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Business Segments - Additional Information (Detail) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2017 Country Segment Location
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items] |
Number of operating segments | Segment | 5
Number of reportable segments | Segment | 3
United States [Member] |
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items] |
Number of locations | 195
Canada (Member) |
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items] |
Number of locations | 55
International [Member] |
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items] |
Number of locations | 35
Number of countries | Country | 20

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- Definition Number of locations. + References No definition available. + Details
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Namespace Prefix: | dnow_
Data Type: | xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

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- Definition The number of countries in which the entity operates as of balance sheet date. + References No definition available. + Details
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Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | instant

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- Definition Number of operating segments. An operating segment is a component of an enterprise: (a) that engages in business activities from which it may earn revenues and incur expenses (including revenues and expenses relating to transactions with other components of the same enterprise), (b) whose operating results are regularly reviewed by the enterprise's chief operating decision maker to make decisions about resources to be allocated to the segment and assess its performance, and (c) for which discrete financial information is available. An operating segment may engage in business activities for which it has yet to earn revenues, for example, start-up operations may be operating segments before earning revenues. + References No definition available. + Details
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Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

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- Definition Number of segments reported by the entity. A reportable segment is a component of an entity for which there is an accounting requirement to report separate financial information on that component in the entity's financial statements. + References No definition available. + Details
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Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
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Period Type: | duration

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- Definition Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table. + References No definition available. + Details
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Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
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Period Type: | duration

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- Details
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Namespace Prefix: |
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- Details
Name: | us-gaap_StatementGeographicalAxis=country_CA
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

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- Details
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Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |