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Business Segments - Business Segments (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Revenue	$ 4,820us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet	$ 4,889us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet
Total Operating Profit	570us-gaap_OperatingIncomeLoss	799us-gaap_OperatingIncomeLoss
Percentage as of operating profit to revenue	11.80%nov_PercentageAsOfOperatingProfitToRevenue	16.30%nov_PercentageAsOfOperatingProfitToRevenue
Operating Segments [Member] | Rig Systems [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Revenue	2,523us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / us-gaap_ConsolidationItemsAxis = us-gaap_OperatingSegmentsMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = nov_RigSystemsMember	2,256us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / us-gaap_ConsolidationItemsAxis = us-gaap_OperatingSegmentsMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = nov_RigSystemsMember
Total Operating Profit	448us-gaap_OperatingIncomeLoss / us-gaap_ConsolidationItemsAxis = us-gaap_OperatingSegmentsMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = nov_RigSystemsMember	451us-gaap_OperatingIncomeLoss / us-gaap_ConsolidationItemsAxis = us-gaap_OperatingSegmentsMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = nov_RigSystemsMember
Percentage as of operating profit to revenue	17.80%nov_PercentageAsOfOperatingProfitToRevenue / us-gaap_ConsolidationItemsAxis = us-gaap_OperatingSegmentsMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = nov_RigSystemsMember	20.00%nov_PercentageAsOfOperatingProfitToRevenue / us-gaap_ConsolidationItemsAxis = us-gaap_OperatingSegmentsMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = nov_RigSystemsMember
Operating Segments [Member] | Rig Aftermarket [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Revenue	719us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / us-gaap_ConsolidationItemsAxis = us-gaap_OperatingSegmentsMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = nov_RigAfterMarketMember	750us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / us-gaap_ConsolidationItemsAxis = us-gaap_OperatingSegmentsMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = nov_RigAfterMarketMember
Total Operating Profit	191us-gaap_OperatingIncomeLoss / us-gaap_ConsolidationItemsAxis = us-gaap_OperatingSegmentsMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = nov_RigAfterMarketMember	191us-gaap_OperatingIncomeLoss / us-gaap_ConsolidationItemsAxis = us-gaap_OperatingSegmentsMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = nov_RigAfterMarketMember
Percentage as of operating profit to revenue	26.60%nov_PercentageAsOfOperatingProfitToRevenue / us-gaap_ConsolidationItemsAxis = us-gaap_OperatingSegmentsMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = nov_RigAfterMarketMember	25.50%nov_PercentageAsOfOperatingProfitToRevenue / us-gaap_ConsolidationItemsAxis = us-gaap_OperatingSegmentsMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = nov_RigAfterMarketMember
Operating Segments [Member] | Wellbore Technologies [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Revenue	1,171us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / us-gaap_ConsolidationItemsAxis = us-gaap_OperatingSegmentsMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = nov_WellboreTechnologiesMember	1,278us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / us-gaap_ConsolidationItemsAxis = us-gaap_OperatingSegmentsMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = nov_WellboreTechnologiesMember
Total Operating Profit	79us-gaap_OperatingIncomeLoss / us-gaap_ConsolidationItemsAxis = us-gaap_OperatingSegmentsMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = nov_WellboreTechnologiesMember	221us-gaap_OperatingIncomeLoss / us-gaap_ConsolidationItemsAxis = us-gaap_OperatingSegmentsMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = nov_WellboreTechnologiesMember
Percentage as of operating profit to revenue	6.70%nov_PercentageAsOfOperatingProfitToRevenue / us-gaap_ConsolidationItemsAxis = us-gaap_OperatingSegmentsMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = nov_WellboreTechnologiesMember	17.30%nov_PercentageAsOfOperatingProfitToRevenue / us-gaap_ConsolidationItemsAxis = us-gaap_OperatingSegmentsMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = nov_WellboreTechnologiesMember
Operating Segments [Member] | Completion & Production Solutions [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Revenue	948us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / us-gaap_ConsolidationItemsAxis = us-gaap_OperatingSegmentsMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = nov_CompletionAndProductionSolutionsMember	1,002us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / us-gaap_ConsolidationItemsAxis = us-gaap_OperatingSegmentsMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = nov_CompletionAndProductionSolutionsMember
Total Operating Profit	79us-gaap_OperatingIncomeLoss / us-gaap_ConsolidationItemsAxis = us-gaap_OperatingSegmentsMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = nov_CompletionAndProductionSolutionsMember	137us-gaap_OperatingIncomeLoss / us-gaap_ConsolidationItemsAxis = us-gaap_OperatingSegmentsMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = nov_CompletionAndProductionSolutionsMember
Percentage as of operating profit to revenue	8.30%nov_PercentageAsOfOperatingProfitToRevenue / us-gaap_ConsolidationItemsAxis = us-gaap_OperatingSegmentsMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = nov_CompletionAndProductionSolutionsMember	13.70%nov_PercentageAsOfOperatingProfitToRevenue / us-gaap_ConsolidationItemsAxis = us-gaap_OperatingSegmentsMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = nov_CompletionAndProductionSolutionsMember
Unallocated Expenses and Eliminations [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Revenue	(541)us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / us-gaap_ConsolidationItemsAxis = us-gaap_IntersegmentEliminationMember	(397)us-gaap_SalesRevenueNet / us-gaap_ConsolidationItemsAxis = us-gaap_IntersegmentEliminationMember
Total Operating Profit	$ (227)us-gaap_OperatingIncomeLoss / us-gaap_ConsolidationItemsAxis = us-gaap_IntersegmentEliminationMember	$ (201)us-gaap_OperatingIncomeLoss / us-gaap_ConsolidationItemsAxis = us-gaap_IntersegmentEliminationMember

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Total revenue from sale of goods and services rendered during the reporting period, in the normal course of business, reduced by sales returns and allowances, and sales discounts.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 225

-SubTopic 10

-Section S99

-Paragraph 2

-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-03.1)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=26872669&loc=d3e20235-122688



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