives – Commodities (10 ) — (6 ) — Cost of sales Income tax expense (benefit) (5 ) 18 (20 ) 65 Provision for income taxes Financial derivatives, net of tax (18 ) 56 (61 ) 167 Amortization of defined pension items: Actuarial loss 9 10 25 29 Settlement loss — — 1 — Income tax expense 3 3 6 9 Defined pension items, net of tax 6 7 20 20 Total reclassifications, before tax (14 ) 84 (55 ) 261 Income tax expense (benefit) (2 ) 21 (14 ) 74 Provision for income taxes Total reclassifications, after tax $ (12 ) $ 63 $ (41 ) $ 187 Amount included in net income Amortization of prior service cost and actuarial loss is included in the computation of net periodic pension and other postretirement benefit costs (see Note 9 ).

Per Share Data (Tables)

Per Share Data (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted [Table Text Block]	Earnings per share data and dividends declared per share of common stock are as follows: Three Months Ended September 30, 2018 2017 Millions of dollars Continuing Operations Discontinued Operations Continuing Operations Discontinued Operations Net income (loss) $ 1,115 $ (2 ) $ 1,058 $ (2 ) Less: net loss attributable to non-controlling interests — — 1 — Net income (loss) attributable to the Company shareholders 1,115 (2 ) 1,059 (2 ) Net income attributable to participating securities (2 ) — (1 ) — Net income (loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders – basic and diluted $ 1,113 $ (2 ) $ 1,058 $ (2 ) Millions of shares, except per share amounts Basic weighted average common stock outstanding 389 389 395 395 Effect of dilutive securities: PSU awards 1 1 — — Potential dilutive shares 390 390 395 395 Earnings (loss) per share: Basic $ 2.86 $ — $ 2.67 $ — Diluted $ 2.85 $ — $ 2.67 $ — Millions of shares, except per share amounts Participating securities 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.4 Dividends declared per share of common stock $ 1.00 $ — $ 0.90 $ — Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 2017 Millions of dollars Continuing Operations Discontinued Operations Continuing Operations Discontinued Operations Net income (loss) $ 4,001 $ (3 ) $ 2,997 $ (14 ) Less: net loss attributable to non-controlling interests — — 2 — Net income (loss) attributable to the Company shareholders 4,001 (3 ) 2,999 (14 ) Net income attributable to participating securities (4 ) — (3 ) — Net income (loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders – basic and diluted $ 3,997 $ (3 ) $ 2,996 $ (14 ) Millions of shares, except per share amounts Basic weighted average common stock outstanding 391 391 400 400 Effect of dilutive securities: PSU awards 1 1 — — Potential dilutive shares 392 392 400 400 Earnings (loss) per share: Basic $ 10.21 $ (0.01 ) $ 7.49 $ (0.03 ) Diluted $ 10.19 $ (0.01 ) $ 7.49 $ (0.03 ) Millions of shares, except per share amounts Participating securities 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.4 Dividends declared per share of common stock $ 3.00 $ — $ 2.65 $ —

Segment and Related Informati_2

Segment and Related Information (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Schedule of Segment Reporting Information, by Segment [Table Text Block]	Summarized financial information concerning reportable segments is shown in the following table for the periods presented: Three Months Ended September 30, 2018 Millions of dollars O&P– O&P– I&D APS Refining Technology Other Total Sales and other operating revenues: Customers $ 1,843 $ 2,434 $ 2,463 $ 1,038 $ 2,236 $ 141 $ — $ 10,155 Intersegment 927 209 46 1 263 30 (1,476 ) — 2,770 2,643 2,509 1,039 2,499 171 (1,476 ) 10,155 Income from equity investments 18 69 2 — — — — 89 EBITDA 704 262 504 70 84 98 10 1,732 Three Months Ended September 30, 2017 Millions of dollars O&P– O&P– I&D APS Refining Technology Other Total Sales and other operating revenues: Customers $ 1,731 $ 2,451 $ 2,043 $ 731 $ 1,491 $ 69 $ — $ 8,516 Intersegment 616 189 34 — 179 29 (1,047 ) — 2,347 2,640 2,077 731 1,670 98 (1,047 ) 8,516 Income from equity investments 8 69 4 — — — — 81 EBITDA 591 599 402 124 58 47 — 1,821 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 Millions of dollars O&P– Americas O&P– EAI I&D APS Refining Technology Other Total Sales and other operating revenues: Customers $ 5,324 $ 7,866 $ 7,314 $ 2,709 $ 6,536 $ 379 $ — $ 30,128 Intersegment 2,634 637 122 1 789 89 (4,272 ) — 7,958 8,503 7,436 2,710 7,325 468 (4,272 ) 30,128 Income from equity investments 50 199 4 — — — — 253 EBITDA 2,131 1,036 1,632 314 251 267 24 5,655 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 Millions of dollars O&P– Americas O&P– EAI I&D APS Refining Technology Other Total Sales and other operating revenues: Customers $ 5,383 $ 7,083 $ 6,142 $ 2,194 $ 4,306 $ 241 $ — $ 25,349 Intersegment 1,917 553 99 — 430 84 (3,083 ) — 7,300 7,636 6,241 2,194 4,736 325 (3,083 ) 25,349 Income from equity investments 33 202 5 — — — — 240 EBITDA 2,130 1,638 1,080 356 53 155 (4 ) 5,408
Reconciliation of EBITDA to income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes [Table Text Block]	A reconciliation of EBITDA to Income from continuing operations before income taxes is shown in the following table for each of the periods presented: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Millions of dollars 2018 2017 2018 2017 EBITDA: Total segment EBITDA $ 1,722 $ 1,821 $ 5,631 $ 5,412 Other EBITDA 10 — 24 (4 ) Less: Depreciation and amortization expense (309 ) (294 ) (908 ) (876 ) Interest expense (90 ) (94 ) (272 ) (396 ) Add: Interest income 14 5 40 15 Income from continuing operations before income taxes $ 1,347 $ 1,438 $ 4,515 $ 4,151

Accounting and Reporting Chan_3

Accounting and Reporting Changes (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
New accounting pronouncements or change in accounting principle [Line Items]
New accounting pronouncement or change in accounting principle, cumulative effect of change on equity or net assets	$ (70)
ASU 2016-01 adoption [Member] | ASU 2016-01 prospective adoption [Member]
New accounting pronouncements or change in accounting principle [Line Items]
New accounting pronouncement, description of prospective transition impact	We adopted this guidance prospectively and recorded a cumulative effect adjustment of $15 million to beginning retained earnings.
New accounting pronouncement or change in accounting principle, cumulative effect of change on equity or net assets		$ 15
ASU 2016-16 adoption [Member]
New accounting pronouncements or change in accounting principle [Line Items]
New accounting pronouncement, description of retrospective transition impact	We adopted this guidance using the modified-retrospective method and recorded a cumulative-effect adjustment of $9 million to beginning retained earnings.
New accounting pronouncement or change in accounting principle, cumulative effect of change on equity or net assets		9
ASU 2018-02 adoption [Member] | New accounting pronouncement, early adoption, effect [Member] | ASU 2018-02 prospective adoption [Member]
New accounting pronouncements or change in accounting principle [Line Items]
New accounting pronouncement, description of prospective transition impact	We adopted this guidance using the specific identification method and recorded a cumulative-effect adjustment of $52 million to beginning retained earnings.
New accounting pronouncement or change in accounting principle, cumulative effect of change on equity or net assets		$ 52

Business Combination, Summary o

Business Combination, Summary of consideration transferred (Details) $ in Millions	Aug. 21, 2018USD ($)
Business Combination, Description [Abstract]
Business Acquisition, Effective Date of Acquisition	Aug. 21, 2018
Business Acquisition, Name of Acquired Entity	A. Schulman Inc.
Business Combination, Reason for Business Combination	The acquisition of A. Schulman, a global supplier of high-performance plastic compounds, composites and powders, builds upon our already existing platform in this space, allowing us to create our Advanced Polymer Solutions business with broad geographic reach, leading technologies and a diverse product portfolio.
A. Schulman Inc. [Member]
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred [Abstract]
Total net assets acquired	$ 1,940
Consideration transferred to shareholders of acquiree for common stock	1,240
Consideration transferred for settlement of outstanding debt of acquiree	594
Consideration transferred for settlement of stock-based compensation plans and other purchase consideration	$ 106

Business Combination, Summary_2

Business Combination, Summary of assets acquired and liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interests and noncontrolling interests assumed (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2018	Aug. 21, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Preliminary purchase price allocation [Abstract]
Goodwill	$ 1,819		$ 570
A. Schulman Inc. [Member]
Preliminary purchase price allocation [Abstract]
Cash and cash equivalents		$ 71
Restricted cash		10
Accounts receivable		407
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		77
Inventories		300
Property, plant and equipment		431
Equity investments		16
Goodwill		1,259
Intangible assets		488
Other assets		170
Total assets		3,229
Current maturities of long-term debt		397
Accounts payable		327
Accrued liabilities		103
Other liabilities		164
Deferred income taxes		149
Total liabilities		1,140
Redeemable noncontrolling interests		125
Noncontrolling interests		24
Total liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interests and noncontrolling interests		1,289
Total net assets acquired		$ 1,940

Business Combination, Summary_3

Business Combination, Summary of acquired inventories by component and gross contractual cost of accounts receivable acquired (Details) - A. Schulman Inc. [Member] $ in Millions	Aug. 21, 2018USD ($)
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Finished goods	$ 180
Work-in-process	8
Raw materials and supplies	112
Total inventory acquired	300
Business Combination, Acquired Receivables [Abstract]
Acquired receivables, gross contractual amount	$ 415

Business Combination, Summary_4

Business Combination, Summary of aquired property, plant and equipment by component (Details) - A. Schulman Inc. [Member] $ in Millions	Aug. 21, 2018USD ($)
Business combination, Property, plant and equipment acquired by component [Abstract]
Land	$ 54
Major manufacturing equipment	197
Buildings	141
Light equipment and instrumentation	12
Office furniture	9
Information system equipment	2
Construction in progress	16
Total	$ 431

Business Combination, Summary_5

Business Combination, Summary of goodwill (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Aug. 21, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Business Combination Segment Allocation [Line Items]
Goodwill		$ 1,819	$ 570
O&P - EAI [Member]
Business Combination Segment Allocation [Line Items]
Goodwill transfers	$ (40)
Advanced Polymer Solutions [Member]
Business Combination Segment Allocation [Line Items]
Goodwill	1,259
Goodwill transfers	$ 40

Business Combination, Summary_6

Business Combination, Summary of other identifiable intangible assets (Details) - A. Schulman Inc. [Member] $ in Millions	Aug. 21, 2018USD ($)
Other identifiable intangible assets [Line Items]
Fair value	$ 488
Weighted average life, in years	11 years
Customer relationships [Member]
Other identifiable intangible assets [Line Items]
Fair value	$ 265
Weighted average life, in years	15 years
Useful life, in years	15 years
Trade name and trademarks [Member]
Other identifiable intangible assets [Line Items]
Fair value	$ 106
Weighted average life, in years	5 years
Useful life, in years	5 years
Know-how [Member]
Other identifiable intangible assets [Line Items]
Fair value	$ 89
Weighted average life, in years	8 years
Know-how [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Other identifiable intangible assets [Line Items]
Useful life, in years	8 years
Know-how [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Other identifiable intangible assets [Line Items]
Useful life, in years	5 years
Various contracts [Member]
Other identifiable intangible assets [Line Items]
Fair value	$ 28
Weighted average life, in years	2 years
Various contracts [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Other identifiable intangible assets [Line Items]
Useful life, in years	2 years
Various contracts [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Other identifiable intangible assets [Line Items]
Useful life, in years	1 year

Business Combination, Repayment

Business Combination, Repayment of acquired debt (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Aug. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Aug. 21, 2018
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of long-term debt			$ 394	$ 1,000
Senior Notes due 2023, $375 million, 6.875% [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face amount					$ 375
Interest rate (in hundredths)					6.875%
Maturity date		June 2,023
Redemption price, in hundredths		105.156%
Premium paid on redemption of 6.875% Senior Notes due 2023	$ 19
Repayments of long-term debt	$ 375

Business Combination, Redeemabl

Business Combination, Redeemable noncontrolling interests (Details) - USD ($)	1 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Aug. 21, 2018
Temporary equity [Line Items]
Cumulative perpetual special stock, shares outstanding	121,527	124,347
Cumulative dividends per share on liquidation preference of cumulative perpetual special stock, in hundredths		6.00%
Liquidation preference per share of cumulative perpetual special stock		$ 1,000
Cumulative perpetual special stock redeemed during the period, in shares	2,820
Cumulative perpetual special stock redeemed during the period, in value	$ 3,000,000

Business Combination, Acquisiti

Business Combination, Acquisition costs (Details) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquisition costs	$ 30

Business Combination, Proforma

Business Combination, Proforma information (Details) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)
Business acquisition, Pro forma information [Abstract]
Actual revenue of acquiree since acquisition date	$ 269
Acutal earnings or loss of acquiree since acquisition date	$ (2)

Revenues (Details)

Revenues (Details) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)
Contract with customer, liability [Abstract]
Contract with customer, liability	$ 89
Revenue recognized included in beginning contract liability	Revenue recognized in the reporting period included in the contract liability balance at the beginning of the period was immaterial.
ASU 2014-09 adoption effect [Member]
Revenue, initial application period cumulative effect transition [Line Items]
Cumulative effect on retained earnings, after tax	$ 18

Revenues, Key product revenues

Revenues, Key product revenues (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Disaggregation of revenue [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	$ 10,155	$ 8,516	$ 30,128	$ 25,349
Olefins & co-products [Member]
Disaggregation of revenue [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	1,021		2,987
Polyethylene [Member]
Disaggregation of revenue [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	1,830		5,765
Polypropylene [Member]
Disaggregation of revenue [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	1,414		4,405
PO & derivatives [Member]
Disaggregation of revenue [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	642		1,949
Oxyfuels and related products [Member]
Disaggregation of revenue [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	934		2,670
Intermediate chemicals [Member]
Disaggregation of revenue [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	866		2,635
Compounding and solutions [Member]
Disaggregation of revenue [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	797		1,990
Advanced polymers [Member]
Disaggregation of revenue [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	240		718
Refined products [Member]
Disaggregation of revenue [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	2,236		6,536
Other [Member]
Disaggregation of revenue [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	$ 175		$ 473

Revenues, Geographic location (

Revenues, Geographic location (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Disaggregation of revenue [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	$ 10,155	$ 8,516	$ 30,128	$ 25,349
United States [Member]
Disaggregation of revenue [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	5,011		14,528
Germany [Member]
Disaggregation of revenue [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	741		2,326
Italy [Member]
Disaggregation of revenue [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	376		1,203
France [Member]
Disaggregation of revenue [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	371		1,118
Mexico [Member]
Disaggregation of revenue [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	627		1,705
The Netherlands [Member]
Disaggregation of revenue [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	259		835
Other [Member]
Disaggregation of revenue [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	$ 2,770		$ 8,413

Accounts Receivable (Details)

Accounts Receivable (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Receivables [Abstract]
Allowance for doubtful accounts receivable	$ 16	$ 17

Inventories (Details)

Inventories (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Inventory, finished goods, work-in-process, and raw materials and supplies [Abstract]
Finished goods	$ 3,056	$ 2,932
Work-in-process	184	142
Raw materials and supplies	1,356	1,143
Total inventories	$ 4,596	$ 4,217

Debt, Long-term debt (Details)

Debt, Long-term debt (Details) € in Millions, $ in Millions	1 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018EUR (€)	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)
Long-term debt [Line Items]
Long-term debt		$ 8,455		$ 8,551
Current maturities of long-term debt		(984)		(2)
Long-term debt, non-current portion		$ 7,471		8,549
Senior Notes due 2019, $1,000 million, 5.0% ($1 million of debt issuance cost) [Member]
Long-term debt [Line Items]
Maturity year	2,019	2,019
Face amount		$ 1,000
Stated interest rate (in hundredths)	5.00%	5.00%	5.00%
Unamortized debt issuance cost		$ 1
Long-term debt		$ 979		961
Senior Notes due 2021, $1,000 million, 6.0% ($6 million of debt issuance cost) [Member]
Long-term debt [Line Items]
Maturity year		2,021
Face amount		$ 1,000
Stated interest rate (in hundredths)		6.00%	6.00%
Unamortized debt issuance cost		$ 6
Long-term debt		$ 960		981
Senior Notes due 2024, $1,000 million, 5.75% ($7 million of debt issuance cost) [Member]
Long-term debt [Line Items]
Maturity year		2,024
Face amount		$ 1,000
Stated interest rate (in hundredths)		5.75%	5.75%
Unamortized debt issuance cost		$ 7
Long-term debt		$ 993		992
Senior Notes due 2055, $1,000 million, 4.625% ($16 million of discount; $11 million of debt issuance cost) [Member]
Long-term debt [Line Items]
Maturity year		2,055
Face amount		$ 1,000
Stated interest rate (in hundredths)		4.625%	4.625%
Unamortized discount		$ 16
Unamortized debt issuance cost		11
Long-term debt		$ 973		973
Guaranteed Notes due 2022, euro 750 million, 1.875% ($2 million of discount; $3 million of debt issuance cost) [Member]
Long-term debt [Line Items]
Maturity year		2,022
Face amount | €			€ 750
Stated interest rate (in hundredths)		1.875%	1.875%
Unamortized discount		$ 2
Unamortized debt issuance cost		3
Long-term debt		$ 864		894
Guaranteed Notes due 2023, $750 million, 4.0% ($5 million of discount; $3 million of debt issuance cost) [Member]
Long-term debt [Line Items]
Maturity year		2,023
Face amount		$ 750
Stated interest rate (in hundredths)		4.00%	4.00%
Unamortized discount		$ 5
Unamortized debt issuance cost		3
Long-term debt		$ 742		740
Guaranteed Notes due 2027, $1,000 million, 3.5% ($9 million of discount; $7 million of debt issuance cost) [Member]
Long-term debt [Line Items]
Maturity year	2,027	2,027
Face amount	$ 1,000	$ 1,000
Stated interest rate (in hundredths)	3.50%	3.50%	3.50%
Unamortized discount		$ 9
Unamortized debt issuance cost		7
Long-term debt		$ 931		984
Guaranteed Notes due 2027, $300 million, 8.1% [Member]
Long-term debt [Line Items]
Maturity year		2,027
Face amount		$ 300
Stated interest rate (in hundredths)		8.10%	8.10%
Long-term debt		$ 300		300
Guaranteed Notes due 2043, $750 million, 5.25% ($21 million of discount; $7 million of debt issuance cost) [Member]
Long-term debt [Line Items]
Maturity year		2,043
Face amount		$ 750
Stated interest rate (in hundredths)		5.25%	5.25%
Unamortized discount		$ 21
Unamortized debt issuance cost		7
Long-term debt		$ 722		722
Guaranteed Notes due 2044, $1,000 million, 4.875% ($11 million of discount; $9 million of debt issuance cost) [Member]
Long-term debt [Line Items]
Maturity year		2,044
Face amount		$ 1,000
Stated interest rate (in hundredths)		4.875%	4.875%
Unamortized discount		$ 11
Unamortized debt issuance cost		9
Long-term debt		980		979
Other long-term debt [Member]
Long-term debt [Line Items]
Long-term debt		$ 11		$ 25

Debt, Description of fair value

Debt, Description of fair value adjustments for senior and guaranteed notes (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		12 Months Ended	21 Months Ended	24 Months Ended	33 Months Ended	48 Months Ended	57 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on fair value adjustments of the hedged item related to interest rate swaps		$ 8	$ (2)	$ 60	$ (57)					$ 47	$ 107
Senior Notes due 2019, $1,000 million, 5.0% [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity year	2,019			2,019
Stated interest rate (in hundredths)	5.00%	5.00%		5.00%			5.00%		5.00%		5.00%
Inception Year				2,014
Gain (loss) on fair value adjustments of the hedged item related to interest rate swaps		$ (7)	(4)	$ (16)	(46)					36	$ 20
Cumulative fair value hedging adjustment remaining for discontinued hedges		$ 13		$ 13		$ 31	$ 13	$ 31	$ 13	$ 31	$ 13
Charges associated with the redemption of Senior Notes due 2019	$ (44)				(44)
Senior Notes due 2021, $1,000 million, 6.0% [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity year				2,021
Stated interest rate (in hundredths)		6.00%		6.00%			6.00%		6.00%		6.00%
Inception Year				2,016
Gain (loss) on fair value adjustments of the hedged item related to interest rate swaps		$ 2	2	$ 22	(1)			$ 12	$ 34
Guaranteed Notes due 2027, $1,000 million, 3.50% [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity year	2,027			2,027
Stated interest rate (in hundredths)	3.50%	3.50%		3.50%			3.50%		3.50%		3.50%
Inception Year				2,017
Gain (loss) on fair value adjustments of the hedged item related to interest rate swaps		$ 12	$ 0	$ 54	$ (10)	$ (1)	$ 53
Guaranteed Notes due 2022, euro 750 million, 1.875% [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity year				2,022
Stated interest rate (in hundredths)		1.875%		1.875%			1.875%		1.875%		1.875%
Inception Year				2,018
Gain (loss) on fair value adjustments of the hedged item related to interest rate swaps		$ 1		$ 0

Debt, Short-term debt (Details)

Debt, Short-term debt (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Short-term debt [Line Items]
Short-term debt	$ 214	$ 68
$2,500 million Senior Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Short-term debt [Line Items]
Maximum borrowing capacity on line of credit	2,500
Short-term debt	0	0
$900 million U.S. Receivables Facility [Member]
Short-term debt [Line Items]
Maximum borrowing capacity on line of credit	900
Short-term debt	0	0
Commercial paper [Member]
Short-term debt [Line Items]
Maximum borrowing capacity on line of credit	2,500
Short-term debt	140	0
Precious metal financings [Member]
Short-term debt [Line Items]
Short-term debt	70	64
Other short-term debt [Member]
Short-term debt [Line Items]
Short-term debt	$ 4	$ 4

Debt, Description of long-term

Debt, Description of long-term debt (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Long-term debt [Line Items]
Repayments of long-term debt		$ 394	$ 1,000
Guaranteed Notes due 2027, $1,000 million, 3.50% [Member]
Long-term debt [Line Items]
Issuance date	March 2,017
Percentage ownership by parent of finance subsidiary (in hundredths)	100.00%
Face amount	$ 1,000	$ 1,000
Interest rate (in hundredths)	3.50%	3.50%
Maturity year	2,027	2,027
Discounted price at which long-term debt was issued	98.968%
Senior Notes due 2019, $1,000 million, 5.0% [Member]
Long-term debt [Line Items]
Face amount		$ 1,000
Interest rate (in hundredths)	5.00%	5.00%
Maturity year	2,019	2,019
Premium paid on redemption of Senior Notes due 2019	$ 65
Write-off of debt issuance costs	4
Charges associated with the redemption of Senior Notes due 2019	$ (44)		$ (44)

Debt, Description of short-term

Debt, Description of short-term debt (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Description of short-term debt [Line Items]
Weighted average interest rate, short-term debt (in hundredths)	3.00%	1.80%
$2,500 million Senior Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Description of short-term debt [Line Items]
Maximum borrowing capacity	$ 2,500
Expiration date	June 2,022
Maximum allowed letters of credit	$ 500
Additional borrowing capacity, uncommitted loans	$ 1,000
Terms of debt covenants	The facility contains customary covenants and warranties, including specified restrictions on indebtedness and liens. In addition, we are required to maintain a leverage ratio at the end of every fiscal quarter of 3.50 to 1.00 or less for the period covering the most recent four quarters.
Commercial paper program [Member]
Description of short-term debt [Line Items]
Maximum borrowing capacity	$ 2,500
Description of commercial paper interest rate	Interest rates on the commercial paper outstanding at September 30, 2018 are based on the terms of the notes and range from 230 to 240 basis points.
$900 million U.S. Receivables Facility [Member]
Description of short-term debt [Line Items]
Maximum borrowing capacity	$ 900
Expiration date	July 2,021
Maximum allowed letters of credit	$ 200
Additional borrowing capacity, uncommitted loans	$ 300
Terms of debt covenants	The term of the facility may be extended in accordance with the terms of the agreement. The facility is also subject to customary warranties and covenants, including limits and reserves and the maintenance of specified financial ratios. We are required to maintain a leverage ratio at the end of every fiscal quarter of 3.50 to 1.00 or less for the period covering the most recent four quarters. Performance obligations under the facility are guaranteed by the parent company.
Outstanding borrowings	$ 0
Outstanding letters of credit	$ 0

Debt, Debt discount and issuanc

Debt, Debt discount and issuance costs (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Debt discount and issuance costs [Abstract]
Amortization of debt discounts and debt issuance costs	$ 11	$ 16

Debt, Formation of LYB Internat

Debt, Formation of LYB International Finance III, LLC (Details)	1 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2016
Formation of direct, 100% owned finance subsidiary [Abstract]
LYB International Finance III, LLC formation date	Dec. 28, 2016
LYB International Finance III, LLC state of formation	Delaware
LYB International Finance III, LLC business activities and description	LYB International Finance III, LLC is a direct, 100% owned finance subsidiary of LyondellBasell N.V., as defined in Rule 3-10(b) of Regulation S-X. Any debt securities issued by LYB International Finance III, LLC will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by LyondellBasell N.V.

Financial Instruments and Fai_3

Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements, Market risks, commodity prices and foreign currency rates (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2017
Foreign currency [Abstract]
Foreign currency gains (losses)	$ 6		$ 14	$ (6)
Marketable Securities [Abstract]
Amount of marketable securities classified as cash and cash equivalents	$ 189		$ 189		$ 1,035
Minimum [Member]
Foreign currency [Abstract]
Foreign currency gains (losses)		$ 0
Maximum [Member]
Foreign currency [Abstract]
Foreign currency gains (losses)		$ (1)

Financial Instruments and Fai_4

Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements, Summary of derivative and non-derivative financial instruments outstanding measured at fair value on a recurring basis (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Derivative and non-derivative assets and liabilities at fair value, net, by balance sheet classification [Abstract]
Notional amount, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments assets	$ 6,184	$ 4,056
Notional amount, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments liabilities	4,205	5,694
Fair value, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments assets	1,197	1,399
Fair value, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments liabilities	$ 269	330
Derivatives and available-for-sale debt securities, fair value level description	All derivatives and available-for-sale debt securities in the tables above are classified as Level 2. Our limited partnership investments included in our equity securities discussed below, are measured at fair value using the net asset value (“NAV”) per share (or its equivalent) practical expedient and have not been classified in the fair value hierarchy.
Derivative [Member] | Designated as hedges: [Member] | Commodities [Member] | Prepaid expenses and other current assets [Member]
Derivative and non-derivative assets and liabilities at fair value, net, by balance sheet classification [Abstract]
Notional amount, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments assets	$ 49	0
Fair value, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments assets	21	0
Derivative [Member] | Designated as hedges: [Member] | Commodities [Member] | Other assets [Member]
Derivative and non-derivative assets and liabilities at fair value, net, by balance sheet classification [Abstract]
Notional amount, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments assets	1	0
Fair value, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments assets	0	0
Derivative [Member] | Designated as hedges: [Member] | Commodities [Member] | Accrued liabilities [Member]
Derivative and non-derivative assets and liabilities at fair value, net, by balance sheet classification [Abstract]
Notional amount, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments liabilities	0	97
Fair value, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments liabilities	0	8
Derivative [Member] | Designated as hedges: [Member] | Commodities [Member] | Other liabilities [Member]
Derivative and non-derivative assets and liabilities at fair value, net, by balance sheet classification [Abstract]
Notional amount, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments liabilities	0	5
Fair value, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments liabilities	0	0
Derivative [Member] | Designated as hedges: [Member] | Foreign currency [Member] | Prepaid expenses and other current assets [Member]
Derivative and non-derivative assets and liabilities at fair value, net, by balance sheet classification [Abstract]
Notional amount, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments assets	236	0
Fair value, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments assets	55	26
Derivative [Member] | Designated as hedges: [Member] | Foreign currency [Member] | Other assets [Member]
Derivative and non-derivative assets and liabilities at fair value, net, by balance sheet classification [Abstract]
Notional amount, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments assets	2,000	2,000
Fair value, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments assets	58	25
Derivative [Member] | Designated as hedges: [Member] | Foreign currency [Member] | Accrued liabilities [Member]
Derivative and non-derivative assets and liabilities at fair value, net, by balance sheet classification [Abstract]
Notional amount, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments liabilities	0	139
Fair value, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments liabilities	34	29
Derivative [Member] | Designated as hedges: [Member] | Foreign currency [Member] | Other liabilities [Member]
Derivative and non-derivative assets and liabilities at fair value, net, by balance sheet classification [Abstract]
Notional amount, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments liabilities	950	950
Fair value, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments liabilities	101	140
Derivative [Member] | Designated as hedges: [Member] | Interest rates [Member] | Prepaid expenses and other current assets [Member]
Derivative and non-derivative assets and liabilities at fair value, net, by balance sheet classification [Abstract]
Notional amount, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments assets	1,000	0
Fair value, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments assets	82	20
Derivative [Member] | Designated as hedges: [Member] | Interest rates [Member] | Other assets [Member]
Derivative and non-derivative assets and liabilities at fair value, net, by balance sheet classification [Abstract]
Notional amount, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments assets	647	650
Fair value, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments assets	15	1
Derivative [Member] | Designated as hedges: [Member] | Interest rates [Member] | Accrued liabilities [Member]
Derivative and non-derivative assets and liabilities at fair value, net, by balance sheet classification [Abstract]
Notional amount, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments liabilities	1,000	0
Fair value, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments liabilities	10	5
Derivative [Member] | Designated as hedges: [Member] | Interest rates [Member] | Other liabilities [Member]
Derivative and non-derivative assets and liabilities at fair value, net, by balance sheet classification [Abstract]
Notional amount, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments liabilities	2,000	3,350
Fair value, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments liabilities	86	58
Derivative [Member] | Not designated as hedges: [Member] | Commodities [Member] | Prepaid expenses and other current assets [Member]
Derivative and non-derivative assets and liabilities at fair value, net, by balance sheet classification [Abstract]
Notional amount, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments assets	151	77
Fair value, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments assets	12	20
Derivative [Member] | Not designated as hedges: [Member] | Commodities [Member] | Accrued liabilities [Member]
Derivative and non-derivative assets and liabilities at fair value, net, by balance sheet classification [Abstract]
Notional amount, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments liabilities	8	108
Fair value, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments liabilities	3	29
Derivative [Member] | Not designated as hedges: [Member] | Foreign currency [Member] | Prepaid expenses and other current assets [Member]
Derivative and non-derivative assets and liabilities at fair value, net, by balance sheet classification [Abstract]
Notional amount, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments assets	1,164	19
Fair value, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments assets	10	0
Derivative [Member] | Not designated as hedges: [Member] | Foreign currency [Member] | Accrued liabilities [Member]
Derivative and non-derivative assets and liabilities at fair value, net, by balance sheet classification [Abstract]
Notional amount, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments liabilities	213	995
Fair value, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments liabilities	1	11
Non-derivatives: [Member] | Available-for-sale debt securities [Member] | Short-term Investments [Member]
Derivative and non-derivative assets and liabilities at fair value, net, by balance sheet classification [Abstract]
Notional amount, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments assets	586	960
Fair value, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments assets	586	960
Non-derivatives: [Member] | Equity securities [Member] | Short-term Investments [Member]
Derivative and non-derivative assets and liabilities at fair value, net, by balance sheet classification [Abstract]
Notional amount, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments assets	350	350
Fair value, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments assets	358	347
Non-derivatives: [Member] | Performance share awards [Member] | Accrued liabilities [Member]
Derivative and non-derivative assets and liabilities at fair value, net, by balance sheet classification [Abstract]
Notional amount, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments liabilities	32	23
Fair value, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments liabilities	32	23
Non-derivatives: [Member] | Performance share awards [Member] | Other liabilities [Member]
Derivative and non-derivative assets and liabilities at fair value, net, by balance sheet classification [Abstract]
Notional amount, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments liabilities	2	27
Fair value, derivative and non-derivative financial instruments liabilities	$ 2	$ 27

Financial Instruments and Fai_5

Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements, Outstanding foreign currency and commodity contracts (Details) - Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member]	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Foreign currency rates [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative, maturity date	October 2,018
Foreign currency rates [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative, maturity date	August 2,019
Commodities [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative, maturity date	October 2,018
Commodities [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative, maturity date	December 2,018

Financial Instruments and Fai_6

Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements, Carrying value and estimated fair value of non-derivative financial instruments (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Liabilities [Abstract]
Short-term debt, carrying value	$ 214	$ 68
Non-derivatives, fair value level description	Level 2
Amount of transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy	$ 0	0
Nonrecurring [Member] | Non-derivatives: [Member]
Assets: [Abstract]
Short-term loans receivable, carrying value	550	570
Short-term loans receivable, fair value	550	570
Liabilities [Abstract]
Short-term debt, carrying value	70	64
Long-term debt, carrying value	8,444	8,526
Total liabilities, carrying value	8,514	8,590
Short-term debt, fair value	67	75
Long-term debt, fair value	8,772	9,442
Total liabilities, fair value	$ 8,839	$ 9,517

Financial Instruments and Fai_7

Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements, Summary of net investment hedges (Details) € in Millions, $ in Millions	Sep. 10, 2018USD ($)	Sep. 10, 2018EUR (€)	Jun. 15, 2018USD ($)	Jun. 15, 2018EUR (€)	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016EUR (€)	Sep. 30, 2018EUR (€)	May 31, 2018EUR (€)	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017EUR (€)
Derivative [Line Items]
Payments for settlement of net investment hedges						$ 850	$ 658
Proceeds from settlement of net investment hedges						872	609
Net Investment Hedging [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Gain (loss) recognized related to the ineffectiveness of net investment hedging relationship					$ 0		$ 0
Derivative [Member] | Net Investment Hedging [Member] | Foreign currency contracts [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional amounts, initial value of derivatives | €		€ 325		€ 400					€ 800			€ 617
Payments for settlement of net investment hedges	$ 377	€ 325	$ 473	€ 400
Proceeds from settlement of net investment hedges	$ 374		$ 498
Notional amounts value						886			817		$ 789	742
Non-derivatives: [Member] | Net Investment Hedging [Member] | Foreign-currency denominated debt [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional amounts value						$ 869			€ 750		$ 899	€ 750
Non-derivatives: [Member] | Net Investment Hedging [Member] | Euro denominated notes payable due 2022 [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional amounts value | €								€ 750
Maturity year								2,022
Notional amount of net investment hedge dedesignated as foreign-currency denominated debt and redesignated | €										€ 125

Financial Instruments and Fai_8

Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements, Summary of cash flow hedges (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Jul. 31, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Derivative [Line Items]
Pre-tax deferred gain (loss) scheduled to be reclassified from AOCI to interest expense over the next twelve months		$ 1
Pre-tax unrealized gain (loss) to be reclassified to cost of sales over the next twelve months		21
Cash-flow hedge [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Gain (loss) recognized related to the ineffectiveness of cash flow hedging relationships			$ (1)
Cash-flow hedge [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Gain (loss) recognized related to the ineffectiveness of cash flow hedging relationships	$ 0
Cash-flow hedge [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Gain (loss) recognized related to the ineffectiveness of cash flow hedging relationships	$ (1)
Cash-flow hedge [Member] | Foreign currency [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional amounts value		$ 2,300				$ 2,300
Cash-flow hedge [Member] | Foreign currency [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Expiration Date		2,021
Cash-flow hedge [Member] | Foreign currency [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Expiration Date		2,027
Cash-flow hedge [Member] | Interest rates [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional amounts value		$ 1,500				1,000
Cash-flow hedge [Member] | Interest rates [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Expiration Date		2,019
Cash-flow hedge [Member] | Interest rates [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Expiration Date		2,021
Cash-flow hedge [Member] | Commodities [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional amounts value		$ 50				$ 102
Cash-flow hedge [Member] | Commodities [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Expiration Date		2,018
Cash-flow hedge [Member] | Commodities [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Expiration Date		2,019
Cash-flow hedge [Member] | Forward-starting interest rate swaps [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional amounts value				$ 200	$ 300

Financial Instruments and Fai_9

Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements, Summary of fair value hedges (Details) € in Millions, $ in Millions	1 Months Ended		3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)	Feb. 28, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018EUR (€)	May 31, 2018USD ($)	May 31, 2018EUR (€)	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)
Guaranteed Notes due 2022, euro 750 million, 1.875% [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Face amount | €						€ 750
Stated interest rate (in hundredths)				1.875%		1.875%
Maturity year				2,022
Guaranteed Notes due 2027, $1,000 million, 3.50% [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Face amount	$ 1,000			$ 1,000
Stated interest rate (in hundredths)	3.50%			3.50%		3.50%
Maturity year	2,027			2,027
Senior Notes due 2019 [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Face amount				$ 1,000
Stated interest rate (in hundredths)	5.00%			5.00%		5.00%
Maturity year	2,019			2,019
Fair value hedge [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Gain (loss) recognized related to the ineffectiveness of fair value hedging relationships			$ (4)		$ (11)
Fair value hedge [Member] | Interest rates [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional amounts value				$ 3,147					$ 3,000
Fair value hedge [Member] | Interest rates [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative, maturity date				2,019
Fair value hedge [Member] | Interest rates [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative, maturity date				2,027
Fair value hedge [Member] | Interest rates [Member] | Guaranteed Notes due 2022, euro 750 million, 1.875% [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional amounts value							$ 147	€ 125
Fair value hedge [Member] | Interest rates [Member] | Guaranteed Notes due 2027, $1,000 million, 3.50% [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Dedesignation of fixed-for-floating interest rate swap hedging arrangement		In February 2017, we entered into U.S. dollar fixed-for-floating interest rate swaps to mitigate changes in the fair value of our $1,000 million 3.5% guaranteed notes due 2027 associated with the risk of variability in the 3 Month USD LIBOR rate (the benchmark interest rate). The fixed-rate and variable-rate are settled semi-annually and quarterly, respectively.
Fair value hedge [Member] | Interest rates [Member] | Senior Notes due 2019 [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Dedesignation of fixed-for-floating interest rate swap hedging arrangement	In March 2017, concurrent with the redemption of $1,000 million of our outstanding 5% senior notes due 2019, we dedesignated the related $2,000 million fair value hedge and terminated swaps in the notional amount of $1,000 million. At the same time, we redesignated the remaining $1,000 million notional amount of swaps as a fair value hedge of the remaining $1,000 million of 5% senior notes outstanding.

Financial Instruments and Fa_10

Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements, Pretax effect of derivative instruments charged directly to income (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Derivative Instruments, gain (loss) [Line Items]
Gain (loss) recognized in AOCI	$ 98	$ (187)	$ 284	$ (525)
Gain (loss) reclassified from AOCI to income	(24)	74	(82)	232
Gain (loss) recognized in income	28	6	21	5
Amount of gain (loss) recognized in other comprehensive income on derivative amount excluded for effectiveness testing	(1)		14
Amount of gain (loss) recognized in earnings on derivative amount excluded for effectiveness testing	8		21
Pretax effect of the periodic receipt of fixed interest and payment of variable interest	(3)	5	(1)	18
Derivatives: [Member] | Designated as hedges: [Member] | Designated as net investment hedges: [Member] | Foreign currency [Member] | Interest expense [Member]
Derivative Instruments, gain (loss) [Line Items]
Gain (loss) recognized in AOCI	4	(57)	65	(170)
Gain (loss) reclassified from AOCI to income	0	0	0	0
Gain (loss) recognized in income	8	0	21	0
Derivatives: [Member] | Designated as hedges: [Member] | Designated as cash flow hedges: [Member] | Commodities [Member] | Cost of sales [Member]
Derivative Instruments, gain (loss) [Line Items]
Gain (loss) recognized in AOCI	30	3	36	(4)
Gain (loss) reclassified from AOCI to income	(11)	0	(7)	0
Gain (loss) recognized in income	0	0	0	0
Derivatives: [Member] | Designated as hedges: [Member] | Designated as cash flow hedges: [Member] | Foreign currency [Member]
Derivative Instruments, gain (loss) [Line Items]
Gain (loss) reclassified from AOCI to income	(13)		(75)
Derivatives: [Member] | Designated as hedges: [Member] | Designated as cash flow hedges: [Member] | Foreign currency [Member] | Other income (expense), net; Interest expense [Member]
Derivative Instruments, gain (loss) [Line Items]
Gain (loss) recognized in AOCI	11	(98)	37	(233)
Gain (loss) reclassified from AOCI to income	(13)	74	(75)	232
Gain (loss) recognized in income	11	9	29	32
Derivatives: [Member] | Designated as hedges: [Member] | Designated as cash flow hedges: [Member] | Interest rates [Member] | Interest expense [Member]
Derivative Instruments, gain (loss) [Line Items]
Gain (loss) recognized in AOCI	48	(5)	115	(23)
Gain (loss) reclassified from AOCI to income	0	0	0	0
Gain (loss) recognized in income	0	0	0	(1)
Derivatives: [Member] | Designated as hedges: [Member] | Designated as fair value hedges [Member] | Interest rates [Member] | Interest expense [Member]
Derivative Instruments, gain (loss) [Line Items]
Gain (loss) recognized in AOCI	0	0	0	0
Gain (loss) reclassified from AOCI to income	0	0	0	0
Gain (loss) recognized in income	(12)	3	(74)	21
Derivatives: [Member] | Not designated as hedges: [Member] | Commodities [Member] | Sales and other operating revenues [Member]
Derivative Instruments, gain (loss) [Line Items]
Gain (loss) recognized in AOCI	0	0	0	0
Gain (loss) reclassified from AOCI to income	0	0	0	0
Gain (loss) recognized in income	2	(6)	1	(9)
Derivatives: [Member] | Not designated as hedges: [Member] | Commodities [Member] | Cost of sales [Member]
Derivative Instruments, gain (loss) [Line Items]
Gain (loss) recognized in AOCI	0	0	0	0
Gain (loss) reclassified from AOCI to income	0	0	0	0
Gain (loss) recognized in income	7	6	16	(31)
Derivatives: [Member] | Not designated as hedges: [Member] | Foreign currency [Member] | Other income (expense), net [Member]
Derivative Instruments, gain (loss) [Line Items]
Gain (loss) recognized in AOCI	0	0	0	0
Gain (loss) reclassified from AOCI to income	0	0	0	0
Gain (loss) recognized in income	12	(6)	28	(7)
Non-derivatives: [Member] | Designated as hedges: [Member] | Designated as net investment hedges: [Member] | Long-term debt [Member] | Other income (expense), net [Member]
Derivative Instruments, gain (loss) [Line Items]
Gain (loss) recognized in AOCI	5	(30)	31	(95)
Gain (loss) reclassified from AOCI to income	0	0	0	0
Gain (loss) recognized in income	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0

Financial Instruments and Fa_11

Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements, Summary of available-for-sale debt securities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2017
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Abstract]
Cost	$ 586		$ 586		$ 1,310
Gross unrealized gains			1		2
Gross unrealized losses			(1)		(5)
Fair value	586		586		1,307
Available-for-sale and held-to-maturity securities, additional information [Abstract]
Amount of losses related to other-than-temporary impairments on available-for-sale debt securities	0		0		0
Proceeds from maturities and sales of available-for-sale securities and the related gross realized gains and losses [Abstract]
Proceeds from maturities of securities	0	$ 12	410	$ 499
Proceeds from sales of securities	0	0	0	0
Gross realized gains	0	0	0	0
Gross realized losses	0	$ 0	0	0
Proceeds from maturities of held-to-maturity securities				$ 75
Commercial paper [Member]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Abstract]
Cost					180
Gross unrealized gains					0
Gross unrealized losses					0
Fair value					180
Bonds [Member]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Abstract]
Cost	586		586		630
Gross unrealized gains			1		0
Gross unrealized losses			(1)		0
Fair value	586		586		630
Available-for-sale and held-to-maturity securities continuous unrealized loss position [Abstract]
Fair value of available-for-sale securities in continuous unrealized loss position for less than twelve months	155		155
Unrealized losses on available-for-sale securities in continuous unrealized loss position for less than twelve months	(1)		(1)
Fair value of available-for-sale securities in continuous unrealized loss position for greater than twelve months	0		0
Unrealized losses on available-for-sale securities in continuous unrealized loss position for greater than twelve months	$ 0		$ 0
Bonds [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Available-for-sale and held-to-maturity securities, additional information [Abstract]
Investment maturity period			2 months
Bonds [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Available-for-sale and held-to-maturity securities, additional information [Abstract]
Investment maturity period			25 months
Certificates of deposit [Member]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Abstract]
Cost					150
Gross unrealized gains					0
Gross unrealized losses					0
Fair value					150
Limited partnership investments [Member]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Abstract]
Cost					350
Gross unrealized gains					2
Gross unrealized losses					(5)
Fair value					347
Available-for-sale and held-to-maturity securities continuous unrealized loss position [Abstract]
Fair value of available-for-sale securities in continuous unrealized loss position for less than twelve months					117
Unrealized losses on available-for-sale securities in continuous unrealized loss position for less than twelve months					(5)
Fair value of available-for-sale securities in continuous unrealized loss position for greater than twelve months					0
Unrealized losses on available-for-sale securities in continuous unrealized loss position for greater than twelve months					$ 0

Financial Instruments and Fa_12

Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements, Equity securities (Details) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)
Unrealized gains and losses for equity securities [Abstract]
Net gain (loss) recognized during the period	$ 1
Gain (loss) on sale of equity securities net	2
Unrealized gain (loss) on equity securities	(1)
Equity securities [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional amount	350
Fair value	$ 358

Pension and Other Postretirem_3

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
U.S. [Member] | Pension Plan [Member]
Net periodic pension and other postretirement benefit costs (credits): [Abstract]
Service cost	$ 13	$ 11	$ 38	$ 35
Interest cost	15	15	45	45
Expected return on plan assets	(30)	(30)	(91)	(91)
Actuarial and investment loss amortization	5	5	16	16
Net periodic benefit costs (credits)	3	1	8	5
U.S. [Member] | Other postretirement benefits plan [Member]
Net periodic pension and other postretirement benefit costs (credits): [Abstract]
Service cost	1	0	2	2
Interest cost	2	3	7	7
Net periodic benefit costs (credits)	3	3	9	9
Non-U.S. [Member] | Pension Plan [Member]
Net periodic pension and other postretirement benefit costs (credits): [Abstract]
Service cost	8	9	25	28
Interest cost	8	5	24	16
Expected return on plan assets	(6)	(4)	(18)	(13)
Settlement loss	0	0	1	0
Actuarial and investment loss amortization	3	4	8	11
Net periodic benefit costs (credits)	13	14	40	42
Non-U.S. [Member] | Other postretirement benefits plan [Member]
Net periodic pension and other postretirement benefit costs (credits): [Abstract]
Service cost	0	1	1	2
Interest cost	0	0	1	1
Actuarial and investment loss amortization	1	1	1	2
Net periodic benefit costs (credits)	$ 1	$ 2	$ 3	$ 5

Income Taxes (Details)

Income Taxes (Details)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Effective income tax rate reconciliation, percent [Abstract]
Effective income tax rate (in hundredths)	17.20%	26.40%	11.40%	27.80%

Income Taxes, Unrecognized tax

Income Taxes, Unrecognized tax benefits (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Unrecognized tax benefits [Abstract]
Non-cash benefit of reductions for tax positions of prior years including released interest	$ 346
Reductions for tax positions of prior years	288
Released interest expenses recognized in uncertain tax positions	58
Unrecognized tax benefits relating to uncertain tax positions	262	$ 544
Reasonably possible decrease in unrecognized tax benefits within the next twelve months	180
Interest and penalties recognized on uncertain tax positions	46	16
Interest and penalties accrued on uncertain tax positions	$ 17	$ 63

Income Taxes, Components of inc

Income Taxes, Components of income tax provision (Details) - United States [Member] $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)
Corporate income tax rate [Line Items]
Corporate income tax rate (in hundredths)	35.00%
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, new statutory tax rate effective 1/1/2018 (in hundredths)	21.00%
Remeasurement of U.S. net deferred tax liability	$ 819

Commitments and Contingencies_2

Commitments and Contingencies (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Environmental remediation [Abstract]
Total accrued liability for future environmental remediation costs	$ 92	$ 102	$ 99	$ 95
Minimum [Member]
Site contingency [Line Items]
Accrued liability for individual site range	less than $1 million
Maximum [Member]
Site contingency [Line Items]
Accrued liability for individual site range	$17 million

Commitments and Contingencies,

Commitments and Contingencies, Accrued environmental liability (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Accrual for environmental loss contingencies [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	$ 102	$ 95
Changes in estimates	1	3
Amounts paid	(9)	(7)
Foreign exchange effects	(2)	8
Ending balance	$ 92	$ 99

Commitments and Contingencies_3

Commitments and Contingencies, Loss contingencies (Details) - USD ($)	1 Months Ended			9 Months Ended
	Apr. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2010	Jun. 30, 2009	Sep. 30, 2018
Minimum [Member]
Loss contingencies [Line Items]
Technology licensing contracts indemnification period				5 years
Maximum [Member]
Loss contingencies [Line Items]
Technology licensing contracts indemnification period				10 years
Pending or threatened litigation [Member] | Affiliates of Access Industries indemnity demand letter [Member]
Loss contingencies [Line Items]
Description of parties who issued the demand letters		affiliates of Access Industries (collectively, “Access Entities”), a more than five percent shareholder of the Company
Description of indemnity demanded		demanding indemnity for losses, including attorney’s fees and expenses, arising out of a 2007 management agreement and a pending lawsuit styled Edward S. Weisfelner, as Litigation Trustee of the LB Litigation Trust v. Leonard Blavatnik, et al., Adversary Proceeding No. 09-1375 (REG), in the United States Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New York
Award to plaintiffs in lawsuit	$ 12,600,000
Pending or threatened litigation [Member] | Affiliates of Access Industries management agreement fee demand letters [Member]
Loss contingencies [Line Items]
Description of parties who issued the demand letters		affiliates of Access Industries (collectively, “Access Entities”), a more than five percent shareholder of the Company
Amount of management fees demanded		$ 100,000,000
Pending or threatened litigation [Member] | Affiliates of Access Industries management agreement fee demand letters [Member] | Predecessor [Member]
Loss contingencies [Line Items]
Description of parties who issued the demand letters			affiliates of Access Industries (collectively, “Access Entities”), a more than five percent shareholder of the Company
Proof of claim for management fees previously filed in Bankruptcy Court			$ 723,963.65

Stockholders' Equity, Dividend

Stockholders' Equity, Dividend distributions (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	1 Months Ended			3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Summary of dividend payments [Abstract]
Dividend per ordinary share (per share)		$ 1	$ 1			$ 3
Aggregate dividends paid	$ 389	$ 392	$ 395			$ 1,176
Date of record	Sep. 5, 2018	Jun. 11, 2018	Mar. 5, 2018
Dividends per share (in dollars per share)				$ 1	$ 0.90	$ 3	$ 2.65

Stockholders' Equity, Share rep

Stockholders' Equity, Share repurchase programs (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	1 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Share repurchase programs [Line Items]
Shares repurchased (in shares)		7,678,815	10,018,001
Average purchase price (in dollars per share)		$ 106.93	$ 84.30
Total purchase price, including commissions		$ 821	$ 845
Cash paid for shares repurchased		$ 801	$ 866
May 2016 Share Repurchase Program [Member]
Share repurchase programs [Line Items]
Shares repurchased (in shares)			3,501,084
Average purchase price (in dollars per share)			$ 85.71
Total purchase price, including commissions			$ 300
June 2018 Share Repurchase Program [Member]
Share repurchase programs [Line Items]
Stock repurchase program shares authorized to be repurchased	57,844,016
Stock repurchase program expiration date	Dec. 1, 2019
Shares repurchased (in shares)		3,674,062
Average purchase price (in dollars per share)		$ 107.89
Total purchase price, including commissions		$ 396
May 2017 Share Repurchase Program [Member]
Share repurchase programs [Line Items]
Shares repurchased (in shares)		4,004,753	6,516,917
Average purchase price (in dollars per share)		$ 106.05	$ 83.54
Total purchase price, including commissions		$ 425	$ 545

Stockholders' Equity, Ordinary

Stockholders' Equity, Ordinary shares (Details) - shares	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Ordinary share outstanding [Abstract]
Beginning balance (in shares)	394,512,054
Purchase of ordinary shares (in shares)	(7,678,815)	(10,018,001)
Ending balance (in shares)	387,177,776
Ordinary shares [Member]
Ordinary share outstanding [Abstract]
Beginning balance (in shares)	394,512,054	404,046,331
Share-based compensation (in shares)	285,186	343,663
Warrants exercised (in shares)	0	4,184
Employee stock purchase plan (in shares)	82,758	81,964
Purchase of ordinary shares (in shares)	(7,702,222)	(10,018,001)
Ending balance (in shares)	387,177,776	394,458,141

Stockholders' Equity, Treasury

Stockholders' Equity, Treasury shares (Details) - shares	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Ordinary shares held as treasury shares: [Abstract]
Beginning balance (in shares)		183,928,109
Purchase of ordinary shares (in shares)		7,678,815	10,018,001
Ending balance (in shares)	13,032,504	13,032,504
Treasury shares [Member]
Ordinary shares held as treasury shares: [Abstract]
Beginning balance (in shares)		183,928,109	174,389,139
Share-based compensation (in shares)		(285,186)	(343,663)
Warrants exercised (in shares)		0	509
Employee stock purchase plan (in shares)		(82,758)	(81,964)
Purchase of ordinary shares (in shares)	23,407	7,702,222	10,018,001
Treasury shares canceled	178,229,883	(178,229,883)	0
Ending balance (in shares)	13,032,504	13,032,504	183,982,022

Stockholders' Equity, Component

Stockholders' Equity, Components of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), beginning of period			$ (1,285)	$ (1,511)
Adoption of accounting standards	$ (70)		(70)
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications			138	(141)
Tax (expense) benefit before reclassifications			(51)	106
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)			(55)	261
Tax (expense) benefit			14	(74)
Total other comprehensive income, net of tax	49	$ 16	46	152
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), end of period	(1,309)	(1,359)	(1,309)	(1,359)
Financial derivatives [Member]
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), beginning of period			(120)	(75)
Adoption of accounting standards	(2)		(2)
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications			186	(260)
Tax (expense) benefit before reclassifications			(36)	73
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)			(81)	232
Tax (expense) benefit			20	(65)
Total other comprehensive income, net of tax			89	(20)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), end of period	(33)	(95)	(33)	(95)
Unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale debt securities [Member]
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), beginning of period			0	1
Adoption of accounting standards	0		0
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications			0	(1)
Tax (expense) benefit before reclassifications			0	0
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)			0	0
Tax (expense) benefit			0	0
Total other comprehensive income, net of tax			0	(1)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), end of period	0	0	0	0
Unrealized gains (losses) on equity securities and equity securities held by equity investees [Member]
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), beginning of period			17	0
Adoption of accounting standards	(17)		(17)
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications			0	8
Tax (expense) benefit before reclassifications			0	2
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)			0	0
Tax (expense) benefit			0	0
Total other comprehensive income, net of tax			0	10
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), end of period	0	10	0	10
Defined benefit pension and other postretirement benefit plans [Member]
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), beginning of period			(421)	(498)
Adoption of accounting standards	(51)		(51)
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications			0	0
Tax (expense) benefit before reclassifications			0	0
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)			26	29
Tax (expense) benefit			(6)	(9)
Total other comprehensive income, net of tax			20	20
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), end of period	(452)	(478)	(452)	(478)
Foreign currency translation adjustments [Member]
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), beginning of period			(761)	(939)
Adoption of accounting standards	0		0
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications			(48)	112
Tax (expense) benefit before reclassifications			(15)	31
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)			0	0
Tax (expense) benefit			0	0
Total other comprehensive income, net of tax			(63)	143
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), end of period	$ (824)	$ (796)	$ (824)	$ (796)

Stockholders' Equity, Reclassif

Stockholders' Equity, Reclassification out of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Reclassification adjustments out of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) [Line Items]
Other income (expense), net	$ 17	$ 114	$ 57	$ 173
Cost of sales	8,499	6,939	24,801	20,531
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	1,347	1,438	4,515	4,151
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes	232	380	514	1,154
Net income attributable to the Company shareholders	1,113	1,057	3,998	2,985
Amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) [Member]
Reclassification adjustments out of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) [Line Items]
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	(14)	84	(55)	261
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes	(2)	21	(14)	74
Net income attributable to the Company shareholders	(12)	63	(41)	187
Financial derivatives [Member] | Amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) [Member]
Reclassification adjustments out of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) [Line Items]
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes	(5)	18	(20)	65
Net income attributable to the Company shareholders	(18)	56	(61)	167
Financial derivatives [Member] | Foreign currency [Member] | Amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) [Member]
Reclassification adjustments out of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) [Line Items]
Other income (expense), net	(13)	74	(75)	232
Financial derivatives [Member] | Commodities [Member] | Amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) [Member]
Reclassification adjustments out of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) [Line Items]
Cost of sales	(10)	0	(6)	0
Amortization of defined pension items [Member] | Amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) [Member]
Reclassification adjustments out of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) [Line Items]
Amortization of actuarial (gain) loss	9	10	25	29
Settlement loss	0	0	1	0
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes	3	3	6	9
Net income attributable to the Company shareholders	$ 6	$ 7	$ 20	$ 20

Per Share Data (Details)

Per Share Data (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Millions, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Earnings per share reconciliation [Abstract]
Net income (loss)	$ 1,113	$ 1,056	$ 3,998	$ 2,983
Less: net (income) loss attributable to non-controlling interests	0	1	0	2
Net income attributable to the Company shareholders	$ 1,113	$ 1,057	$ 3,998	$ 2,985
Earnings (loss) per share: [Abstract]
Basic (in dollars per share)	$ 2.86	$ 2.67	$ 10.20	$ 7.46
Diluted (in dollars per share)	2.85	2.67	10.18	7.46
Earnings per share, basic and diluted, other disclosures [Abstract]
Dividends declared per share of common stock (in dollars per share)	$ 1	$ 0.90	$ 3	$ 2.65
Continuing operations [Member]
Earnings per share reconciliation [Abstract]
Net income (loss)	$ 1,115	$ 1,058	$ 4,001	$ 2,997
Less: net (income) loss attributable to non-controlling interests	0	1	0	2
Net income attributable to the Company shareholders	1,115	1,059	4,001	2,999
Net (income) loss attributable to participating securities	(2)	(1)	(4)	(3)
Net income (loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders - Basic	1,113	1,058	3,997	2,996
Net income (loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders - Diluted	$ 1,113	$ 1,058	$ 3,997	$ 2,996
Weighted average number of shares outstanding reconciliation [Abstract]
Basic weighted average common stock outstanding (in shares)	389	395	391	400
Effect of dilutive securities: [Abstract]
PSU awards	1	0	1	0
Potential dilutive shares (in shares)	390	395	392	400
Earnings (loss) per share: [Abstract]
Basic (in dollars per share)	$ 2.86	$ 2.67	$ 10.21	$ 7.49
Diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 2.85	$ 2.67	$ 10.19	$ 7.49
Earnings per share, basic and diluted, other disclosures [Abstract]
Participating securities (in shares)	0.5	0.4	0.5	0.4
Dividends declared per share of common stock (in dollars per share)	$ 1	$ 0.90	$ 3	$ 2.65
Discontinued operations [Member]
Earnings per share reconciliation [Abstract]
Net income (loss)	$ (2)	$ (2)	$ (3)	$ (14)
Less: net (income) loss attributable to non-controlling interests	0	0	0	0
Net income attributable to the Company shareholders	(2)	(2)	(3)	(14)
Net (income) loss attributable to participating securities	0	0	0	0
Net income (loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders - Basic	(2)	(2)	(3)	(14)
Net income (loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders - Diluted	$ (2)	$ (2)	$ (3)	$ (14)
Weighted average number of shares outstanding reconciliation [Abstract]
Basic weighted average common stock outstanding (in shares)	389	395	391	400
Effect of dilutive securities: [Abstract]
PSU awards	1	0	1	0
Potential dilutive shares (in shares)	390	395	392	400
Earnings (loss) per share: [Abstract]
Basic (in dollars per share)	$ 0	$ 0	$ (0.01)	$ (0.03)
Diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 0	$ 0	$ (0.01)	$ (0.03)
Earnings per share, basic and diluted, other disclosures [Abstract]
Participating securities (in shares)	0.5	0.4	0.5	0.4
Dividends declared per share of common stock (in dollars per share)	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0

Segment and Related Informati_3

Segment and Related Information (Details) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)OperatingSegments	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Number of Reportable Segments | OperatingSegments				6
Summarized financial information concerning reportable segments: [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	$ 10,155	$ 8,516		$ 30,128	$ 25,349
Income (loss) from equity investments	89	81		253	240
EBITDA	1,732	1,821		5,655	5,408
O&P - Americas [Member]
Summarized financial information concerning reportable segments: [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	1,843	1,731		5,324	5,383
Income (loss) from equity investments	18	8		50	33
EBITDA	704	591		2,131	2,130
Gain on sale of assets			$ 31		31
O&P - EAI [Member]
Summarized financial information concerning reportable segments: [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	2,434	2,451		7,866	7,083
Income (loss) from equity investments	69	69		199	202
EBITDA	262	599		1,036	1,638
Gain on sale of equity method investment		$ 108			$ 108
Ownership percentage of equity method investment		27.00%			27.00%
Noncash gain on elimination of a lease obligation		$ 21			$ 21
I&D [Member]
Summarized financial information concerning reportable segments: [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	2,463	2,043		7,314	6,142
Income (loss) from equity investments	2	4		4	5
EBITDA	504	402		1,632	1,080
Gain (loss) on precious metal catalysts					(40)
APS [Member]
Summarized financial information concerning reportable segments: [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	1,038	731		2,709	2,194
Income (loss) from equity investments	0	0		0	0
EBITDA	70	124		314	356
Business combination acquisition and integration related costs	49			49
Refining [Member]
Summarized financial information concerning reportable segments: [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	2,236	1,491		6,536	4,306
Income (loss) from equity investments	0	0		0	0
EBITDA	84	58		251	53
Technology [Member]
Summarized financial information concerning reportable segments: [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	141	69		379	241
Income (loss) from equity investments	0	0		0	0
EBITDA	98	47		267	155
Operating Segments [Member] | O&P - Americas [Member]
Summarized financial information concerning reportable segments: [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	2,770	2,347		7,958	7,300
Operating Segments [Member] | O&P - EAI [Member]
Summarized financial information concerning reportable segments: [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	2,643	2,640		8,503	7,636
Operating Segments [Member] | I&D [Member]
Summarized financial information concerning reportable segments: [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	2,509	2,077		7,436	6,241
Operating Segments [Member] | APS [Member]
Summarized financial information concerning reportable segments: [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	1,039	731		2,710	2,194
Operating Segments [Member] | Refining [Member]
Summarized financial information concerning reportable segments: [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	2,499	1,670		7,325	4,736
Operating Segments [Member] | Technology [Member]
Summarized financial information concerning reportable segments: [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	171	98		468	325
Intersegment Eliminations [Member]
Summarized financial information concerning reportable segments: [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	(1,476)	(1,047)		(4,272)	(3,083)
Intersegment Eliminations [Member] | O&P - Americas [Member]
Summarized financial information concerning reportable segments: [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	(927)	(616)		(2,634)	(1,917)
Intersegment Eliminations [Member] | O&P - EAI [Member]
Summarized financial information concerning reportable segments: [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	(209)	(189)		(637)	(553)
Intersegment Eliminations [Member] | I&D [Member]
Summarized financial information concerning reportable segments: [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	(46)	(34)		(122)	(99)
Intersegment Eliminations [Member] | APS [Member]
Summarized financial information concerning reportable segments: [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	(1)	0		(1)	0
Intersegment Eliminations [Member] | Refining [Member]
Summarized financial information concerning reportable segments: [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	(263)	(179)		(789)	(430)
Intersegment Eliminations [Member] | Technology [Member]
Summarized financial information concerning reportable segments: [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	(30)	(29)		(89)	(84)
Other [Member]
Summarized financial information concerning reportable segments: [Abstract]
Sales and other operating revenues	0	0		0	0
Income (loss) from equity investments	0	0		0	0
EBITDA	$ 10	$ 0		$ 24	$ (4)

Segment and Related Informati_4

Segment and Related Information, Reconciliation of EBITDA to income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
EBITDA: [Abstract]
Total segment EBITDA	$ 1,722	$ 1,821	$ 5,631	$ 5,412
Other EBITDA	10	0	24	(4)
Less: [Abstract]
Depreciation and amortization expense	(309)	(294)	(908)	(876)
Interest expense	(90)	(94)	(272)	(396)
Add: [Abstract]
Interest income	14	5	40	15
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	$ 1,347	$ 1,438	$ 4,515	$ 4,151