Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - (Notes)	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	NOTE 1. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Nature of Operations Baker Hughes Incorporated (“Baker Hughes,” “Company,” “we,” “our,” or “us,”) is a leading supplier of oilfield services, products, technology and systems used for drilling, formation evaluation, completion and production, pressure pumping, and reservoir development in the worldwide oil and natural gas industry. We also provide products and services for other businesses including downstream chemicals, and process and pipeline services. Basis of Presentation Our unaudited consolidated condensed financial statements included herein have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) in the United States of America (“U.S.”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for interim financial information. Accordingly, certain information and disclosures normally included in our annual financial statements have been condensed or omitted. These unaudited consolidated condensed financial statements should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013. We believe the unaudited consolidated condensed financial statements included herein reflect all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) necessary for a fair presentation of the interim periods. The results of operations for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations to be expected for the full year. In the Notes to Unaudited Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements, all dollar and share amounts in tabulations are in millions of dollars and shares, respectively, unless otherwise indicated. New Accounting Standards Updates In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The ASU will supersede most of the existing revenue recognition requirements in U.S. GAAP and will require entities to recognize revenue at an amount that reflects the consideration to which the Company expects to be entitled in exchange for transferring goods or services to a customer. The new standard also requires significantly expanded disclosures regarding the qualitative and quantitative information of an entity's nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. The pronouncement is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within that reporting period and is to be applied retrospectively, with early application not permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact the pronouncement will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. In April 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-08, Presentation of Financial Statements and Property, Plant, and Equipment - Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity, which amends the definition of a discontinued operation by raising the threshold for a disposal to qualify as discontinued operations. The ASU will also require entities to provide additional disclosures about discontinued operations as well as disposal transactions that do not meet the discontinued operations criteria. The pronouncement is effective prospectively for all disposals (except disposals classified as held for sale before the adoption date) or components initially classified as held for sale in periods beginning on or after December 15, 2014. Early adoption is permitted. We adopted the ASU in the second quarter of 2014 and it did not impact our consolidated financial statements or the notes to our financial statements.

NOTE 1. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Nature of Operations

Baker Hughes Incorporated (“Baker Hughes,” “Company,” “we,” “our,” or “us,”) is a leading supplier of oilfield services, products, technology and systems used for drilling, formation evaluation, completion and production, pressure pumping, and reservoir development in the worldwide oil and natural gas industry. We also provide products and services for other businesses including downstream chemicals, and process and pipeline services.

Basis of Presentation

Our unaudited consolidated condensed financial statements included herein have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) in the United States of America (“U.S.”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for interim financial information. Accordingly, certain information and disclosures normally included in our annual financial statements have been condensed or omitted. These unaudited consolidated condensed financial statements should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013. We believe the unaudited consolidated condensed financial statements included herein reflect all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) necessary for a fair presentation of the interim periods. The results of operations for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations to be expected for the full year. In the Notes to Unaudited Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements, all dollar and share amounts in tabulations are in millions of dollars and shares, respectively, unless otherwise indicated.

New Accounting Standards Updates

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The ASU will supersede most of the existing revenue recognition requirements in U.S. GAAP and will require entities to recognize revenue at an amount that reflects the consideration to which the Company expects to be entitled in exchange for transferring goods or services to a customer. The new standard also requires significantly expanded disclosures regarding the qualitative and quantitative information of an entity's nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. The pronouncement is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within that reporting period and is to be applied retrospectively, with early application not permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact the pronouncement will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In April 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-08, Presentation of Financial Statements and Property, Plant, and Equipment - Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity, which amends the definition of a discontinued operation by raising the threshold for a disposal to qualify as discontinued operations. The ASU will also require entities to provide additional disclosures about discontinued operations as well as disposal transactions that do not meet the discontinued operations criteria. The pronouncement is effective prospectively for all disposals (except disposals classified as held for sale before the adoption date) or components initially classified as held for sale in periods beginning on or after December 15, 2014. Early adoption is permitted. We adopted the ASU in the second quarter of 2014 and it did not impact our consolidated financial statements or the notes to our financial statements.