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Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Dec. 31, 2013
Dec. 31, 2012
Schedule Of Income Tax [Line Items]      
Unrecognized tax benefits, income tax penalties and interest expense $ 0us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestExpense    
Unrecognized tax benefits, income tax penalties and interest accrued 0us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestAccrued    
Unremitted earnings 187,000,000dnow_UnremittedEarningsOfForeignSubsidiaries    
Provision for U.S federal income tax 38,000,000us-gaap_CurrentFederalTaxExpenseBenefit 48,000,000us-gaap_CurrentFederalTaxExpenseBenefit 46,000,000us-gaap_CurrentFederalTaxExpenseBenefit
Provision for state income tax 4,000,000us-gaap_CurrentStateAndLocalTaxExpenseBenefit 4,000,000us-gaap_CurrentStateAndLocalTaxExpenseBenefit 4,000,000us-gaap_CurrentStateAndLocalTaxExpenseBenefit
Foreign Subsidiaries [Member]      
Schedule Of Income Tax [Line Items]      
Provision for U.S federal income tax 0us-gaap_CurrentFederalTaxExpenseBenefit
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= dnow_ForeignSubsidiariesMember		    
Provision for state income tax 0us-gaap_CurrentStateAndLocalTaxExpenseBenefit
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= dnow_ForeignSubsidiariesMember		    
United States [Member]      
Schedule Of Income Tax [Line Items]      
Net operating loss carryforwards 0us-gaap_OperatingLossCarryforwards
/ us-gaap_StatementGeographicalAxis
= country_US		 0us-gaap_OperatingLossCarryforwards
/ us-gaap_StatementGeographicalAxis
= country_US		  
Outside United States [Member]      
Schedule Of Income Tax [Line Items]      
Net operating loss carryforwards 4,000,000us-gaap_OperatingLossCarryforwards
/ us-gaap_StatementGeographicalAxis
= dnow_OutsideUnitedStatesMember		 1,000,000us-gaap_OperatingLossCarryforwards
/ us-gaap_StatementGeographicalAxis
= dnow_OutsideUnitedStatesMember		  
Minimum [Member]      
Schedule Of Income Tax [Line Items]      
Foreign tax credits $ 0us-gaap_IncomeTaxReconciliationTaxCreditsForeign
/ us-gaap_RangeAxis
= us-gaap_MinimumMember		 $ 3,000,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxReconciliationTaxCreditsForeign
/ us-gaap_RangeAxis
= us-gaap_MinimumMember		  
Operating loss carryforwards expiration year 2023    
Maximum [Member]      
Schedule Of Income Tax [Line Items]      
Operating loss carryforwards expiration year 2024