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Share-based payments - Summary of options outstanding and exercisable (Parenthetical) (Detail) - Dec. 31, 2017 - Share Option Plan [member]	GBP (£)	AUD ($)
Rio Tinto plc [member] | Bottom of range [Member] | Ranges Of Exercise Prices For Outstanding Share Options Three
Disclosure Of Terms And Conditions Of Sharebased Payment Arrangement [Line Items]
Options outstanding, exercise price	£ 16,000,000
Rio Tinto plc [member] | Top of range [Member] | Ranges Of Exercise Prices For Outstanding Share Options Three
Disclosure Of Terms And Conditions Of Sharebased Payment Arrangement [Line Items]
Options outstanding, exercise price	£ 43,000,000
Rio Tinto Limited [member] | Top of range [Member] | Ranges Of Exercise Prices For Outstanding Share Options Four
Disclosure Of Terms And Conditions Of Sharebased Payment Arrangement [Line Items]
Options outstanding, exercise price | $		$ 33,000,000

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The exercise price of outstanding share options.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Name IFRS
-Number 2
-IssueDate 2016-01-13
-Paragraph 45
-Subparagraph d
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-URIDate 2016-03-31

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