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Earnings Per Share (Reconciliation Of Information Used To Compute Basic And Diluted EPS) (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2012	Mar. 31, 2011
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Income from continuing operations attributable to Alcoa common shareholders	$ 94	$ 309
Less: preferred stock dividends declared	1	1
Income from continuing operations available to common equity	93	308
Less: dividends and undistributed earnings allocated to participating securities		1
Income from continuing operations available to Alcoa common shareholders - basic	93	307
Add: interest expense related to convertible notes	8	8
Income from continuing operations available to Alcoa common shareholders - diluted	$ 101	$ 315
Average shares outstanding - basic	1,066	1,052
Stock options	4	9
Stock and performance awards	5	3
Convertible notes	89	89
Average shares outstanding - diluted	1,164	1,153

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Amount of dividends paid to participating securities (unvested awards) on a basis equivalent to holders of an entity's common stock plus an allocation of the undistributed earnings of an entity to the participating securities on the same basis as the paid dividends. This deduction in the EPS reconciliation is only applicable in periods when an entity generates income as the holders of the participating securities do not share in the losses of an entity unlike a common shareholder.

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Interest expense related to convertible debt instruments which has been recognized for the period, including the contractual interest coupon and amortization of the debt discount, if any.

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