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Dividends - Additional information (Detail) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions | 1 Months Ended | 12 Months Ended
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Feb. 28, 2018 USD ($) $ / shares | Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($) $ / shares shares | Dec. 31, 2017 £ / shares shares | Dec. 31, 2017 $ / shares shares | Dec. 31, 2016 $ / shares shares | Dec. 31, 2016 £ / shares shares | Dec. 31, 2016 $ / shares shares | Dec. 31, 2015 $ / shares shares | Dec. 31, 2015 £ / shares shares | Dec. 31, 2015 $ / shares shares | Dec. 31, 2014 $ / shares
Disclosure of Dividends [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Final dividend per share | $ / shares |  |  |  |  | $ 1.25 |  |  | $ 1.075 |  |  | $ 1.19
Interim dividend per share | $ / shares |  | $ 1.10 |  |  | $ 0.45 |  |  | $ 1.075 |  |  |
Rio Tinto Limited shares were held by Rio Tinto plc |  | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Dividends per share: proposed in the announcement of the results for the year | $ / shares |  | $ 1.80 |  |  | $ 1.25 |  |  | $ 1.075 |  |  |
Potential ordinary share transactions [Member] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Disclosure of Dividends [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Dividends per share: proposed in the announcement of the results for the year | $ / shares | $ 1.80 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Dividends payment proposed in the announcement of the results for the year | $ | $ 3,158 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Dividends payment date | Apr. 12, 2018 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Dividends record date | Mar. 02, 2018 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Rio Tinto plc [member] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Disclosure of Dividends [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Final dividend per share | £ / shares |  |  | £ 1.0056 |  |  | £ 0.7421 |  |  | £ 0.7798 |  |
Interim dividend per share | £ / shares |  |  | £ 0.8313 |  |  | £ 0.3380 |  |  | £ 0.6892 |  |
Rio Tinto plc [member] | Potential ordinary share transactions [Member] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Disclosure of Dividends [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Dividends payment proposed in the announcement of the results for the year | $ | $ 2,416 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Rio Tinto plc [member] | Ordinary shares [Member] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Disclosure of Dividends [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Number of share excluded from previous year final dividend calculation |  | 277,946 | 277,946 | 277,946 | 428,529 | 428,529 | 428,529 | 342,902 | 342,902 | 342,902 |
Number of share excluded from interim dividend calculation |  | 173,297 | 173,297 | 173,297 | 217,661 | 217,661 | 217,661 | 237,266 | 237,266 | 237,266 |
Rio Tinto plc [member] | American depository receipts [member] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Disclosure of Dividends [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Number of share excluded from previous year final dividend calculation |  | 22,021 | 22,021 | 22,021 | 13,881 | 13,881 | 13,881 | 24,582 | 24,582 | 24,582 |
Number of share excluded from interim dividend calculation |  | 24,377 | 24,377 | 24,377 | 31,604 | 31,604 | 31,604 | 27,050 | 27,050 | 27,050 |
Rio Tinto Limited [member] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Disclosure of Dividends [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Final dividend per share | $ / shares |  |  |  | $ 1.6362 |  |  | $ 1.5189 |  |  | $ 1.5298 |
Interim dividend per share | $ / shares |  |  |  | $ 1.3772 |  |  | $ 0.5913 |  |  | $ 1.4491 |
Number of share excluded from previous year final dividend calculation |  | 214,278 | 214,278 | 214,278 | 681,818 | 681,818 | 681,818 | 727,676 | 727,676 | 727,676 |
Number of share excluded from interim dividend calculation |  | 274,899 | 274,899 | 274,899 | 152,834 | 152,834 | 152,834 | 474,665 | 474,665 | 474,665 |
Retained profits and reserves distributed as dividends | $ |  | $ 8,542 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Rio Tinto Limited [member] | Potential ordinary share transactions [Member] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Disclosure of Dividends [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Dividends payment proposed in the announcement of the results for the year | $ | $ 742 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |

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- Definition The amount of dividends proposed or declared after the reporting period but before financial statements are authorised for issue. Such dividends are not recognised as a liability at the end of the reporting period because no obligation exists at that time. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Name IAS -Number 1 -IssueDate 2016-01-13 -Paragraph 137 -Subparagraph a -URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/XBRL?type=IAS&num=1&date=2016-03-30&anchor=para_137_a&doctype=Standard -URIDate 2016-03-31 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Name IAS -Number 10 -IssueDate 2016-01-13 -Paragraph 13 -URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/XBRL?type=IAS&num=10&date=2016-03-30&anchor=para_13&doctype=Standard -URIDate 2016-03-31 + Details
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- Definition The amount, per share, of dividends proposed or declared before financial statements were authorised for issue but not recognised as distribution to owners. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Name IAS -Number 1 -IssueDate 2016-01-13 -Paragraph 137 -Subparagraph a -URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/XBRL?type=IAS&num=1&date=2016-03-30&anchor=para_137_a&doctype=Standard -URIDate 2016-03-31 + Details
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- Definition The number of shares in the entity held by the entity or by its subsidiaries or associates. [Refer: Associates [member]; Subsidiaries [member]] + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Name IAS -Number 1 -IssueDate 2016-01-13 -Paragraph 79 -Subparagraph a -Clause vi -URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/XBRL?type=IAS&num=1&date=2016-03-30&anchor=para_79_a_vi&doctype=Standard -URIDate 2016-03-31 + Details
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- Definition Number of share excluded from final dividend calculation. + References No definition available. + Details
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- Definition Number of share excluded from interim dividend calculation. + References No definition available. + Details
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