| Cover | 12 Months Ended |
| Dec. 31, 2022 | |
| Document Information [Line Items] | |
| Document Type | DEF 14A |
| Amendment Flag | false |
| Entity Information [Line Items] | |
| Entity Registrant Name | NUCOR CORPORATION |
| Entity Central Index Key | 0000073309 |
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure | 12 Months Ended | ||
| Dec. 31, 2022 USD ($) | Dec. 31, 2021 USD ($) | Dec. 31, 2020 USD ($) | |
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Pay vs Performance [Table Text Block] | Pay Versus Performance Disclosure In accordance with rules adopted by the SEC pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, we provide the following disclosure regarding executive “compensation actually Value of Initial Fixed $100 Year Summary ($) (1) Compensation Average Non-PEO ($) (4) Average Non-PEO Total ( Peer Group ($) (5) Net ($) ROE (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i) 2022 23,073,171 37,341,765 6,499,047 8,430,764 252 216 7,607 46.9 % 2021 11,618,019 52,148,691 5,246,942 23,557,361 215 179 6,827 55.0 % 2020 11,265,538 12,399,819 7,296,327 5,762,046 98 106 721 6.8 % (1) The principal executive officer, or PEO, for each of the years listed is Leon J. Topalian. (2) The dollar amounts shown in these columns reflect “compensation actually paid” computed in accordance with SEC rules. The SEC rules require the use of the fair value of Nucor common stock at points in time and do not reflect that a significant portion of CAP may never be earned or delivered to NEOs due to a number of factors, including the failure of the NEOs to satisfy vesting requirements or a decrease in the fair value of Nucor common stock. The Total Adjustments for Equity Awards are shown in the table below. During 2021, the fair value of Nucor common stock more than doubled from $53.19 to $114.15. This increase in fair value resulted in a significant difference between the Summary Compensation Table Totals and the CAP for the PEO and the average CAP for the Non-PEO NEOs for 2021 because the PEO and the NEOs hold a significant number of unvested equity awards. 2022 2021 2020 PEO Average Non-PEO PEO Average Non-PEO PEO Average Non-PEO $ $ $ $ $ $ Total Compensation from Summary Compensation Table 23,073,171 6,499,047 11,618,019 5,246,942 11,265,538 7,296,327 Adjustments for Equity Awards: Grant date values in the Summary Compensation Table (13,632,413 ) (3,844,616 ) (5,689,943 ) (2,431,870 ) (5,312,358 ) (2,578,948 ) Year-end 18,173,840 3,238,139 12,422,466 5,092,457 6,896,426 1,938,739 Year-over-year difference of year-end 7,527,586 430,648 28,207,308 11,458,211 81,777 (483,507 ) Fair values at vest date for awards granted and vested in current year 546,000 1,194,601 — 528,952 — 658,862 Difference in prior year-end 1,412,224 834,710 5,434,578 3,512,002 (690,755 ) (1,239,087 ) Dividends or dividend equivalents in the current year prior to vesting 241,357 78,235 156,263 150,667 159,191 169,660 Total Adjustments for Equity Awards 14,268,594 1,931,717 40,530,672 18,310,419 1,134,281 (1,534,281 ) CAP (as calculated) 37,341,765 8,430,764 52,148,691 23,557,361 12,399,819 5,762,046 (3) Equity valuation assumptions for calculating CAP are not materially different from grant date valuation assumptions. (4) Information regarding non-PEO offic 2022: James D. Frias, Stephen D. Laxton, Daniel R. Needham, K. Rex Query, MaryEmily Slate and D. Chad Utermark 2021: James D. Frias, Douglas J. Jellison, David A. Sumoski and D. Chad Utermark 2020: James D. Frias, Ladd R. Hall, Raymond S. Napolitan, Jr., David A. Sumoski and D. Chad Utermark (5) Total shareholder return (“TSR”) is calculated based on the value of an initial fixed investment of $100 on December 31, 2019, assuming reinvestment of dividends. The peer group TSR represents TSR of the S&P 1500 Steel Index, which is the peer group used by the Company for purposes of Item 201(e) of SEC Regulation S-K Form 10-K | ||
| Company Selected Measure Name | ROE | ||
| Named Executive Officers, Footnote [Text Block] | (4) Information regarding non-PEO offic 2022: James D. Frias, Stephen D. Laxton, Daniel R. Needham, K. Rex Query, MaryEmily Slate and D. Chad Utermark 2021: James D. Frias, Douglas J. Jellison, David A. Sumoski and D. Chad Utermark 2020: James D. Frias, Ladd R. Hall, Raymond S. Napolitan, Jr., David A. Sumoski and D. Chad Utermark | ||
| Peer Group Issuers, Footnote [Text Block] | The peer group TSR represents TSR of the S&P 1500 Steel Index, which is the peer group used by the Company for purposes of Item 201(e) of SEC Regulation S-K Form 10-K | ||
| PEO Total Compensation Amount | $ 23,073,171 | $ 11,618,019 | $ 11,265,538 |
| PEO Actually Paid Compensation Amount | $ 37,341,765 | 52,148,691 | 12,399,819 |
| Adjustment To PEO Compensation, Footnote [Text Block] | (2) The dollar amounts shown in these columns reflect “compensation actually paid” computed in accordance with SEC rules. The SEC rules require the use of the fair value of Nucor common stock at points in time and do not reflect that a significant portion of CAP may never be earned or delivered to NEOs due to a number of factors, including the failure of the NEOs to satisfy vesting requirements or a decrease in the fair value of Nucor common stock. The Total Adjustments for Equity Awards are shown in the table below. During 2021, the fair value of Nucor common stock more than doubled from $53.19 to $114.15. This increase in fair value resulted in a significant difference between the Summary Compensation Table Totals and the CAP for the PEO and the average CAP for the Non-PEO NEOs for 2021 because the PEO and the NEOs hold a significant number of unvested equity awards. 2022 2021 2020 PEO Average Non-PEO PEO Average Non-PEO PEO Average Non-PEO $ $ $ $ $ $ Total Compensation from Summary Compensation Table 23,073,171 6,499,047 11,618,019 5,246,942 11,265,538 7,296,327 Adjustments for Equity Awards: Grant date values in the Summary Compensation Table (13,632,413 ) (3,844,616 ) (5,689,943 ) (2,431,870 ) (5,312,358 ) (2,578,948 ) Year-end 18,173,840 3,238,139 12,422,466 5,092,457 6,896,426 1,938,739 Year-over-year difference of year-end 7,527,586 430,648 28,207,308 11,458,211 81,777 (483,507 ) Fair values at vest date for awards granted and vested in current year 546,000 1,194,601 — 528,952 — 658,862 Difference in prior year-end 1,412,224 834,710 5,434,578 3,512,002 (690,755 ) (1,239,087 ) Dividends or dividend equivalents in the current year prior to vesting 241,357 78,235 156,263 150,667 159,191 169,660 Total Adjustments for Equity Awards 14,268,594 1,931,717 40,530,672 18,310,419 1,134,281 (1,534,281 ) CAP (as calculated) 37,341,765 8,430,764 52,148,691 23,557,361 12,399,819 5,762,046 | ||
| Non-PEO NEO Average Total Compensation Amount | $ 6,499,047 | 5,246,942 | 7,296,327 |
| Non-PEO NEO Average Compensation Actually Paid Amount | $ 8,430,764 | 23,557,361 | 5,762,046 |
| Adjustment to Non-PEO NEO Compensation Footnote [Text Block] | 2022 2021 2020 PEO Average Non-PEO PEO Average Non-PEO PEO Average Non-PEO $ $ $ $ $ $ Total Compensation from Summary Compensation Table 23,073,171 6,499,047 11,618,019 5,246,942 11,265,538 7,296,327 Adjustments for Equity Awards: Grant date values in the Summary Compensation Table (13,632,413 ) (3,844,616 ) (5,689,943 ) (2,431,870 ) (5,312,358 ) (2,578,948 ) Year-end 18,173,840 3,238,139 12,422,466 5,092,457 6,896,426 1,938,739 Year-over-year difference of year-end 7,527,586 430,648 28,207,308 11,458,211 81,777 (483,507 ) Fair values at vest date for awards granted and vested in current year 546,000 1,194,601 — 528,952 — 658,862 Difference in prior year-end 1,412,224 834,710 5,434,578 3,512,002 (690,755 ) (1,239,087 ) Dividends or dividend equivalents in the current year prior to vesting 241,357 78,235 156,263 150,667 159,191 169,660 Total Adjustments for Equity Awards 14,268,594 1,931,717 40,530,672 18,310,419 1,134,281 (1,534,281 ) CAP (as calculated) 37,341,765 8,430,764 52,148,691 23,557,361 12,399,819 5,762,046 | ||
| Compensation Actually Paid vs. Total Shareholder Return [Text Block] | |||
| Compensation Actually Paid vs. Net Income [Text Block] | |||
| Compensation Actually Paid vs. Company Selected Measure [Text Block] | |||
| Tabular List [Table Text Block] | In our assessment, the most important financial performance measures used to link CAP to our NEOs in 2022 to our performance were: • ROE; • ROAIC; and • stock price. | ||
| Total Shareholder Return Amount | $ 252 | 215 | 98 |
| Peer Group Total Shareholder Return Amount | 216 | 179 | 106 |
| Net Income (Loss) | $ 7,607,000,000 | $ 6,827,000,000 | $ 721,000,000 |
| Company Selected Measure Amount | 0.469 | 0.55 | 0.068 |
| PEO Name | Leon J. Topalian | ||
| Measure [Axis]: 1 | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Measure Name | ROE | ||
| Measure [Axis]: 2 | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Measure Name | ROAIC | ||
| Measure [Axis]: 3 | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Measure Name | stock price | ||
| PEO [Member] | Grant Date Values in the Summary Compensation [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | $ (13,632,413) | $ (5,689,943) | $ (5,312,358) |
| PEO [Member] | Yearend fair value of unvested awards granted in the current year [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 18,173,840 | 12,422,466 | 6,896,426 |
| PEO [Member] | Year Over Year Difference of Year End Fair Values for Unvested Awards Granted in Prior Years [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 7,527,586 | 28,207,308 | 81,777 |
| PEO [Member] | Fair Values at Vest Date for Awards Granted and Vested in Current Year [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 546,000 | 0 | 0 |
| PEO [Member] | Difference in prior yearend fair values and vest date fair values for awards granted in prior years [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 1,412,224 | 5,434,578 | (690,755) |
| PEO [Member] | Dividends or dividend equivalents in the current year prior to vesting [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 241,357 | 156,263 | 159,191 |
| PEO [Member] | Total Adjustments for Equity Awards [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 14,268,594 | 40,530,672 | 1,134,281 |
| Non-PEO NEO [Member] | Grant Date Values in the Summary Compensation [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | (3,844,616) | (2,431,870) | (2,578,948) |
| Non-PEO NEO [Member] | Yearend fair value of unvested awards granted in the current year [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 3,238,139 | 5,092,457 | 1,938,739 |
| Non-PEO NEO [Member] | Year Over Year Difference of Year End Fair Values for Unvested Awards Granted in Prior Years [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 430,648 | 11,458,211 | (483,507) |
| Non-PEO NEO [Member] | Fair Values at Vest Date for Awards Granted and Vested in Current Year [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 1,194,601 | 528,952 | 658,862 |
| Non-PEO NEO [Member] | Difference in prior yearend fair values and vest date fair values for awards granted in prior years [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 834,710 | 3,512,002 | (1,239,087) |
| Non-PEO NEO [Member] | Dividends or dividend equivalents in the current year prior to vesting [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 78,235 | 150,667 | 169,660 |
| Non-PEO NEO [Member] | Total Adjustments for Equity Awards [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | $ 1,931,717 | $ 18,310,419 | $ (1,534,281) |
