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Financial instruments and risk management - Capital and liquidity risk management - Additional information (Detail) - USD ($) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2019 | Dec. 31, 2018 | Dec. 31, 2017
Disclosure of detailed information about financial instruments [line items] |  |  |
Net debt of the group | $ (3,651,000,000) | $ 255,000,000 | $ (3,845,000,000)
Loss on early redemption of bonds | 0 | 94,000,000 | 256,000,000
Aggregate cash outflow before fees |  | 1,900,000,000 | $ 2,500,000,000
Borrowings | 14,115,000,000 | 12,752,000,000 |
Expected unconditional royalty payments to be received | $ 124,000,000 | 158,000,000 |
Percentage of change in spot price | (15.00%) |  |
Level 1 [Member] |  |  |
Disclosure of detailed information about financial instruments [line items] |  |  |
Borrowings at fair value | $ 7,700,000,000 | 7,500,000,000 |
Level 3 [Member] |  |  |
Disclosure of detailed information about financial instruments [line items] |  |  |
Borrowings | $ 4,200,000,000 | 4,200,000,000 |
Decrease in carrying value of forward contract due to long-term metal pricing assumptions |  | 22,000,000 |
Increase in carrying value of forward contract due to long-term metal pricing assumptions |  | 14,000,000 |
Percentage of change in coal spot price | 15.00% |  |
Increase in carrying value of forward contract due to coal spot price assumptions | $ 214,000,000 | 181,000,000 |
Decrease in carrying value of forward contract due to decrease in spot price | $ 57,000,000 | 95,000,000 |
Liquidity risk [member] |  |  |
Disclosure of detailed information about financial instruments [line items] |  |  |
Net debt of the group |  | $ (300,000,000) |
Net debt to total capital percentage | 7.00% | (1.00%) |
Description of interest coverage on debt | 28 | 22 |
Liquidity risk [member] | Rio Tinto Finance (USA) plc and Rio Tinto Finance (USA) Limited [Member] |  |  |
Disclosure of detailed information about financial instruments [line items] |  |  |
Loss on early redemption of bonds |  | $ 51,000,000 |
Buy-back of bonds |  | 1,900,000,000 |
Aggregate cash outflow before fees |  | 2,000,000,000 |
Capital And Liquidity Risk Management [Member] |  |  |
Disclosure of detailed information about financial instruments [line items] |  |  |
Net debt of the group | $ (3,651,000,000) | 255,000,000 |
Description of rating agencies used | Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s investor services |  |
Bottom of range [member] | Liquidity risk [member] |  |  |
Disclosure of detailed information about financial instruments [line items] |  |  |
Percentage of underlying earnings | 40.00% |  |
Top of range [member] | Liquidity risk [member] |  |  |
Disclosure of detailed information about financial instruments [line items] |  |  |
Percentage of underlying earnings | 60.00% |  |
Credit Facility Due November 2022 [Member] | Liquidity risk [member] |  |  |
Disclosure of detailed information about financial instruments [line items] |  |  |
Borrowing maturity | $ 5,600,000,000 |  |
Borrowings | 1,900,000,000 |  |
Aluminium embedded derivatives separated from the power contract [Member] | Level 3 [Member] |  |  |
Disclosure of detailed information about financial instruments [line items] |  |  |
Long-term embedded derivatives with fair value | $ 120,000,000 | 338,000,000 |
Aluminium forward contracts [Member] | Bottom of range [member] |  |  |
Disclosure of detailed information about financial instruments [line items] |  |  |
Fair value of derivative commodity price per metric tonne |  | 2,426 |
Aluminium forward contracts [Member] | Top of range [member] |  |  |
Disclosure of detailed information about financial instruments [line items] |  |  |
Fair value of derivative commodity price per metric tonne |  | 2,507 |
I F R S16 [Member] | Capital And Liquidity Risk Management [Member] |  |  |
Disclosure of detailed information about financial instruments [line items] |  |  |
Net debt of the group |  | $ (1,200,000,000) |

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