XML 288 R281.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.8.0.1

Rio Tinto plc guarantees - Additional information (Detail) $ in Millions, $ in Billions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017 AUD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 AUD ($)
Disclosure Of Financial Guarantees [Line Items]
Derivative contracts liability	$ 481	$ 517
Borrowings	15,176	17,630
Company contributions to pension plans	51	94
Guarantees issued by Rio Tinto plc in relation to Rio Tinto Group entities	338	337
Guarantees issued to non wholly owned subsidiaries	60	60
Liability recognised for financial guarantees	$ 21,974	23,601
Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd (including Oyu Tolgoi LLC) [member]
Disclosure Of Financial Guarantees [Line Items]
Company of operation, Subsidiary	Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd
Ownership percentage in subsidiary	51.00%
Oyu Tolgoi LLC [member]
Disclosure Of Financial Guarantees [Line Items]
Borrowings	$ 4,300	4,300
Erdenes Oyu Tolgoi LLC [member]
Disclosure Of Financial Guarantees [Line Items]
Ownership interest in joint venture	34.00%
Company of operation, Subsidiary	Oyu Tolgoi LLC
Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd [member]
Disclosure Of Financial Guarantees [Line Items]
Company of operation, Subsidiary	Oyu Tolgoi LLC
Ownership interest in joint venture	66.00%
Guarantees [Member]
Disclosure Of Financial Guarantees [Line Items]
Guaranteed amount of external debt	$ 7,900	10,200
Undrawn credit facility	7,500	7,500	$ 9.6	$ 10.4
Derivative contracts liability	231	458
Liability recognised for financial guarantees	389	415
CSU [Member]
Disclosure Of Financial Guarantees [Line Items]
Fees received as consideration for provision	44	13
Provision due from related parties, current	$ 12	$ 13

X

- Definition

The amount of outstanding funds that the entity is obligated to repay.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2009/role/commonPracticeRef
-Name IAS
-Number 1
-IssueDate 2016-01-13
-Paragraph 55
-URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/XBRL?type=IAS&num=1&date=2016-03-30&anchor=para_55&doctype=Standard
-URIDate 2016-03-31

+ Details

Name:	ifrs-full_Borrowings
Namespace Prefix:	ifrs-full_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

X

- Definition

The amount of liabilities that are: (a) a contractual obligation: (i) to deliver cash or another financial asset to another entity; or (ii) to exchange financial assets or financial liabilities with another entity under conditions that are potentially unfavourable to the entity; or (b) a contract that will, or may be, settled in the entity’s own equity instruments and is: (i) a non-derivative for which the entity is, or may be, obliged to deliver a variable number of the entity’s own equity instruments; or (ii) a derivative that will, or may be, settled other than by the exchange of a fixed amount of cash or another financial asset for a fixed number of the entity’s own equity instruments. For this purpose, rights, options or warrants to acquire a fixed number of the entity’s own equity instruments for a fixed amount of any currency are equity instruments if the entity offers the rights, options or warrants pro rata to all of its existing owners of the same class of its own non-derivative equity instruments. Also, for those purposes the entity’s own equity instruments do not include puttable financial instruments that are classified as equity instruments in accordance with paragraphs 16A-16B of IAS 32, instruments that impose on the entity an obligation to deliver to another party a pro rata share of the net assets of the entity only on liquidation and are classified as equity instruments in accordance with paragraphs 16C-16D of IAS 32, or instruments that are contracts for the future receipt or delivery of the entity’s own equity instruments. As an exception, an instrument that meets the definition of a financial liability is classified as an equity instrument if it has all the features and meets the conditions in paragraphs 16A-16B or paragraphs 16C-16D of IAS 32. [Refer: Financial instruments, class [member]; Financial assets; Financial liabilities; Derivatives [member]]

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Name IFRS
-Number 7
-IssueDate 2016-01-13
-Paragraph 25
-URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/XBRL?type=IFRS&num=7&date=2016-03-30&anchor=para_25&doctype=Standard
-URIDate 2016-03-31

+ Details

Name:	ifrs-full_FinancialLiabilities
Namespace Prefix:	ifrs-full_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

X

- Definition

The name of a subsidiary. [Refer: Subsidiaries [member]]

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Name IAS
-Number 27
-IssueDate 2016-01-13
-Paragraph 17
-Subparagraph b
-Clause i
-URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/XBRL?type=IAS&num=27&date=2016-03-30&anchor=para_17_b_i&doctype=Standard
-URIDate 2016-03-31

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Name IAS
-Number 27
-IssueDate 2016-01-13
-Paragraph 16
-Subparagraph b
-Clause i
-URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/XBRL?type=IAS&num=27&date=2016-03-30&anchor=para_16_b_i&doctype=Standard
-URIDate 2016-03-31

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Name IFRS
-Number 12
-IssueDate 2016-01-13
-Paragraph 12
-Subparagraph a
-URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/XBRL?type=IFRS&num=12&date=2016-03-30&anchor=para_12_a&doctype=Standard
-URIDate 2016-03-31

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Name IFRS
-Number 12
-IssueDate 2016-01-13
-Paragraph 19B
-Subparagraph a
-URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/XBRL?type=IFRS&num=12&date=2016-03-30&anchor=para_19B_a&doctype=Standard
-URIDate 2016-03-31

+ Details

Name:	ifrs-full_NameOfSubsidiary
Namespace Prefix:	ifrs-full_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

X

- Definition

The amount of non-current derivative financial liabilities. [Refer: Derivative financial liabilities]

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2009/role/commonPracticeRef
-Name IAS
-Number 1
-IssueDate 2016-01-13
-Paragraph 55
-URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/XBRL?type=IAS&num=1&date=2016-03-30&anchor=para_55&doctype=Standard
-URIDate 2016-03-31

+ Details

Name:	ifrs-full_NoncurrentDerivativeFinancialLiabilities
Namespace Prefix:	ifrs-full_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

X

- Definition

The proportion of ownership interest in a subsidiary attributable to the entity. [Refer: Subsidiaries [member]]

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Name IAS
-Number 27
-IssueDate 2016-01-13
-Paragraph 17
-Subparagraph b
-Clause iii
-URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/XBRL?type=IAS&num=27&date=2016-03-30&anchor=para_17_b_iii&doctype=Standard
-URIDate 2016-03-31

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Name IAS
-Number 27
-IssueDate 2016-01-13
-Paragraph 16
-Subparagraph b
-Clause iii
-URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/XBRL?type=IAS&num=27&date=2016-03-30&anchor=para_16_b_iii&doctype=Standard
-URIDate 2016-03-31

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Name IFRS
-Number 12
-IssueDate 2016-01-13
-Paragraph 19B
-Subparagraph c
-URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/XBRL?type=IFRS&num=12&date=2016-03-30&anchor=para_19B_c&doctype=Standard
-URIDate 2016-03-31

+ Details

Name:	ifrs-full_ProportionOfOwnershipInterestInSubsidiary
Namespace Prefix:	ifrs-full_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

X

- Definition

The amount of undrawn borrowing facilities that may be available for future operating activities and to settle capital commitments. [Refer: Capital commitments]

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/exampleRef
-Name IAS
-Number 7
-IssueDate 2016-01-13
-Paragraph 50
-Subparagraph a
-URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/XBRL?type=IAS&num=7&date=2016-03-30&anchor=para_50_a&doctype=Standard
-URIDate 2016-03-31

+ Details

Name:	ifrs-full_UndrawnBorrowingFacilities
Namespace Prefix:	ifrs-full_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

X

- Definition

Contributions to pension plans.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	rio_ContributionToPensionPlans
Namespace Prefix:	rio_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

X

- Definition

Disclosure of financial guarantees line items.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	rio_DisclosureOfFinancialGuaranteesLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	rio_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

X

- Definition

Fees received as consideration for provision.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	rio_FeesReceivedAsConsiderationForProvision
Namespace Prefix:	rio_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

X

- Definition

Guaranteed amount of external debt.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	rio_GuaranteedAmountOfExternalDebt
Namespace Prefix:	rio_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

X

- Definition

Guarantees issued to group companies.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	rio_GuaranteesIssuedToGroupCompanies
Namespace Prefix:	rio_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

X

- Definition

Guarantees issued to non-wholly owned subsidiaries.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	rio_GuaranteesIssuedToNonWhollyOwnedSubsidiaries
Namespace Prefix:	rio_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

X

- Definition

Proportion of subsidiary ownership in another entity.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	rio_ProportionOfSubsidiaryOwnershipInAnotherEntity
Namespace Prefix:	rio_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

X

- Definition

Proportion of third party ownership within subsidiary.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	rio_ProportionOfThirdPartyOwnershipWithinSubsidiary
Namespace Prefix:	rio_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

X

- Definition

Provision due and included within current assets.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	rio_ProvisionDueAndIncludedWithinCurrentAssets
Namespace Prefix:	rio_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

X

- Details

Name:	ifrs-full_SignificantInvestmentsInSubsidiariesAxis=rio_TurquoiseHillResourcesLtdIncludingOyuTolgoiLlcMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

X

- Details

Name:	ifrs-full_CategoriesOfRelatedPartiesAxis=rio_OyuTolgoiLlcMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

X

- Details

Name:	ifrs-full_CategoriesOfRelatedPartiesAxis=rio_ErdenesOyuTolgoiLlcMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

X

- Details

Name:	ifrs-full_CategoriesOfRelatedPartiesAxis=rio_TurquoiseHillResourcesLtdMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

X

- Details

Name:	ifrs-full_ContinuingInvolvementInDerecognisedFinancialAssetsByTypeOfInstrumentAxis=ifrs-full_GuaranteesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

X

- Details

Name:	ifrs-full_ContinuingInvolvementInDerecognisedFinancialAssetsByTypeOfInstrumentAxis=rio_CompletionSupportUndertakingMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: