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Leases (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Supplemental balance sheet information (in millions):

	Classification	December 31, 2019
Assets
Operating	Other assets	$	56
Finance	Property, plant and equipment, net		16
Total ROU assets		$	72
Liabilities
Current
Operating	Accrued liabilities	$	21
Finance	Other current liabilities		7
Long-term
Operating	Long-term operating lease liabilities		34
Finance	Other long-term liabilities		10
Total lease liabilities		$	72

Components of Lease Expense

Components of lease expense (in millions):

	Classification	December 31, 2019
Operating lease cost ⁽¹⁾	Warehousing, selling and administrative	$	31
Finance lease ROU asset depreciation ⁽²⁾	Warehousing, selling and administrative	$	5
Short-term lease cost	Warehousing, selling and administrative	$	7
Variable lease cost	Warehousing, selling and administrative	$	3

⁽¹⁾ Included in other, net adjustment to reconcile net income to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities in the consolidated statement of cash flows.

⁽²⁾ Included in depreciation and amortization in the consolidated statement of cash flows. Interest on finance lease liabilities is less than $1 million.

Supplemental Cash Flow Information

Supplemental cash flow information (in millions):

	December 31, 2019
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities
Operating cash flows from operating leases	$	31
Financing cash flows from finance leases ⁽¹⁾	$	5
ROU assets obtained in exchange for new lease liabilities
Operating	$	17
Finance	$	20

⁽¹⁾ Interest payments from finance lease liabilities is less than $1 million.

Maturity of Lease Liabilities

Maturity of lease liabilities as of December 31, 2019 were as follows (in millions):

	Operating Lease			Finance Lease
2020	$	24		$	7
2021		17			6
2022		10			3
2023		6			1
2024		2			—
Thereafter		1			2
Total future lease payments		60			19
Less: interest		(5	)		(2	)
Present value of lease liabilities	$	55		$	17

Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 183	$ 116
Receivables, net	370	482
Inventories, net	465	602
Assets held-for-sale	34
Prepaid and other current assets	15	19
Total current assets	1,067	1,219
Property, plant and equipment, net	120	106
Deferred income taxes	2	2
Goodwill	245	314
Intangibles, net	90	144
Other assets	67	10
Total assets	1,591	1,795
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	255	329
Accrued liabilities	127	110
Liabilities held-for-sale	6
Other current liabilities	8	2
Total current liabilities	396	441
Long-term debt		132
Long-term operating lease liabilities	34
Deferred income taxes	4	6
Other long-term liabilities	13	2
Total liabilities	447	581
Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders' equity:
Preferred stock—par value $0.01; 20 million shares authorized; no shares issued and outstanding
Common stock - par value $0.01; 330 million shares authorized; 109,207,678 and 108,426,962 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively	1	1
Additional paid-in capital	2,046	2,034
Accumulated deficit	(775)	(678)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(128)	(143)
Total stockholders' equity	1,144	1,214
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$ 1,591	$ 1,795

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Statement Of Income And Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net income (loss)	$ (97)	$ 52	$ (52)
Other comprehensive income (loss):
Foreign currency translation adjustments	15	(38)	37
Comprehensive income (loss)	$ (82)	$ 14	$ (15)

- Definition

The portion of profit or loss for the period, net of income taxes, which is attributable to the parent.

+ References + Details

Goodwill - Summary of Goodwill Identified by Segment (Parenthetical) (Detail) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)
United States [Member]
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill, accumulated impairment	$ 393

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) - Components of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), Beginning balance	$ (143)
Other comprehensive income	15	$ (38)	$ 37
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), Ending balance	(128)	(143)
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Member]
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), Beginning balance	(143)
Other comprehensive income	15	(38)	$ 37
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), Ending balance	$ (128)	$ (143)

Organization and Basis of Presentation

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Organization and Basis of Presentation

1. Organization and Basis of Presentation

Nature of Operations

NOW Inc. (“NOW” or the “Company”) is a holding company headquartered in Houston, Texas that was incorporated in Delaware on November 22, 2013. NOW operates primarily under the DistributionNOW and DNOW brands. NOW is a global distributor of energy products as well as products for industrial applications through its locations in the U.S., Canada and internationally which are geographically positioned to serve the energy and industrial markets in approximately 80 countries. NOW’s energy product offerings are used in the oil and gas industry including upstream drilling and completion, exploration and production, midstream infrastructure development and downstream petroleum refining – as well as in other industries, such as chemical processing, power generation and industrial manufacturing operations. The industrial distribution portion of NOW’s business targets a diverse range of manufacturing and facilities across numerous industries and end markets. NOW also provides supply chain management to drilling contractors, E&P operators, midstream operators, downstream energy and industrial manufacturing companies. NOW’s supplier network consists of thousands of vendors in approximately 40 countries.

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying consolidated financial information include the accounts of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries. All significant intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated.

Reclassification

Certain amounts in the prior periods presented have been reclassified to conform to the current period financial statement presentation. These reclassifications have no effect on previously reported results of operations.

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (Topic 326), which replaces the incurred loss impairment methodology in current GAAP with a methodology that reflects expected credit losses and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to determine credit loss estimates. ASU 2016-13 requires entities to measure all expected credit losses for financial assets held at the reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. Entities will now use forward-looking information to better form their credit loss estimates. The Company will adopt ASC Topic 326 on January 1, 2020. The predominant account subject to the scope of this standard is trade receivables, which are recorded and carried at the original invoice amount less an allowance for doubtful accounts (“AFDA”). Upon adoption, the Company will begin recognizing AFDA based on the estimated lifetime expected credit loss related to trade receivables; based on its current assessment, which is subject to change, the Company estimates an increase of less than $10 million to its AFDA and the opening accumulated deficit in the consolidated balance sheets. The Company does not expect the adoption of this standard to have material impact in its consolidated statement of operations and cash flows.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, Disclosure Framework-Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820), which modified the disclosure requirements on fair value measurements. ASU 2018-13 is effective for annual and interim periods in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted for removed or modified disclosures. The Company is currently assessing the impact of ASU 2018-13 in its consolidated financial statements.

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

In February 2016, FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which requires lessees to recognize a lease liability and a right-of-use (“ROU”) asset for all leases, including operating leases, with a term greater than twelve months in its balance sheets. In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-11, Targeted Improvements, which provided entities with an additional (and optional) transition method, allowing an entity to apply the new lease standard at the adoption date and to recognize a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings in the period of adoption. On January 1, 2019, the Company adopted ASC 842 using the modified retrospective method allowed under ASU 2018-11. The Company has utilized the package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance within ASC 842 which, among other things, allows an entity to carry forward its historical lease classifications. The adoption of ASC 842 resulted in the recognition of $66 million of ROU assets, net of $1 million deferred rent, and $67 million of lease liabilities related to leases that were previously not required to be presented in the consolidated balance sheets. See Note 11 “Leases” for additional information.

Leases - Components of Lease Expense (Parenthetical) (Detail) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($)
Maximum [Member]
Lessee Lease Description [Line Items]
Interest on finance lease liabilities	$ 1

Earnings Per Share ("EPS") - Computation of Basic and Diluted Earnings (Loss) Per Share (Detail) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Numerator:
Net income (loss) attributable to the Company	$ (139)	$ 10	$ 14	$ 18	$ 16	$ 20	$ 14	$ 2	$ (97)	$ 52	$ (52)
Less: net income attributable to participating securities										(1)
Net income (loss) attributable to the Company's stockholders									$ (97)	$ 51	$ (52)
Denominator:
Weighted-average common shares outstanding, basic									108,779,891	108,296,155	107,745,229
Effect of dilutive securities										341,489
Weighted-average diluted common shares outstanding									108,779,891	108,637,644	107,745,229
Basic	$ (1.27)	$ 0.09	$ 0.12	$ 0.17	$ 0.14	$ 0.18	$ 0.12	$ 0.02	$ (0.89)	$ 0.47	$ (0.48)
Diluted	$ (1.27)	$ 0.09	$ 0.12	$ 0.16	$ 0.14	$ 0.18	$ 0.12	$ 0.02	$ (0.89)	$ 0.47	$ (0.48)

Property, Plant and Equipment, net - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Property Plant And Equipment Useful Life And Values [Abstract]
Depreciation expense	$ 22	$ 21	$ 28

Intangibles, net

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Intangible Assets Net Excluding Goodwill [Abstract]

Intangibles, net

8. Intangibles, net

Identified intangible assets with determinable lives consist primarily of customer relationships, trade names, trademarks and patents, and non-compete agreements acquired in acquisitions, and are being amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of 3 to 20 years. Intangible assets that are fully amortized are removed from the disclosures.

Identified intangible assets by major classification, affected by the fluctuation of foreign currency rates, consist of the following (in millions):

			Accumulated			Net Book
	Gross		Amortization			Value
December 31, 2019:
Trademarks and patents	$	38	$	(9	)	$	29
Customer relationships		116		(57	)		59
Other		2		—			2
Total identified intangibles	$	156	$	(66	)	$	90

December 31, 2018:
Trademarks and patents	$	103	$	(31	)	$	72
Customer relationships		118		(46	)		72
Other		11		(11	)		—
Total identified intangibles	$	232	$	(88	)	$	144

During the fourth quarter of 2019, the Company made strategic decisions to discontinue the use of certain acquired trade names in order to eliminate branding dilution in the market and align the Company’s marketing around its DNOW brands. As of December 31, 2019, the Company completed the disposals of these trade names by abandonment and recognized impairment charges of $34 million in the U.S. reporting segment and $4 million in the International reporting segment. Such impairment was included in impairment charges in the consolidated statements of operations, representing the remaining carrying values of these specifically acquired intangible assets. The Company did not record impairment for intangible assets for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017.

Amortization expense was $19 million, $20 million and $22 million for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017, respectively. The following table represents the total estimated amortization of intangible assets for the five succeeding years, excluding assets held-for-sale (in millions):

For the Year Ending December 31,	Estimated Amortization Expense
2020	$	15
2021		15
2022		14
2023		10
2024		8

Leases - Supplemental Balance Sheet Information (Detail) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($)
Assets And Liabilities Lessee [Abstract]
Operating lease, right-of-use assets	$ 56
Operating Lease, Right-of-Use Asset, Statement of Financial Position [Extensible List]	us-gaap:OtherAssetsMember
Finance lease, right-of-use assets	$ 16
Finance Lease, Right-of-Use Asset, Statement of Financial Position [Extensible List]	us-gaap:PropertyPlantAndEquipmentMember
Total ROU assets	$ 72
Current operating lease liability	$ 21
Operating Lease, Liability, Current, Statement of Financial Position [Extensible List]	us-gaap:AccruedLiabilitiesMember
Current finance lease liability	$ 7
Finance Lease, Liability, Current, Statement of Financial Position [Extensible List]	us-gaap:OtherCurrentLiabilitiesMember
Long-term operating lease liabilities	$ 34
Operating Lease, Liability, Noncurrent, Statement of Financial Position [Extensible List]	dnow:LongTermOperatingLeaseLiabilitiesMember
Long-term finance lease liability	$ 10
Finance Lease, Liability, Noncurrent, Statement of Financial Position [Extensible List]	us-gaap:OtherRegulatoryAssetsLiabilitiesMember
Total lease liabilities	$ 72

Stock-based Compensation and Outstanding Awards - Summary of Status of Nonvested Shares of PSAs (Detail) - Performance Share (PSAs) Member]	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019 $ / shares shares
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Nonvested shares, beginning balance \| shares	413,000
Shares, Granted \| shares	217,000
Shares, Vested \| shares	(102,000)
Shares, Forfeited \| shares	(315,000)
Nonvested shares, ending balance \| shares	213,000
Weighted average grant date fair value, Nonvested beginning balance \| $ / shares	$ 15.13
Weighted average grant date fair value, Granted \| $ / shares	17.69
Weighted average grant date fair value, Vested \| $ / shares	14.34
Weighted average grant date fair value, Forfeited \| $ / shares	16.78
Weighted average grant date fair value, Nonvested ending balance \| $ / shares	$ 15.67

Employee Bargaining Agreements and Benefit Plans - Assumption Rates Used for Benefit Obligations (Detail)	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Minimum [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Discount rate:	2.00%	2.65%
Maximum [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Discount rate:	2.10%	2.90%

Stock-based Compensation and Outstanding Awards - Summary of Stock Option Activity (Detail) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($) $ / shares shares
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]
Stock Options, Outstanding, Beginning balance \| shares	5,483,000
Stock Options, Granted \| shares	521,000
Stock OptionsForfeited and Expired \| shares	(613,000)
Stock Options, Exercised \| shares	(265,000)
Stock Options, Outstanding, Ending balance \| shares	5,126,000
Stock Options, Exercisable at December 31, 2019 \| shares	3,701,000
Weighted average exercise price, Outstanding, Beginning balance \| $ / shares	$ 19.43
Weighted average exercise price, Granted \| $ / shares	15.30
Weighted average excercise price, Forfeited and Expired \| $ / shares	14.19
Weighted average exercise price, Exercised \| $ / shares	10.30
Weighted average exercise price, Outstanding, Ending balance \| $ / shares	20.11
Weighted average exercise price, Exercisable at December 31, 2019 \| $ / shares	$ 22.88
Weighted average remaining contractual term, Outstanding, Ending balance	3 years 3 months 18 days
Weighted average remaining contractual term, Exercisable at December 31, 2019	2 years 7 months 6 days
Aggregate intrinsic value, Outstanding, Ending balance \| $	$ 2

Goodwill - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
Goodwill - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Goodwill impairment loss	$ 81,000,000	$ 81,000,000	$ 0	$ 0
Goodwill impairment tax benefit		$ 0

Leases - Supplemental Cash Flow Information (Parenthetical) (Detail) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($)
Maximum [Member]
Lessee Lease Description [Line Items]
Interest payments from finance lease liabilities	$ 1

Stock-based Compensation and Outstanding Awards

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]

Stock-based Compensation and Outstanding Awards

17. Stock-based Compensation and Outstanding Awards

Under the terms of the NOW Inc. Long Term Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), 16 million shares of the Company’s common stock were authorized for grant to employees, non-employee directors and other persons. The Plan provides for the grant of stock options, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units, phantom shares and performance stock awards.

Stock-based compensation expense recognized for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 totaled $13 million, $16 million and $20 million, respectively. The tax effected benefit for share-based compensation arrangements was $3 million, $3 million, and $7 million for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Each of the stock-based compensation arrangements are discussed below.

Stock Options

Stock option awards are generally granted with an exercise price equal to the market price of the Company’s stock at the date of grant. Stock option awards generally have either a 7-year or a 10-year contractual term and vest over a 3-year period from the grant date on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period for each separately vesting portion of the award as if the award was, in-substance, multiple awards. The grant-date fair value of stock options is determined using the Black-Scholes framework. Additionally, the Company’s stock options provide for full vesting of unvested outstanding options, in the event of a change of control of the Company and a change in the holder’s responsibilities following a change in control of the Company.

For the stock options granted in 2019, 2018 and 2017, the fair value of each option award was estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes framework that uses the assumptions noted in the table below. The expected volatility was based on the implied volatility on the Company’s stock, historical volatility of the Company’s stock and the historical volatility of other, similar companies. The risk-free rate was based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant for the period consistent with the expected term. The expected dividends were based on the Company’s history and expectation of dividend payouts. The expected term was based on the average of the vesting period and contractual term.

	December 31,
	2019			2018			2017
Valuation Assumptions:
Expected volatility		43.7	%		44.2	%		37.9	%
Risk-free interest rate		2.5	%		2.7	%		1.9	%
Expected dividends (per share)	$	—		$	—		$	—
Expected term (in years)	4.5			4.5			4.5

The following table summarizes award activity for stock options:

Stock Options	Shares (in thousands)			Weighted-Average Exercise Price		Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Term (in years)		Aggregate Intrinsic Value (in millions)
Outstanding as of December 31, 2018		5,483		$	19.43
Granted		521			15.30
Forfeited and expired		(613	)		14.19
Exercised		(265	)		10.30
Outstanding as of December 31, 2019		5,126		$	20.11		3.3	$	2
Exercisable at December 31, 2019		3,701		$	22.88		2.6	$	—

The weighted average grant-date fair value of options granted for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 was $6.02, $3.95 and $7.07, respectively. The total intrinsic value of options exercised for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 was less than $1 million. As of December 31, 2019, unrecognized compensation cost related to stock option awards was approximately $4 million, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.3 years. Cash received from exercises of stock options was $2 million for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Restricted Stock Awards, Restricted Stock Units and Phantom Shares (“RSAs and RSUs”)

Restricted stock generally cliff vests after 1, 3 or 6 years. The grant-date fair value of RSA and RSU grants is determined using the closing quoted market price on the grant date. Additionally, the Company’s RSA and RSU agreements provide for full vesting of RSAs and RSUs in the event of a change of control of the Company and a change in the holder’s responsibilities following a change in control of the Company.

The following table summarizes award activity for RSAs and RSUs:

RSAs / RSUs	Shares (in thousands)			Weighted-Average Grant-Date Fair Value
Nonvested as of December 31, 2018		1,515		$	21.78
Granted		465			13.42
Vested ⁽¹⁾		(665	)		18.92
Forfeited		(43	)		23.55
Nonvested as of December 31, 2019		1,272		$	19.38

⁽¹⁾

^{216 thousand shares were withheld and retired from the vesting of shares to employees to satisfy minimum tax withholding.}

The weighted average grant-date fair value was $13.42, $10.82 and $15.87 for RSAs and RSUs granted for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. As of December 31, 2019, unrecognized compensation cost related to RSAs and RSUs was $7 million, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1 year. The total vest-date fair value of shares vested for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 was $12 million, $7 million, and $12 million, respectively.

Performance Stock Awards (“PSAs”)

PSAs generally have a 3-year vesting period from the grant date and vest at the end of the vesting period with potential payouts varying from zero for performance below the threshold performance metric to 200% of the target award PSAs for performance above the maximum performance metric. The grant-date fair value of market-condition PSA grants is determined using a Monte Carlo simulation probabilistic model. The grant-date fair value of performance-condition PSA grants is determined using the closing quoted market price on the grant date. Additionally, the Company’s performance award agreements provide for full vesting of PSAs at the target level in the event of a change of control of the Company and a change in the holder’s responsibilities following a change in control of the Company.

The Company granted PSAs to senior management employees whereby the PSAs can be earned based on performance against established metrics over a three-year performance period. The PSAs are divided into three independent parts that are subject to separate performance metrics: (i) one-half of the PSAs have a Total Shareholder Return (“TSR”) metric, (ii) one-quarter of the PSAs have an EBITDA metric, and (iii) one-quarter of the PSAs have a Return on Capital Employed (“ROCE”) metric.

Performance against the TSR metric is determined by comparing the performance of the Company’s TSR with the TSR performance of designated peer companies for the three-year performance period. Performance against the EBITDA metric is determined by comparing the performance of the Company’s actual EBITDA average for each of the three-years of the performance period against the EBITDA metrics set by the Company’s Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors. Performance against the ROCE metric is determined by comparing the performance of the Company’s actual ROCE average for each of the three-years of the performance period against the ROCE metrics set by the Company’s Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors.

The following table summarizes award activity for performance stock awards:

PSAs	Shares (in thousands)			Weighted-Average Grant-Date Fair Value
Nonvested as of December 31, 2018		413		$	15.13
Granted		217			17.69
Vested ⁽¹⁾		(102	)		14.34
Forfeited		(315	)		16.78
Nonvested as of December 31, 2019		213		$	15.67

⁽¹⁾ 32 thousand shares were withheld and retired from the vesting of shares to employees to satisfy minimum tax withholding.

The weighted average grant-date fair value of PSAs granted for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 was $17.69, $11.81 and $22.75 respectively. As of December 31, 2019, unrecognized compensation cost related to PSAs was $2 million, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.3 years. The total vest-date fair value of PSAs vested during the year ended December 31, 2019 was $2 million.

Revenue - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Deferred revenue		$ 15
Increase in contract liabilities for net customer deposits	$ 18
Receivables, Net [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Contract assets	$ 3	$ 2
Maximum [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Amortization period of revenue recognized	1 year

Leases - Components of Lease Expense (Detail) - Warehousing, Selling and Administrative [Member] $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($)
Lessee Lease Description [Line Items]
Operating lease cost	$ 31
Finance lease ROU asset depreciation	5
Short-term lease cost	7
Variable lease cost	$ 3

Earnings Per Share ("EPS")

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Earnings Per Share ("EPS")

16. Earnings Per Share (“EPS”)

Basic earnings (loss) per share is based on net income (loss) attributable to the Company’s earnings and is calculated based upon the daily weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the periods presented. Also, this calculation includes fully vested stock and unit awards that have not yet been issued as common stock. Diluted EPS includes the above, plus unvested stock, unit or option awards granted and vested unexercised stock options, but only to the extent these instruments dilute earnings (loss) per share.

For the year ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, a total of approximately 8 million, 5 million and 8 million, respectively, of potentially dilutive shares were excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share due to their antidilutive effect or due to the Company recognizing a net loss for the period.

Basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share follows (in millions, except share data):

	December 31,
	2019			2018			2017
Numerator:
Net income (loss) attributable to the Company	$	(97	)	$	52		$	(52	)
Less: net income attributable to participating securities		—			(1	)		—
Net income (loss) attributable to the Company's stockholders	$	(97	)	$	51		$	(52	)
Denominator:
Weighted-average basic common shares outstanding		108,779,891			108,296,155			107,745,229
Effect of dilutive securities		—			341,489			—
Weighted-average diluted common shares outstanding		108,779,891			108,637,644			107,745,229
Earnings (loss) per share attributable to the Company's stockholders:
Basic	$	(0.89	)	$	0.47		$	(0.48	)
Diluted	$	(0.89	)	$	0.47		$	(0.48	)

ASC Topic 260, “Earnings Per Share,” requires companies with unvested participating securities to utilize a two-class method for the computation of net income attributable to the Company per share. The two-class method requires a portion of net income attributable to the Company to be allocated to participating securities, which are unvested awards of share-based payments with non-forfeitable rights to receive dividends or dividend equivalents, if declared. Net losses are not allocated to nonvested shares in periods that the Company determines that those shares are not obligated to participate in losses. For the periods that the Company recognized net income, net income attributable to the Company allocated to these participating securities was excluded from net income attributable to the Company’s stockholders in the numerator of the earnings per share computation.

Accrued Liabilities - Summary of Accrued Liabilities (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Payables And Accruals [Abstract]
Compensation and other related expenses	$ 31	$ 38
Contract liabilities	34	29
Taxes (non-income)	12	14
Current portion of operating lease liabilities	21
Other	29	29
Total	$ 127	$ 110

Intangibles, Net - Identified Intangible Assets by Major Classification (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Finite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross Carrying Amount	$ 156	$ 232
Accumulated Amortization	(66)	(88)
Net Book Value	90	144
Trademarks and Patents [Member]
Finite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross Carrying Amount	38	103
Accumulated Amortization	(9)	(31)
Net Book Value	29	72
Customer Relationships [Member]
Finite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross Carrying Amount	116	118
Accumulated Amortization	(57)	(46)
Net Book Value	59	72
Other [Member]
Finite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross Carrying Amount	2	11
Accumulated Amortization		$ (11)
Net Book Value	$ 2

Intangibles, Net - Schedule of Estimated Amortization of Intangible Assets Excluding Assets Held-for-Sale (Detail) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($)
Finite Lived Intangible Assets Future Amortization Expense [Abstract]
2020	$ 15
2021	15
2022	14
2023	10
2024	$ 8

Property, Plant and Equipment, net - Summary of Property, Plant and Equipment (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Property, plant and equipment, gross	$ 265	$ 236
Less: accumulated depreciation	(145)	(130)
Property, plant and equipment, net	120	106	$ 119
Information Technology Assets [Member]
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Property, plant and equipment, gross	46	45
Operating Equipment [Member]
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Property, plant and equipment, gross	109	92
Buildings and Land [Member]
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Property, plant and equipment, gross	100	$ 99
Construction in Progress [Member]
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Property, plant and equipment, gross	$ 10
Minimum [Member] \| Information Technology Assets [Member]
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Property plant and equipment estimated useful lives	1 year
Minimum [Member] \| Operating Equipment [Member]
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Property plant and equipment estimated useful lives	2 years
Minimum [Member] \| Buildings [Member]
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Property plant and equipment estimated useful lives	5 years
Maximum [Member] \| Information Technology Assets [Member]
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Property plant and equipment estimated useful lives	7 years
Maximum [Member] \| Operating Equipment [Member]
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Property plant and equipment estimated useful lives	15 years
Maximum [Member] \| Buildings [Member]
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Property plant and equipment estimated useful lives	35 years

Income Taxes - Reconciliation of Unrecognized Tax Benefits (Detail) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Unrecognized tax benefit beginning balance	$ 1
Settlement	$ (1)

Derivative Financial Instruments - Additional Information (Detail) - Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] - Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Derivatives Fair Value [Line Items]
Foreign currency forward contracts, notional amount	$ 15	$ 20	$ 37
Other Expense [Member]
Derivatives Fair Value [Line Items]
Foreign currency forward contracts, gain (loss) related to changes in fair value	(1)	(1)	$ 1
Prepaid and Other Current Assets [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Derivatives Fair Value [Line Items]
Foreign currency forward contracts, assets	1	1
Other Current Liabilities [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Derivatives Fair Value [Line Items]
Foreign currency forward contracts, liability	$ 1	$ 1

Leases

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Leases [Abstract]

Leases

11. Leases

The Company leases certain facilities, vehicles and equipment. The Company determines if an arrangement contains a lease at contract inception and recognizes ROU assets and lease liabilities for leases with terms greater than twelve months. Leases with an initial term of twelve months or less are accounted for as short-term leases and are not recognized in the balance sheet. Operating fixed lease expenses and finance lease depreciation expense are recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Variable lease payments which cannot be determined at the lease commencement date, such as reimbursement of lessor expenses, are not included in the ROU assets or lease liabilities.

Many leases include both lease and non-lease components which are primarily related to management services provided by lessors for the underlying assets. The Company elected the practical expedient to account for lease and non-lease components as a single lease component for all leases as well as the practical expedient that allows the Company to carry forward the historical lease classifications. For all new and modified leases entered into after the adoption of ASC 842, the Company reassesses the lease classification and lease term on the effective date of modification. Lease term includes renewal periods if the Company is reasonably certain to exercise any renewal options per the lease contract. The Company’s leases do not contain any material residual value guarantees or restrictive covenants. The Company subleases certain real estate to third parties; however, this activity is not material.

As most leases do not have readily determinable implicit rates, the Company estimates the incremental borrowing rates based on prevailing financial market conditions, comparable companies and credit analysis and management judgments to determine the present values of its lease payments. The Company also applies the portfolio approach to account for leases with similar terms. As of December 31, 2019, the weighted-average remaining lease terms were approximately 3 years for operating leases and 5 years for finance leases, and the weighted-average discount rates were 6.1% for operating leases and 5.6% for finance leases.

Supplemental balance sheet information (in millions):

	Classification	December 31, 2019
Assets
Operating	Other assets	$	56
Finance	Property, plant and equipment, net		16
Total ROU assets		$	72
Liabilities
Current
Operating	Accrued liabilities	$	21
Finance	Other current liabilities		7
Long-term
Operating	Long-term operating lease liabilities		34
Finance	Other long-term liabilities		10
Total lease liabilities		$	72

Components of lease expense (in millions):

	Classification	December 31, 2019
Operating lease cost ⁽¹⁾	Warehousing, selling and administrative	$	31
Finance lease ROU asset depreciation ⁽²⁾	Warehousing, selling and administrative	$	5
Short-term lease cost	Warehousing, selling and administrative	$	7
Variable lease cost	Warehousing, selling and administrative	$	3

⁽¹⁾ Included in other, net adjustment to reconcile net income to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities in the consolidated statement of cash flows.

⁽²⁾ Included in depreciation and amortization in the consolidated statement of cash flows. Interest on finance lease liabilities is less than $1 million.

Rental expense related to operating leases approximated $48 million and $50 million for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Supplemental cash flow information (in millions):

	December 31, 2019
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities
Operating cash flows from operating leases	$	31
Financing cash flows from finance leases ⁽¹⁾	$	5
ROU assets obtained in exchange for new lease liabilities
Operating	$	17
Finance	$	20

⁽¹⁾ Interest payments from finance lease liabilities is less than $1 million.

Maturity of lease liabilities as of December 31, 2019 were as follows (in millions):

	Operating Lease			Finance Lease
2020	$	24		$	7
2021		17			6
2022		10			3
2023		6			1
2024		2			—
Thereafter		1			2
Total future lease payments		60			19
Less: interest		(5	)		(2	)
Present value of lease liabilities	$	55		$	17

The Company assumed leases with certain former owners of acquired entities for premises utilized by the acquired entities in the performance of their operations. Most of these leases are renewable at the Company’s option and contain clauses for payment of real estate taxes, maintenance, insurance and certain other operating expenses of the properties. The aggregated rental expense was approximately $2 million, $3 million and $3 million for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017, respectively. Total future commitments related to these operating leases is approximately $1 million through 2020.

Stock-based Compensation and Outstanding Awards - Summary of Status of Nonvested Shares of RSAs and RSUs (Detail) - Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units [Member] - $ / shares	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Nonvested shares, beginning balance	1,515,000
Shares, Granted	465,000
Shares, Vested	(665,000)
Shares, Forfeited	(43,000)
Nonvested shares, ending balance	1,272,000	1,515,000
Weighted average grant date fair value, Nonvested beginning balance	$ 21.78
Weighted average grant date fair value, Granted	13.42	$ 10.82	$ 15.87
Weighted average grant date fair value, Vested	18.92
Weighted average grant date fair value, Forfeited	23.55
Weighted average grant date fair value, Nonvested ending balance	$ 19.38	$ 21.78

Property, Plant and Equipment, net - Summary of Property, Plant and Equipment (Parenthetical) (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019
Land [Member]
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated Useful Lives	indefinite life

Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited) - Summarized Quarterly Result (Detail) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
Revenue	$ 639	$ 751	$ 776	$ 785	$ 764	$ 822	$ 777	$ 764	$ 2,951	$ 3,127	$ 2,648
Operating expenses:
Cost of products	514	601	623	627	607	654	620	616	2,365	2,497	2,147
Warehousing, selling and administrative	134	136	136	135	135	142	139	141
Impairment charges	128								128
Operating profit (loss)	(137)	14	17	23	22	26	18	7	(83)	73	(41)
Net income (loss)	$ (139)	$ 10	$ 14	$ 18	$ 16	$ 20	$ 14	$ 2	$ (97)	$ 52	$ (52)
Earnings (loss) per share:
Basic earnings (loss) per common share	$ (1.27)	$ 0.09	$ 0.12	$ 0.17	$ 0.14	$ 0.18	$ 0.12	$ 0.02	$ (0.89)	$ 0.47	$ (0.48)
Diluted earnings (loss) per common share	$ (1.27)	$ 0.09	$ 0.12	$ 0.16	$ 0.14	$ 0.18	$ 0.12	$ 0.02	$ (0.89)	$ 0.47	$ (0.48)

Accrued Liabilities

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Payables And Accruals [Abstract]

Accrued Liabilities

6. Accrued Liabilities

Accrued liabilities consist of (in millions):

	December 31,
	2019		2018
Compensation and other related expenses	$	31	$	38
Contract liabilities		34		29
Taxes (non-income)		12		14
Current portion of operating lease liabilities		21		—
Other		29		29
Total	$	127	$	110

Employee Bargaining Agreements and Benefit Plans - Additional Information (Detail) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($) Employees Pension_Plan	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of temporary employees \| Employees	200
Expenses for defined contribution plan	$ 13	$ 13	$ 12
Number of benefit plans, description	The Company sponsors two defined benefit plans in the United Kingdom under which accrual of pension benefits have ceased. Plan member benefits that have previously been accrued are indexed in line with inflation during the period up to retirement in order to protect their purchasing power. The second defined benefit plan was acquired from the John MacLean & Sons Electrical acquisition in March 2015.
Defined benefit plan, concentration risk, description	the Company’s management believes that there are no significant concentrations of risk associated with plan assets.
UK [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of defined benefit plan \| Pension_Plan	2
Minimum [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of employees \| Employees	4,400
Maximum [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Percentage of employees collective bargaining agreement	1.00%
Net periodic benefit cost	$ 1	$ 1	$ 1
Defined benefit plan, expected future benefit payments in next twelve months	1
Defined benefit plan, expected future benefit payments in year two	1
Defined benefit plan, expected future benefit payments in year three	1
Defined benefit plan, expected future benefit payments in year four	1
Defined benefit plan, expected future benefit payments in year five	1
Defined benefit plan, expected future benefit payments in year five and thereafter	2
Defined benefit plan, expected future employer contributions, next fiscal year	$ 1

Stock-based Compensation and Outstanding Awards - Significant Assumptions Used to Calculate the Grant Date Fair Market Values of Options Granted (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Valuation Assumptions:
Expected volatility	43.70%	44.20%	37.90%
Risk-free interest rate	2.50%	2.70%	1.90%
Expected term (in years)	4 years 6 months	4 years 6 months	4 years 6 months

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Equity [Abstract]

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

14. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

The components of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) are as follows (in millions):

	Foreign Currency
	Translation
	Adjustments
Balance at December 31, 2018	$	(143	)
Other comprehensive income		15
Balance at December 31, 2019	$	(128	)

The Company’s reporting currency is the U.S. dollar. A majority of the Company’s international entities in which there is a substantial investment have the local currency as their functional currency. As a result, foreign currency translation adjustments resulting from the process of translating the entities’ financial statements into the reporting currency are reported in other comprehensive income (loss) in accordance with ASC Topic 830 “Foreign Currency Matters”.

Employee Bargaining Agreements and Benefit Plans - Assumption Rates Used for Net Periodic Benefit Costs (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Discount rate:		2.50%	2.70%
Minimum [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Discount rate:	2.65%
Expected return on assets:	3.02%	3.10%	3.27%
Maximum [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Discount rate:	2.90%
Expected return on assets:	3.62%	4.17%	4.27%

Goodwill

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Goodwill

7. Goodwill

Goodwill is identified by segment as follows (in millions):

	United States		Canada			International			Total
Balance at December 31, 2017 ⁽¹⁾	$	119	$	98		$	111		$	328
Foreign currency translation adjustments		—		(8	)		(6	)		(14	)
Balance at December 31, 2018	$	119	$	90		$	105		$	314
Additions		6		—			—			6
Impairment		—		(27	)		(54	)		(81	)
Foreign currency translation adjustments		—		4			2			6
Balance at December 31, 2019	$	125	$	67		$	53		$	245

⁽¹⁾

^{In the United States segment, net of prior years accumulated impairment of $393 million.}

The Company performed its annual goodwill impairment test during the fourth quarter of 2019 and determined the fair value of the Canada and International reporting units was below their carrying value. As a result, the Company recognized $81 million of goodwill impairment which was included in impairment charges in the consolidated statements of operations. The impairment charges were primarily the result of actual declines in customer and rig activity and downward revisions to forecasted rig and customer spend activity occurring in the fourth quarter of 2019, which we incorporated into our outlook and forecasted results of operations. The impact of the prolonged activity curtailment in Canada and other market condition deteriorations have reduced our near-term outlook and timing of an expected recovery. Further continued adverse market conditions could result in the recognition of additional impairment if the Company determines that the fair values of its reporting units have fallen below their carrying values. No tax benefit was reported on the Company’s goodwill impairment for the year-ended December 31, 2019, as the goodwill impairment was either nondeductible for tax purposes or was subject to a valuation allowance. See Note 9 “Income Taxes” for additional information.

For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 no goodwill impairments were recognized as the fair value of each reporting unit exceeded its carrying value.

Business Segments - Schedule of Comparison of Approximate Sales Mix in Principal Product Categories (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Entity Wide Portfolio Carrying Amount Major Customer [Line Items]
Total Revenues	$ 639	$ 751	$ 776	$ 785	$ 764	$ 822	$ 777	$ 764	$ 2,951	$ 3,127	$ 2,648
Drilling and Production [Member]
Entity Wide Portfolio Carrying Amount Major Customer [Line Items]
Total Revenues									711	691	625
Pipe [Member]
Entity Wide Portfolio Carrying Amount Major Customer [Line Items]
Total Revenues									473	587	418
Valves [Member]
Entity Wide Portfolio Carrying Amount Major Customer [Line Items]
Total Revenues									608	664	541
Fittings and Flanges [Member]
Entity Wide Portfolio Carrying Amount Major Customer [Line Items]
Total Revenues									524	523	419
Mill Tool, MRO, Safety and Other [Member]
Entity Wide Portfolio Carrying Amount Major Customer [Line Items]
Total Revenues									$ 635	$ 662	$ 645

Intangibles, Net - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Finite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Impairment of intangible assets		$ 0	$ 0
Amortization Of Intangible Assets	$ 19	$ 20	$ 22
United States [Member]
Finite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Impairment of intangible assets	34
International [Member]
Finite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Impairment of intangible assets	$ 4
Minimum [Member]
Finite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives of identified intangible assets	3 years
Maximum [Member]
Finite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives of identified intangible assets	20 years

Stock-based Compensation and Outstanding Awards (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]

Significant Assumptions Used to Calculate the Grant Date Fair Market Values of Options Granted

	December 31,
	2019			2018			2017
Valuation Assumptions:
Expected volatility		43.7	%		44.2	%		37.9	%
Risk-free interest rate		2.5	%		2.7	%		1.9	%
Expected dividends (per share)	$	—		$	—		$	—
Expected term (in years)	4.5			4.5			4.5

Summary of Stock Option Activity

The following table summarizes award activity for stock options:

Stock Options	Shares (in thousands)			Weighted-Average Exercise Price		Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Term (in years)		Aggregate Intrinsic Value (in millions)
Outstanding as of December 31, 2018		5,483		$	19.43
Granted		521			15.30
Forfeited and expired		(613	)		14.19
Exercised		(265	)		10.30
Outstanding as of December 31, 2019		5,126		$	20.11		3.3	$	2
Exercisable at December 31, 2019		3,701		$	22.88		2.6	$	—

Summary of Status of Nonvested Shares of RSAs and RSUs

The following table summarizes award activity for RSAs and RSUs:

RSAs / RSUs	Shares (in thousands)			Weighted-Average Grant-Date Fair Value
Nonvested as of December 31, 2018		1,515		$	21.78
Granted		465			13.42
Vested ⁽¹⁾		(665	)		18.92
Forfeited		(43	)		23.55
Nonvested as of December 31, 2019		1,272		$	19.38

⁽¹⁾

^{216 thousand shares were withheld and retired from the vesting of shares to employees to satisfy minimum tax withholding.}

The following table summarizes award activity for performance stock awards:

PSAs	Shares (in thousands)			Weighted-Average Grant-Date Fair Value
Nonvested as of December 31, 2018		413		$	15.13
Granted		217			17.69
Vested ⁽¹⁾		(102	)		14.34
Forfeited		(315	)		16.78
Nonvested as of December 31, 2019		213		$	15.67

⁽¹⁾ 32 thousand shares were withheld and retired from the vesting of shares to employees to satisfy minimum tax withholding.

Income Taxes (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Domestic and Foreign Components of Income (Loss) Before Income Taxes

The domestic and foreign components of income (loss) before income taxes were as follows (in millions):

	December 31,
	2019			2018		2017
United States	$	(12	)	$	39	$	(64	)
Foreign		(81	)		19		12
Income (loss) before income taxes	$	(93	)	$	58	$	(52	)

Components of the Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes

The provision (benefit) for income taxes for 2019, 2018 and 2017 consisted of the following (in millions):

	2019			2018			2017
U.S. Federal:
Current		—			—			—
Deferred		—			—			—
		—			—			—
U.S. State:
Current		1			1			—
Deferred		—			—			—
		1			1			—
Foreign
Current		5			6			1
Deferred		(2	)		(1	)		(1	)
		3			5			—
Income tax provision (benefit)	$	4		$	6		$	—

Reconciliation Between Effective Tax Rate

The reconciliation between the Company’s effective tax rate on income (loss) from continuing operations and the statutory tax rate is as follows (in millions):

	December 31,
	2019			2018			2017
Income tax provision (benefit) at federal statutory rate	$	(19	)	$	12		$	(18	)
Foreign tax rate differential		2			2			(2	)
State income tax provision (benefit), net of federal benefit		—			3			(5	)
Nondeductible expenses		3			9			2
Foreign tax credits		1			21			(31	)
Benefit of net operating loss		—			(14	)		—
One-time transition tax		—			1			33
U.S. tax rate change		—			—			69
Investment in subsidiaries		(9	)		—			—
Nondeductible goodwill impairment		16			—			—
Change in valuation allowance		9			(28	)		(45	)
Change in contingency reserve and other		1			—			(3	)
Income tax provision (benefit)	$	4		$	6		$	—
Effective tax rate		(4.4	)%		10.7	%		0.0	%

Significant Components of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities

Significant components of the Company’s deferred tax assets and liabilities were as follows (in millions):

	December 31,
	2019			2018			2017
Deferred tax assets:
Allowances and operating liabilities	$	5		$	8		$	8
Net operating loss carryforwards		56			56			52
Foreign tax credit carryforwards		7			8			29
Allowance for doubtful accounts		2			6			6
Inventory reserve		9			10			12
Stock-based compensation		8			8			15
Intangible assets		28			24			27
Assets held-for-sale		4			—			—
Investment in subsidiaries		9			—			—
Book over tax depreciation		4			2			—
Other		4			3			3
Total deferred tax assets	$	136		$	125		$	152
Deferred tax liabilities:
Total deferred tax liabilities	$	—		$	—		$	—
Net deferred tax assets before valuation allowance		136			125			152
Valuation allowance		(138	)		(129	)		(157	)
Net deferred tax liabilities	$	(2	)	$	(4	)	$	(5	)

Reconciliation of Unrecognized Tax Benefits

A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefits is as follows (in millions):

	2019		2018		2017
Unrecognized tax benefit at January 1	$	—	$	—	$	1
Gross increases - tax positions in prior period		—		—		—
Gross decreases - tax positions in prior period		—		—		—
Gross increases - tax positions in current period		—		—		—
Settlement		—		—		(1	)
Lapse of statute of limitations		—		—		—
Unrecognized tax benefit at December 31	$	—	$	—	$	—

Stock-based Compensation and Outstanding Awards - Summary of Status of Nonvested Shares of RSAs and RSUs (Parenthetical) (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019 shares
Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares withheld and retired to satisfy minimum tax withholding	216,000

Employee Bargaining Agreements and Benefit Plans (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Postemployment Benefits [Abstract]

Change in Benefit Obligation, Plan Assets and Funded Status of Defined Benefit Pension Plans

The change in benefit obligation, plan assets and the funded status of the defined benefit pension plans in the United Kingdom using a measurement date of December 31, 2019 and 2018, are as follows (in millions):

	Pension Benefits
At year end	2019		2018
Benefit obligation at beginning of year	$	11	$	13
Service cost		—		—
Interest cost		—		—
Actuarial loss (gain)		—		1
Benefits paid		—		—
Participants contributions		—		—
Plan settlements		—		(3	)
Foreign currency exchange rate changes		—		—
Acquisitions (disposals)		—		—
Benefit obligation at end of year	$	11	$	11

Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year	$	15	$	18
Actual return		1		—
Benefits paid		—		—
Company contributions		—		—
Participants contributions		—		—
Plan settlements		—		(3	)
Foreign currency exchange rate changes		—		—
Acquisitions (disposals)		—		—
Fair value of plan assets at end of year	$	16	$	15

Funded status		5		4
Accumulated benefit obligation at end of year	$	11	$	11

Assumption Rates Used for Benefit Obligations

The assumption rates used for benefit obligations are as follows:

	December 31,
	2019	2018
Discount rate:	2.00% - 2.10%	2.65% - 2.90%

Assumption Rates Used for Net Periodic Benefit Costs

The assumption rates used for net periodic benefit costs are as follows:

	December 31,
	2019	2018	2017
Discount rate:	2.65% - 2.90%	2.50%	2.70%
Expected return on assets:	3.02% - 3.62%	3.10% - 4.17%	3.27% - 4.27%

Plan's Assets Carried at Fair Value

The following table sets forth by level, within the fair value hierarchy, the plan’s assets carried at fair value (in millions):

	Fair Value Measurements
	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
December 31, 2019:
Equity securities	$	6	$	6	$	—	$	—
Fixed income securities		5		5		—		—
Other		5		1		4		—
Total fair value measurements	$	16	$	12	$	4	$	—

December 31, 2018:
Equity securities	$	5	$	5	$	—	$	—
Fixed income securities		5		5		—		—
Other		5		—		5		—
Total fair value measurements	$	15	$	10	$	5	$	—

Document and Entity Information - USD ($) $ in Billions	12 Months Ended
Document and Entity Information - USD ($) $ in Billions	Dec. 31, 2019	Feb. 12, 2020	Jun. 28, 2019
Cover [Abstract]
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2019
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2019
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Entity Registrant Name	NOW INC.
Entity Central Index Key	0001599617
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Interactive Data Current	Yes
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Public Float			$ 1.6
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		109,207,678
Entity Shell Company	false
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Title of 12(b) Security	Common Stock, par value $0.01
Trading Symbol	DNOW
Security Exchange Name	NYSE
Entity File Number	001-36325
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	DE
Entity Tax Identification Number	46-4191184
Entity Address, Address Line One	7402 North Eldridge Parkway
Entity Address, City or Town	Houston
Entity Address, State or Province	TX
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	77041
City Area Code	281
Local Phone Number	823-4700
Document Annual Report	true
Document Transition Report	false
Documents Incorporated by Reference	Documents Incorporated by Reference Portions of the Proxy Statement in connection with the 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated in Part III of this report.

Accrued Liabilities (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Payables And Accruals [Abstract]

Summary of Accrued Liabilities

Accrued liabilities consist of (in millions):

	December 31,
	2019		2018
Compensation and other related expenses	$	31	$	38
Contract liabilities		34		29
Taxes (non-income)		12		14
Current portion of operating lease liabilities		21		—
Other		29		29
Total	$	127	$	110

Derivative Financial Instruments

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

Derivative Financial Instruments

13. Derivative Financial Instruments

The Company is exposed to certain risks relating to its ongoing business operations. The primary risk managed by using derivative instruments is foreign currency exchange rate risk. The Company has entered into certain financial derivative instruments to manage this risk.

The derivative financial instruments the Company has entered into are forward exchange contracts which have terms of less than one year to economically hedge foreign currency exchange rate risk on recognized nonfunctional currency monetary accounts. The purpose of the Company’s foreign currency economic hedging activities is to economically hedge the Company’s risk from changes in the fair value of nonfunctional currency denominated monetary accounts.

The Company records all derivative financial instruments at their fair value in its consolidated balance sheets. None of the derivative financial instruments that the Company holds are designated as either a fair value hedge or cash flow hedge and the gain or loss on the derivative instrument is recorded in earnings. The Company has determined that the fair value of its derivative financial instruments are computed using level 2 inputs (inputs other than quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities that are observable either directly or indirectly for substantially the full term of the asset or liability) in the fair value hierarchy as the fair value is based on publicly available foreign exchange rates at each financial reporting date. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the fair value of the Company’s foreign currency forward contracts totaled an asset of less than $1 million and a liability of less than $1 million. The Company’s foreign currency forward contract assets are included in prepaid and other current assets in the consolidated balance sheets and the Company’s foreign currency forward contract liabilities are included in other current liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets.

For the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, the Company recorded a loss of $1 million, a loss of $1 million and a gain of $1 million, respectively, related to changes in fair value. All gains and losses were included in other expense in the consolidated statements of operations. The notional principal associated with those contracts was $15 million, $20 million and $37 million as of December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

As of December 31, 2019, the Company’s financial instruments do not contain any credit-risk-related or other contingent features that could cause accelerated payments when the Company’s financial instruments are in net liability positions. The Company does not use derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes.

Earnings Per Share ("EPS") - Additional Information (Detail) - shares shares in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Antidilutive Securities excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share	8	5	8

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Statement Of Financial Position [Abstract]
Preferred stock, par value	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Preferred stock, shares authorized	20,000,000	20,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued	0	0
Preferred stock, shares outstanding	0	0
Common stock, par value	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common stock, shares authorized	330,000,000	330,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	109,207,678	108,426,962
Common stock, shares outstanding	109,207,678	108,426,962

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity - USD ($) $ in Millions	Total	Common Stock [Member]	Additional Paid-In Capital [Member]	Accumulated Retained Earnings (Deficit) [Member]	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Member]
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2016	$ 1,183		$ 2,002	$ (678)	$ (142)
Beginning balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2016		107,000,000
Beginning balance, Common stock value at Dec. 31, 2016		$ 1
Net income (loss)	(52)			(52)
Stock-based compensation	20		20
Exercise of stock options	1		1
Vesting of restricted stock, shares		1,000,000
Shares withheld for taxes	(4)		(4)
Other comprehensive income (loss)	37				37
Ending balance at Dec. 31, 2017	1,185		2,019	(730)	(105)
Ending balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2017		108,000,000
Ending balance, Common stock value at Dec. 31, 2017		$ 1
Net income (loss)	52			52
Stock-based compensation	16		16
Exercise of stock options	1		1
Shares withheld for taxes	(2)		(2)
Other comprehensive income (loss)	(38)				(38)
Ending balance at Dec. 31, 2018	1,214		2,034	(678)	(143)
Ending balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2018		108,000,000
Ending balance, Common stock value at Dec. 31, 2018	1	$ 1
Net income (loss)	(97)			(97)
Stock-based compensation	13		13
Exercise of stock options	$ 2		2
Exercise of stock options, shares	265,000
Vesting of restricted stock, shares		1,000,000
Shares withheld for taxes	$ (3)		(3)
Other comprehensive income (loss)	15				15
Ending balance at Dec. 31, 2019	1,144		$ 2,046	$ (775)	$ (128)
Ending balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2019		109,000,000
Ending balance, Common stock value at Dec. 31, 2019	$ 1	$ 1

Earnings Per Share (EPS) (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Computation of Basic and Diluted Earnings (Loss) Per Share

Basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share follows (in millions, except share data):

	December 31,
	2019			2018			2017
Numerator:
Net income (loss) attributable to the Company	$	(97	)	$	52		$	(52	)
Less: net income attributable to participating securities		—			(1	)		—
Net income (loss) attributable to the Company's stockholders	$	(97	)	$	51		$	(52	)
Denominator:
Weighted-average basic common shares outstanding		108,779,891			108,296,155			107,745,229
Effect of dilutive securities		—			341,489			—
Weighted-average diluted common shares outstanding		108,779,891			108,637,644			107,745,229
Earnings (loss) per share attributable to the Company's stockholders:
Basic	$	(0.89	)	$	0.47		$	(0.48	)
Diluted	$	(0.89	)	$	0.47		$	(0.48	)

Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]

Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited)

18. Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited)

Summarized quarterly results were as follows (in millions, except per share data):

	First Quarter		Second Quarter		Third Quarter		Fourth Quarter
Year ended December 31, 2019
Revenue	$	785	$	776	$	751	$	639
Operating expenses
Cost of products		627		623		601		514
Warehousing, selling and administrative		135		136		136		134
Impairment charges		—		—		—		128
Operating profit (loss)	$	23	$	17	$	14	$	(137	)
Net income (loss)	$	18	$	14	$	10	$	(139	)
Earnings (loss) per share:
Basic earnings (loss) per common share	$	0.17	$	0.12	$	0.09	$	(1.27	)
Diluted earnings (loss) per common share	$	0.16	$	0.12	$	0.09	$	(1.27	)

Year ended December 31, 2018
Revenue	$	764	$	777	$	822	$	764
Operating expenses
Cost of products		616		620		654		607
Warehousing, selling and administrative		141		139		142		135
Operating profit	$	7	$	18	$	26	$	22
Net income	$	2	$	14	$	20	$	16
Earnings per share:
Basic earnings per common share	$	0.02	$	0.12	$	0.18	$	0.14
Diluted earnings per common share	$	0.02	$	0.12	$	0.18	$	0.14

Intangibles, net (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Intangible Assets Net Excluding Goodwill [Abstract]

Identified Intangible Assets by Major Classification

Identified intangible assets by major classification, affected by the fluctuation of foreign currency rates, consist of the following (in millions):

			Accumulated			Net Book
	Gross		Amortization			Value
December 31, 2019:
Trademarks and patents	$	38	$	(9	)	$	29
Customer relationships		116		(57	)		59
Other		2		—			2
Total identified intangibles	$	156	$	(66	)	$	90

December 31, 2018:
Trademarks and patents	$	103	$	(31	)	$	72
Customer relationships		118		(46	)		72
Other		11		(11	)		—
Total identified intangibles	$	232	$	(88	)	$	144

Schedule of Estimated Amortization of Intangible Assets Excluding Assets Held-for-Sale

For the Year Ending December 31,	Estimated Amortization Expense
2020	$	15
2021		15
2022		14
2023		10
2024		8

Debt

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

Debt

10. Debt

On April 30, 2018, the Company replaced its existing senior secured revolving credit facility and entered into a senior secured revolving credit facility (the “Credit Facility”) with a syndicate of lenders with Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, serving as the administrative agent. The five-year Credit Facility provides for a $750 million global revolving credit facility (with a letter of credit sub-facility of $60 million, and a swing line sub-facility of 10% of the facility amount), of which up to $100 million is available for the Company’s Canadian subsidiaries and $40 million is available for the Company’s UK subsidiaries. The Company has the right, subject to certain conditions, to increase the aggregate principal amount of commitments under the credit facility by $250 million. The obligations under the Credit Facility are secured by substantially all the assets of the Company and its subsidiaries. The Credit Facility contains customary covenants, representations and warranties and events of default. The Company will be required to maintain a fixed charge coverage ratio of at least 1.00:1.00 as of the end of each fiscal quarter if excess availability under the Credit Facility falls below the greater of 12.5% of the borrowing base or $60 million.

Borrowings under the Credit Facility will bear an interest rate at the Company’s option, at (i) the base rate plus an applicable margin based on the Company’s fixed charge coverage ratio (and if applicable, the Company’s leverage ratio); or (ii) the greater of LIBOR for the applicable interest period and zero, plus an applicable margin based on the Company’s fixed charge coverage ratio (and if applicable, the Company’s leverage ratio). The Credit Facility includes a commitment fee on the unused portion of commitments that ranges from 25 to 37.5 basis points. Commitment fees incurred during the period were included in other expense in the consolidated statements of operations.

Availability under the Credit Facility is determined by a borrowing base comprised of eligible receivables and eligible inventory in the U.S and Canada. As of December 31, 2019, the Company had no borrowings against the Credit Facility and had approximately $413 million in availability (as defined in the Credit Facility) resulting in the excess availability (as defined in the Credit Facility) of 98% subject to certain limitations. The Company is not obligated to pay back borrowings against the Credit Facility until the expiration date and as such, any outstanding borrowing is classified as long-term debt in the consolidated balance sheets.

The Company issued $7 million in letters of credit under the Credit Facility primarily for casualty insurance expiring in July 2020.

Employee Bargaining Agreements and Benefit Plans

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Defined Benefit Pension Plans Defined Benefit Postretirement Plans And Defined Contribution Pension Plans Disclosure [Abstract]

Employee Bargaining Agreements and Benefit Plans

19. Employee Bargaining Agreements and Benefit Plans

Collective bargaining agreements

At December 31, 2019, the Company had approximately 4,400 employees, of which approximately 200 were temporary employees. Some of the Company’s employees in various foreign locations are subject to collective bargaining agreements. Less than one percent of the Company’s employees in the U.S. are subject to collective bargaining agreements.

Benefit plans

The Company has benefit plans covering substantially all of its employees. Defined contribution benefit plans cover most of the U.S. and Canadian employees, and benefits are based on years of service, a percentage of current earnings and matching of employee contributions. For the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, employer contributions for defined contribution plans were $13 million, $13 million and $12 million, respectively, and all funding is current.

The Company has a non-qualified deferred compensation plan (the “NQDC Plan”) for certain members of senior management. NQDC Plan assets are invested in mutual funds held in a “rabbi trust,” which is restricted for payment to participants of the NQDC Plan. Such equity securities held in a rabbi trust are measured using quoted market prices at the reporting date (Level 1 within the fair value hierarchy) and are included in other assets, with the corresponding liability included in other long-term liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets.

Defined Benefit Pension Plans

The Company sponsors two defined benefit plans in the United Kingdom under which accrual of pension benefits have ceased. Plan member benefits that have previously been accrued are indexed in line with inflation during the period up to retirement in order to protect their purchasing power. The second defined benefit plan was acquired from the John MacLean & Sons Electrical acquisition in March 2015. Net periodic benefit cost for the Company’s defined benefit plans aggregated less than $1 million each year for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 are included in warehousing, selling and administrative in the consolidated statement of operations.

	Pension Benefits
At year end	2019		2018
Benefit obligation at beginning of year	$	11	$	13
Service cost		—		—
Interest cost		—		—
Actuarial loss (gain)		—		1
Benefits paid		—		—
Participants contributions		—		—
Plan settlements		—		(3	)
Foreign currency exchange rate changes		—		—
Acquisitions (disposals)		—		—
Benefit obligation at end of year	$	11	$	11

Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year	$	15	$	18
Actual return		1		—
Benefits paid		—		—
Company contributions		—		—
Participants contributions		—		—
Plan settlements		—		(3	)
Foreign currency exchange rate changes		—		—
Acquisitions (disposals)		—		—
Fair value of plan assets at end of year	$	16	$	15

Funded status		5		4
Accumulated benefit obligation at end of year	$	11	$	11

The net asset is presented within other assets in the consolidated balance sheets.

Assumed long-term rates of return on plan assets and discount rates vary for the different plans according to the local economic conditions. The assumption rates used for benefit obligations are as follows:

	December 31,
	2019	2018
Discount rate:	2.00% - 2.10%	2.65% - 2.90%

The assumption rates used for net periodic benefit costs are as follows:

	December 31,
	2019	2018	2017
Discount rate:	2.65% - 2.90%	2.50%	2.70%
Expected return on assets:	3.02% - 3.62%	3.10% - 4.17%	3.27% - 4.27%

In determining the overall expected long-term rate of return for plan assets, the Company takes into consideration the historical experience as well as future expectations of the asset mix involved. As different investments yield different returns, each asset category is reviewed individually and then weighted for significance in relation to the total portfolio.

Both plans have plan assets in excess of projected benefit obligations. The Company expects to pay future benefit amounts on its defined benefit plans of $1 million or less for each of the next five years and in the aggregate $2 million for the five years thereafter. The Company expects to contribute less than $1 million to its defined benefit pension plans in 2020.

The Company and its investment advisers collaboratively reviewed market opportunities using historic and statistical data, as well as the actuarial valuation reports for the plans, to ensure that the levels of acceptable return and risk are well-defined and monitored. Currently, the Company’s management believes that there are no significant concentrations of risk associated with plan assets.

The following table sets forth by level, within the fair value hierarchy, the plan’s assets carried at fair value (in millions):

	Fair Value Measurements
	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
December 31, 2019:
Equity securities	$	6	$	6	$	—	$	—
Fixed income securities		5		5		—		—
Other		5		1		4		—
Total fair value measurements	$	16	$	12	$	4	$	—

December 31, 2018:
Equity securities	$	5	$	5	$	—	$	—
Fixed income securities		5		5		—		—
Other		5		—		5		—
Total fair value measurements	$	15	$	10	$	5	$	—

Income Taxes

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income Taxes

9. Income Taxes

The domestic and foreign components of income (loss) before income taxes were as follows (in millions):

	December 31,
	2019			2018		2017
United States	$	(12	)	$	39	$	(64	)
Foreign		(81	)		19		12
Income (loss) before income taxes	$	(93	)	$	58	$	(52	)

The provision (benefit) for income taxes for 2019, 2018 and 2017 consisted of the following (in millions):

	2019			2018			2017
U.S. Federal:
Current		—			—			—
Deferred		—			—			—
		—			—			—
U.S. State:
Current		1			1			—
Deferred		—			—			—
		1			1			—
Foreign
Current		5			6			1
Deferred		(2	)		(1	)		(1	)
		3			5			—
Income tax provision (benefit)	$	4		$	6		$	—

The reconciliation between the Company’s effective tax rate on income (loss) from continuing operations and the statutory tax rate is as follows (in millions):

	December 31,
	2019			2018			2017
Income tax provision (benefit) at federal statutory rate	$	(19	)	$	12		$	(18	)
Foreign tax rate differential		2			2			(2	)
State income tax provision (benefit), net of federal benefit		—			3			(5	)
Nondeductible expenses		3			9			2
Foreign tax credits		1			21			(31	)
Benefit of net operating loss		—			(14	)		—
One-time transition tax		—			1			33
U.S. tax rate change		—			—			69
Investment in subsidiaries		(9	)		—			—
Nondeductible goodwill impairment		16			—			—
Change in valuation allowance		9			(28	)		(45	)
Change in contingency reserve and other		1			—			(3	)
Income tax provision (benefit)	$	4		$	6		$	—
Effective tax rate		(4.4	)%		10.7	%		0.0	%

For the year ended December 31, 2019, the effective tax rate was impacted by a valuation allowance recorded against the Company’s deferred tax assets in the U.S., Canada and other foreign jurisdictions, nondeductible goodwill impairment and recognition of deferred taxes related to outside basis differences in subsidiaries classified as held-for-sale. For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, the effective tax rate was impacted by a valuation in the U.S., Canada and other foreign jurisdictions, and the TCJA which includes the one-time transition tax, the U.S. tax rate change and foreign tax credits related to earnings of foreign subsidiaries that were previously tax deferred.

The TCJA subjects a U.S. shareholder to current tax on Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (“GILTI”) earned by certain foreign subsidiaries. The FASB Staff Q&A, Topic 740, No. 5 Accounting for Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income, states that an entity can make an accounting policy election to either recognize deferred taxes for temporary basis differences expected to reverse as GILTI in future years or provide for the tax expense related to GILTI in the year the tax is incurred as a period expense only. The Company adopted an accounting policy to recognize the tax effects of GILTI in the year tax is incurred. Due to the Company’s net operating losses in certain foreign jurisdictions, the Company recognized no income tax related to GILTI in 2019 and 2018.

Significant components of the Company’s deferred tax assets and liabilities were as follows (in millions):

	December 31,
	2019			2018			2017
Deferred tax assets:
Allowances and operating liabilities	$	5		$	8		$	8
Net operating loss carryforwards		56			56			52
Foreign tax credit carryforwards		7			8			29
Allowance for doubtful accounts		2			6			6
Inventory reserve		9			10			12
Stock-based compensation		8			8			15
Intangible assets		28			24			27
Assets held-for-sale		4			—			—
Investment in subsidiaries		9			—			—
Book over tax depreciation		4			2			—
Other		4			3			3
Total deferred tax assets	$	136		$	125		$	152
Deferred tax liabilities:
Total deferred tax liabilities	$	—		$	—		$	—
Net deferred tax assets before valuation allowance		136			125			152
Valuation allowance		(138	)		(129	)		(157	)
Net deferred tax liabilities	$	(2	)	$	(4	)	$	(5	)

The Company records a valuation allowance when it is more-likely-than-not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of the deferred tax assets depends on the ability to generate sufficient taxable income of the appropriate character in the future and in the appropriate taxing jurisdictions. If the Company was to determine that it would be able to realize the deferred tax assets in the future in excess of their net recorded amount, the Company would make an adjustment to the valuation allowance, which would reduce the provision for income taxes.

The Company remains in a three year cumulative loss position at the end of 2019. As a result, management believes that it is not more-likely-than-not that the Company would be able to realize the benefits of its deferred tax assets in the U.S., Canada and other foreign jurisdictions and accordingly recognized a valuation allowance for the year ended December 31, 2019. The change during the year in the valuation allowance was $5 million in the U.S., $1 million in Canada, and $3 million in other foreign jurisdictions.

A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefits is as follows (in millions):

	2019		2018		2017
Unrecognized tax benefit at January 1	$	—	$	—	$	1
Gross increases - tax positions in prior period		—		—		—
Gross decreases - tax positions in prior period		—		—		—
Gross increases - tax positions in current period		—		—		—
Settlement		—		—		(1	)
Lapse of statute of limitations		—		—		—
Unrecognized tax benefit at December 31	$	—	$	—	$	—

To the extent penalties and interest would be assessed on any underpayment of income tax, such accrued amounts are classified as a component of income tax provision (benefit) in the financial statements consistent with the Company’s policy. For the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company did not record any income tax expense for interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions.

The Company is subject to taxation in the U.S., various states and foreign jurisdictions. The Company has significant operations in the U.S. and Canada and to a lesser extent in various other international jurisdictions. Tax years that remain subject to examination vary by legal entity, but are generally open in the U.S. for the tax years ending after 2015 and outside the U.S. for the tax years ending after 2013.

In the U.S., the Company has $218 million of federal net operating loss carryforwards as of December 31, 2019, which will expire between 2036 through 2037. The potential tax benefit of $46 million has been reduced by a $46 million valuation allowance. In addition to a reduction in future income tax expense, future income tax payments will also be reduced in the event the Company ultimately realizes the benefit of these net operating losses. The Company has $126 million of state net operating loss carryforwards as of December 31, 2019, which will expire between 2020 through 2038, with the majority expiring after 2034. The potential benefit of $7 million has been reduced by a $7 million valuation allowance. Outside the U.S., the Company has $15 million of net operating loss carryforwards as of December 31, 2019, of which $12 million have no expiration and $3 million will expire between 2021 and 2039. The potential tax benefit of $3 million has been reduced by a $3 million valuation allowance. As of December 31, 2019, the Company has $7 million of excess foreign tax credits in the U.S. The foreign tax credits will expire between 2024 and 2027. The potential benefit of $7 million has been reduced by a $7 million valuation allowance. In addition to future income tax expense, future income tax payments will also be reduced in the event the Company ultimately realizes the benefit of these foreign tax credits.

As of December 31, 2019, the amount of undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries was approximately $81 million. With the exception of the Company’s pre-2018 earnings in Canada and the United Kingdom, the Company’s foreign earnings continue to be indefinitely reinvested. The Company makes a determination each period whether to permanently reinvest these earnings. If, as a result of these reassessments, the Company distributes these earnings in the future, additional tax liabilities would result, offset by any available foreign tax credits. The Company has provided for taxes on outside basis differences in subsidiaries classified as held-for-sale. No additional income taxes have been provided for any additional outside basis differences inherent in the Company’s foreign subsidiaries, as these amounts continue to be indefinitely reinvested. Determining the amount of unrecognized deferred tax liability related to any additional outside basis differences in these entities is not practicable.

Because of the number of tax jurisdictions in which the Company operates, its effective tax rate can fluctuate as operations and the local country tax rates fluctuate. The Company is also subject to audits by federal, state and foreign jurisdictions which may result in proposed assessments. The Company’s future tax provision will reflect any favorable or unfavorable adjustments to its estimated tax liabilities when resolved. The Company is unable to predict the outcome of these matters. However, the Company believes that none of these matters will have a material adverse effect on the results of operations or financial position of the Company.

Business Segments

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Business Segments

15. Business Segments

The Company has five operating segments, which are (1) U.S. Energy, (2) U.S. Supply Chain, (3) U.S. Process Solutions, (4) Canada and (5) International. These operating segments were determined based primarily on the geographical markets and secondarily on the distribution channel of the products and services offered. Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise about which separate financial information is available that is evaluated regularly by the chief operating decision maker in deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performance. The Company’s chief executive officer has been identified as the chief operating decision maker. The Company’s chief operating decision maker directs the allocation of resources to operating segments based on various metrics of each respective operating segment. The allocation of resources across the operating segments is dependent upon, among other factors, the operating segment’s historical or future expected operating margins; the operating segment’s historical or future expected return on capital; outlook within a specific market; opportunities to grow profitability; new products or new customer accounts; confidence in management; and competitive landscape and intensity.

The Company has determined that there are three reportable segments: (1) United States, (2) Canada and (3) International. The U.S. Energy, U.S. Supply Chain and U.S. Process Solutions operating segments were not separately reported as they exhibit similar long term economic characteristics, the nature of the products offered are similar, purchase many identical products from outside vendors, have similar customers, sell products directly to end-users and operate in similar regulatory environments. They have been aggregated into the United States reportable segment. Total assets for each reportable segment are those owned or allocated to each segment by the Company's internal management reporting systems and include inter-segment assets that were eliminated for the presentation of total assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

United States

The Company has approximately 165 locations in the U.S., which are geographically positioned to serve the upstream, midstream and downstream energy and industrial markets.

Canada

The Company has a network of approximately 50 locations in the Canadian oilfield, predominantly in the oil rich provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan in Western Canada. The Company’s Canadian segment primarily serves the energy exploration, production, drilling and midstream business.

International

The Company operates in approximately 20 countries and serves the needs of its international customers from approximately 30 locations outside of the U.S. and Canada, all of which are strategically located in major oil and gas development areas. The Company’s International segment primarily serves the energy exploration, production and drilling business.

The following table presents financial information for each of the Company’s reportable segments as of and for the year ended December 31 (in millions):

	United States			Canada			International			Total
2019
Revenue	$	2,240		$	319		$	392		$	2,951
Operating loss		(6	)		(19	)		(58	)		(83	)
Impairment charges		(43	)		(27	)		(58	)		(128	)
Depreciation and amortization		30			2			9			41
Property, plant and equipment, net		84			14			22			120
Total assets		948			402			241			1,591
2018
Revenue	$	2,371		$	358		$	398		$	3,127
Operating profit		57			14			2			73
Depreciation and amortization		30			2			9			41
Property, plant and equipment, net		73			12			21			106
Total assets		1,272			399			124			1,795
2017
Revenue	$	1,914		$	356		$	378		$	2,648
Operating profit (loss)		(53	)		13			(1	)		(41	)
Depreciation and amortization		37			3			10			50
Property, plant and equipment, net		81			14			24			119
Total assets		1,207			401			141			1,749

The following table presents a comparison of the approximate sales mix in the principal product categories (in millions):

	December 31,
	2019		2018		2017
Product Category
Drilling and production	$	711	$	691	$	625
Pipe		473		587		418
Valves		608		664		541
Fittings and flanges		524		523		419
Mill tool, MRO, safety and other		635		662		645
Total	$	2,951	$	3,127	$	2,648

Consolidated Statements of Operations - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Income Statement [Abstract]
Revenue	$ 2,951	$ 3,127	$ 2,648
Operating expenses:
Cost of products	2,365	2,497	2,147
Warehousing, selling and administrative	541	557	542
Impairment charges	128
Operating profit (loss)	(83)	73	(41)
Other expense	(10)	(15)	(11)
Income (loss) before income taxes	(93)	58	(52)
Income tax provision (benefit)	4	6
Net income (loss)	$ (97)	$ 52	$ (52)
Earnings (loss) per share:
Basic earnings (loss) per common share	$ (0.89)	$ 0.47	$ (0.48)
Diluted earnings (loss) per common share	$ (0.89)	$ 0.47	$ (0.48)
Weighted-average common shares outstanding, basic	108,779,891	108,296,155	107,745,229
Weighted-average common shares outstanding, diluted	108,779,891	108,637,644	107,745,229

Income Taxes - Components of the Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
U.S. State:
Current	$ 1	$ 1
U.S. State, Total	1	1
Foreign
Current	5	6	$ 1
Deferred	(2)	(1)	$ (1)
Foreign, Total	3	5
Income tax provision (benefit)	$ 4	$ 6

Business Segments - Summary of Financial Information of Company's Reportable Segments (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue	$ 639	$ 751	$ 776	$ 785	$ 764	$ 822	$ 777	$ 764	$ 2,951	$ 3,127	$ 2,648
Operating profit (loss)	(137)	$ 14	$ 17	$ 23	22	$ 26	$ 18	$ 7	(83)	73	(41)
Impairment charges	(128)								(128)
Depreciation and amortization									41	41	50
Property, plant and equipment, net	120				106				120	106	119
Total assets	1,591				1,795				1,591	1,795	1,749
United States [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue									2,240	2,371	1,914
Operating profit (loss)									(6)	57	(53)
Impairment charges									(43)
Depreciation and amortization									30	30	37
Property, plant and equipment, net	84				73				84	73	81
Total assets	948				1,272				948	1,272	1,207
Canada [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue									319	358	356
Operating profit (loss)									(19)	14	13
Impairment charges									(27)
Depreciation and amortization									2	2	3
Property, plant and equipment, net	14				12				14	12	14
Total assets	402				399				402	399	401
International [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue									392	398	378
Operating profit (loss)									(58)	2	(1)
Impairment charges									(58)
Depreciation and amortization									9	9	10
Property, plant and equipment, net	22				21				22	21	24
Total assets	$ 241				$ 124				$ 241	$ 124	$ 141

Leases - Maturity of Lease Liabilities (Detail) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($)
Operating Lease Liabilities, Payments Due [Abstract]
2020	$ 24
2021	17
2022	10
2023	6
2024	2
Thereafter	1
Total future lease payments	60
Less: interest	(5)
Present value of lease liabilities	55
Finance Lease Liabilities, Payments, Due [Abstract]
2020	7
2021	6
2022	3
2023	1
2024	0
Thereafter	2
Total future lease payments	19
Less: interest	(2)
Present value of lease liabilities	$ 17

Commitments and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

12. Commitments and Contingencies

The Company is involved in various claims, regulatory agency audits and pending or threatened legal actions involving a variety of matters. The Company has also assessed the potential for additional losses above the amounts accrued as well as potential losses for matters that are not probable but are reasonably possible. The total potential loss on these matters cannot be determined; however, in the Company’s opinion, any ultimate liability, to the extent not otherwise recorded or accrued for, will not materially affect the Company’s financial position, cash flow or results of operations. These estimated liabilities are based on the Company’s assessment of the nature of these matters, their progress toward resolution, the advice of legal counsel and outside experts as well as management’s intention and experience.

The Company’s business is affected both directly and indirectly by governmental laws and regulations relating to the oilfield service industry in general, as well as by environmental and safety regulations that specifically apply to the Company’s business. Although the Company has not incurred material costs in connection with its compliance with such laws, there can be no assurance that other developments, such as new environmental laws, regulations and enforcement policies hereunder may not result in additional, presently unquantifiable, costs or liabilities to the Company. The Company does not accrue for contingent losses that, in its judgment, are considered to be reasonably possible, but not probable. Estimating reasonably possible losses also requires the analysis of multiple possible outcomes that often depend on judgments about potential actions by third parties.

The Company maintains credit arrangements with several banks providing for standby letters of credit, including bid and performance bonds, and other bonding requirements. As of December 31, 2019, the Company was contingently liable for approximately $11 million of outstanding standby letters of credit and surety bonds. The Company does not believe, based on historical experience and information currently available, that it is probable that any amounts will be required to be paid.

Income Taxes - Significant Components of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Deferred tax assets:
Allowances and operating liabilities	$ 5	$ 8	$ 8
Net operating loss carryforwards	56	56	52
Foreign tax credit carryforwards	7	8	29
Allowance for doubtful accounts	2	6	6
Inventory reserve	9	10	12
Stock-based compensation	8	8	15
Intangible assets	28	24	27
Assets held-for-sale	4
Investment in subsidiaries	9
Book over tax depreciation	4	2
Other	4	3	3
Total deferred tax assets	136	125	152
Deferred tax liabilities:
Net deferred tax assets before valuation allowance	136	125	152
Valuation allowance	(138)	(129)	(157)
Net deferred tax liabilities	$ (2)	$ (4)	$ (5)

Organization and Basis of Presentation (Policies)	12 Months Ended
Organization and Basis of Presentation (Policies)	Dec. 31, 2019
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Nature of Operations	Nature of Operations NOW Inc. (“NOW” or the “Company”) is a holding company headquartered in Houston, Texas that was incorporated in Delaware on November 22, 2013. NOW operates primarily under the DistributionNOW and DNOW brands. NOW is a global distributor of energy products as well as products for industrial applications through its locations in the U.S., Canada and internationally which are geographically positioned to serve the energy and industrial markets in approximately 80 countries. NOW’s energy product offerings are used in the oil and gas industry including upstream drilling and completion, exploration and production, midstream infrastructure development and downstream petroleum refining – as well as in other industries, such as chemical processing, power generation and industrial manufacturing operations. The industrial distribution portion of NOW’s business targets a diverse range of manufacturing and facilities across numerous industries and end markets. NOW also provides supply chain management to drilling contractors, E&P operators, midstream operators, downstream energy and industrial manufacturing companies. NOW’s supplier network consists of thousands of vendors in approximately 40 countries.
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation The accompanying consolidated financial information include the accounts of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries. All significant intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated.
Reclassification	Reclassification Certain amounts in the prior periods presented have been reclassified to conform to the current period financial statement presentation. These reclassifications have no effect on previously reported results of operations.
Recently Issued Accounting Standards	Recently Issued Accounting Standards In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (Topic 326), which replaces the incurred loss impairment methodology in current GAAP with a methodology that reflects expected credit losses and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to determine credit loss estimates. ASU 2016-13 requires entities to measure all expected credit losses for financial assets held at the reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. Entities will now use forward-looking information to better form their credit loss estimates. The Company will adopt ASC Topic 326 on January 1, 2020. The predominant account subject to the scope of this standard is trade receivables, which are recorded and carried at the original invoice amount less an allowance for doubtful accounts (“AFDA”). Upon adoption, the Company will begin recognizing AFDA based on the estimated lifetime expected credit loss related to trade receivables; based on its current assessment, which is subject to change, the Company estimates an increase of less than $10 million to its AFDA and the opening accumulated deficit in the consolidated balance sheets. The Company does not expect the adoption of this standard to have material impact in its consolidated statement of operations and cash flows. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, Disclosure Framework-Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820), which modified the disclosure requirements on fair value measurements. ASU 2018-13 is effective for annual and interim periods in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted for removed or modified disclosures. The Company is currently assessing the impact of ASU 2018-13 in its consolidated financial statements.
Recently Adopted Accounting Standards	Recently Adopted Accounting Standards In February 2016, FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which requires lessees to recognize a lease liability and a right-of-use (“ROU”) asset for all leases, including operating leases, with a term greater than twelve months in its balance sheets. In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-11, Targeted Improvements, which provided entities with an additional (and optional) transition method, allowing an entity to apply the new lease standard at the adoption date and to recognize a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings in the period of adoption. On January 1, 2019, the Company adopted ASC 842 using the modified retrospective method allowed under ASU 2018-11. The Company has utilized the package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance within ASC 842 which, among other things, allows an entity to carry forward its historical lease classifications. The adoption of ASC 842 resulted in the recognition of $66 million of ROU assets, net of $1 million deferred rent, and $67 million of lease liabilities related to leases that were previously not required to be presented in the consolidated balance sheets. See Note 11 “Leases” for additional information.
Cash and Cash Equivalents	Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash and Cash Equivalents consist of all highly liquid investments with maturities of three months or less at the date of purchase.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments	Fair Value of Financial Instruments The carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, receivables and payables approximated fair value because of the relatively short maturity of these instruments. See Note 13 “Derivative Financial Instruments” for the fair value of derivative financial instruments.
Inventories	Inventories Inventories consist primarily of oilfield and industrial finished goods. Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value and using average cost methods. Allowances for excess and obsolete inventories are determined based on the Company’s historical usage of inventory on hand as well as its future expectations. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company reported inventory of $465 million and $602 million, respectively (net of inventory reserves of $26 million and $28 million, respectively).
Property, Plant and Equipment	Property, Plant and Equipment Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost. Expenditures for major improvements that extend the lives of property and equipment are capitalized while minor replacements, maintenance and repairs are charged to expense as incurred. Disposals are removed at cost less accumulated depreciation with any resulting gain or loss reflected in the results of operations for the respective period. Depreciation is provided using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of individual items.
Long-Lived Assets, Including Goodwill and Other Acquired Intangible Assets	Long-Lived Assets, Including Goodwill and Other Acquired Intangible Assets The Company evaluates the recoverability of property, plant and equipment and amortizable intangible assets for possible impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. Recoverability of these assets is measured by a comparison of the carrying amounts to the future undiscounted cash flows the assets are expected to generate. If such review indicates that the carrying amount of property and equipment and intangible assets is not recoverable, the carrying amount of such assets is reduced to fair value. In addition to the recoverability assessment, the Company routinely reviews the remaining estimated useful lives of property, plant and equipment and amortizable intangible assets. If the Company changes the estimated useful life assumption for any asset, the remaining unamortized balance is amortized or depreciated over the revised estimated useful life. The Company conducts goodwill impairment testing annually in the fourth quarter of each fiscal year, and more frequently on an interim basis, when an event occurs or changes in circumstances indicate that the fair value of a reporting unit may have declined below its carrying value. Events or circumstances which could indicate a probable impairment include, but are not limited to, a significant reduction in worldwide oil and gas prices or drilling; a significant reduction in profitability or cash flow of oil and gas companies or drilling contractors; a significant reduction in worldwide well completion and remediation activity; a significant reduction in capital investment by other oilfield service companies; or a significant increase in worldwide inventories of oil or gas. The Company evaluates goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level, which is defined as an operating segment or one level below that constitutes a business for which financial information is available and is regularly reviewed by management. The Company determined that it has five reporting units for this purpose—United States Energy, United States Supply Chain, United States Process Solutions, Canada and International. The Company tests goodwill for impairment by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit to its carrying value. If the carrying amount exceeds the fair value of a reporting unit, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess, but not to exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. When performing goodwill impairment testing, the fair values of reporting units are determined based on valuation techniques using the best available information, including the discounted cash flow method, and the market approach where applicable. The market approach is based on metrics derived from comparable publicly-traded companies. The discounted cash flow is based on management’s short-term and long-term forecast of operating performance for each reporting unit. The two main assumptions used in measuring goodwill impairment, which bear the risk of change and could impact the Company’s goodwill impairment analysis, include the cash flow from operations from each of the Company’s reporting units and the discount rate. The starting point for each reporting unit’s projected cash flow from operations is the detailed annual plan or updated forecast. The detailed planning and forecasting process takes into consideration a multitude of factors including worldwide rig activity, inflationary forces, pricing strategies, customer analysis, operational issues, competitor analysis, capital spending requirements, working capital requirements and customer needs among other items which impact the individual reporting unit projections. Cash flows beyond the specific operating plans were estimated using a terminal value calculation, which incorporated historical and forecasted financial cyclical trends for each reporting unit and also considered long-term earnings growth rates. The financial and credit market volatility impacts the fair value measurement by adjusting the discount rate. During times of volatility, significant judgment must be applied to determine whether credit changes are a short-term or long-term trend. The Company makes significant assumptions and estimates about the extent and timing of future cash flows, growth rates, and discount rates all of which represent unobservable inputs into valuation methodologies and are classified as level 3 inputs under the fair value hierarchy. In evaluating the reasonableness of the Company’s fair value estimates, the Company considers, among other factors, the relationship between the market capitalization of the Company and the total estimated fair value of its reporting units less debt.
Foreign Currency	Foreign Currency The functional currency for most of the Company’s foreign operations is the local currency. Certain foreign operations use the U.S. dollar as the functional currency. For those that have local currency as functional the cumulative effects of translating the balance sheet accounts from the functional currency into the U.S. dollar at current exchange rates are included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). Revenues and expenses are translated at average exchange rates in effect during the period. Accordingly, financial statements of these foreign subsidiaries are remeasured to U.S. dollars for consolidation purposes using current rates of exchange for monetary assets and liabilities and historical rates of exchange for nonmonetary assets and related elements of expense. Revenue and expense elements are remeasured at rates that approximate the rates in effect on the transaction dates. For all operations, gains or losses from remeasuring foreign currency transactions into the reporting currency are included in other expense. Net foreign currency transaction losses were $1 million, $2 million and $2 million for the years ending December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively, and were included in other expense in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.
Revenue Recognition	Revenue Recognition The Company’s primary source of revenue is the sale of energy products and an extensive selection of products for industrial applications based upon purchase orders or contracts with customers. The majority of revenue is recognized at a point in time once the Company has determined that the customer has obtained control over the product. Control is typically deemed to have been transferred to the customer when the product is shipped, delivered or picked up by the customer. The Company does not grant extended payment terms. Revenue is recognized net of any taxes collected from customers, which are subsequently remitted to proper government authorities. Shipping and handling costs for product shipments occur prior to the customer obtaining control of the goods and are recorded in cost of products. The amount of revenue recognized reflects the consideration to which the Company expects to be entitled to receive in exchange for products sold. Revenue is recorded at the transaction price net of estimates of variable consideration, which may include product returns, trade discounts and allowances. The Company accrues for variable consideration using the expected value method. Estimates of variable consideration are included in revenue to the extent that it is probable that a significant reversal in the amount of cumulative revenue recognized will not occur.
Cost of Products	Cost of Products Cost of products includes the cost of inventory sold and related items, such as vendor consideration, inventory allowances, amortization of intangibles and inbound and outbound freight.
Warehousing, Selling and Administrative Expenses	Warehousing, Selling and Administrative Expenses Warehousing, selling and administrative expenses include branch location, distribution center and regional expenses (including costs such as compensation, benefits and rent) as well as corporate general selling and administrative expenses.
Vendor Consideration	Vendor Consideration The Company receives funds from vendors in the normal course of business, principally as a result of purchase volumes. Generally, these vendor funds do not represent the reimbursement of specific, incremental and identifiable costs incurred by the Company to sell the vendor’s product. Therefore, the Company treats these funds as a reduction of inventory when purchased and once these goods are sold to third parties the associated amount is credited to cost of products. The Company develops accrual rates for vendor consideration based on the provisions of the arrangements in place, historical trends, purchases and future expectations. Due to the complexity and diversity of the individual vendor agreements, the Company performs analyses and reviews historical trends throughout the year and confirms actual amounts with select vendors to ensure the amounts earned are appropriately recorded. Amounts accrued throughout the year could be impacted if actual purchase volumes differ from projected annual purchase volumes, especially in the case of programs that provide for increased funding when graduated purchase volumes are met.
Income Taxes	Income Taxes The liability method is used to account for income taxes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences between the financial reporting and tax basis of assets and liabilities and are measured using the enacted tax rates that will be in effect when the differences are expected to reverse. Valuation allowances are established when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to amounts which are more-likely-than-not to be realized.
Concentration of Credit Risk	Concentration of Credit Risk The Company grants credit to its customers, which operate primarily in the energy, industrial and manufacturing markets. Concentrations of credit risk are limited because the Company has a large number of geographically diverse customers, thus spreading trade credit risk. The Company controls credit risk through credit evaluations, credit limits and monitoring procedures. The Company performs periodic credit evaluations of its customers’ financial condition and, generally, does not require collateral but may require letters of credit or prepayments for certain sales. Credit losses are provided for in the financial statements. Allowances for doubtful accounts are determined based on a continuous process of assessing the Company’s portfolio on an individual customer basis taking into account current market conditions and trends. This process consists of a thorough review of historical collection experience, current aging status of the customer accounts and financial condition of the Company’s customers. Based on a review of these factors, the Company will establish or adjust allowances for specific customers. Balances that remain outstanding after the Company has used reasonable collection efforts are written off through a charge to the allowance and a credit to receivables. No single customer represents more than 10% of the Company’s revenue.
Stock-Based Compensation	Stock-Based Compensation Compensation expense for the Company’s stock-based compensation plans is measured using the fair value method required by ASC Topic 718 “Compensation—Stock Compensation”. Under this guidance the fair value of the award is measured on the grant date and amortized to expense using the straight-line method over the shorter of the vesting period or the remaining requisite service period. Forfeitures are recognized as they occur.
Use of Estimates	Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect reported and contingent amounts of assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements and reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The Company periodically evaluates its estimates and judgments that are most critical in nature, which are related to allowance for doubtful accounts, inventory reserves, goodwill, purchase price allocation of acquisitions, vendor consideration, stock-based compensation and income taxes. On an ongoing basis, the Company evaluates such estimates by comparing to historical experience and trends, which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities.
Contingencies	Contingencies The Company accrues for costs relating to litigation claims and other contingent matters, when such liabilities become probable and reasonably estimable. Such estimates may be based on advice from third parties or on management’s judgment, as appropriate. Revisions to contingent liabilities are reflected in income in the period in which different facts or information become known or circumstances change that affect the Company’s previous judgments with respect to the likelihood or amount of loss. Amounts paid upon the ultimate resolution of contingent liabilities may be materially different from previous estimates and could require adjustments to the estimated reserves to be recognized in the period such new information becomes known. In circumstances where the most likely outcome of a contingency can be reasonably estimated, the Company accrues a liability for that amount. Where the most likely outcome cannot be estimated, a range of potential losses is established, and, if no one amount in that range is more likely than others, the low end of the range is accrued.
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	The Company’s reporting currency is the U.S. dollar. A majority of the Company’s international entities in which there is a substantial investment have the local currency as their functional currency. As a result, foreign currency translation adjustments resulting from the process of translating the entities’ financial statements into the reporting currency are reported in other comprehensive income (loss) in accordance with ASC Topic 830 “Foreign Currency Matters”.
Remaining Performance Obligations	Remaining Performance Obligations Remaining performance obligations represent the transaction price of firm orders for which work has not been performed on contracts with an original expected duration of more than one year. The Company’s contracts are predominantly short-term in nature with a contract term of one year or less. For those contracts, the Company has utilized the practical expedient in ASC Topic 606 exempting the Company from disclosure of the transaction price allocated to remaining performance obligations when the performance obligation is part of a contract that has an original expected duration of one year or less.
Receivables	Receivables Receivables are recorded when the Company has an unconditional right to consideration.
Contract Assets and Liabilities	Contract Assets and Liabilities Contract assets primarily consist of retainage amounts held as a form of security by customers until the Company satisfies its remaining performance obligations. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, contracts assets were $3 million and $2 million, respectively, and were included in receivables, net in the consolidated balance sheets. The Company generally accounts for the incremental costs of obtaining a contract as an expense when incurred if the amortization period of the asset that the entity otherwise would have been recognized is one year or less. These expenses were not material for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018. Contract liabilities primarily consist of deferred revenues recorded when customer payments are received or due in advance of satisfying performance obligations, including amounts which are refundable, and other accrued customer liabilities. Revenue recognition is deferred to a future period until the Company completes its obligations contractually agreed with customers. The increase in contract liabilities for the year ended December 31, 2019 was primarily related to net customer deposits of approximately $18 million, partially offset by approximately $15 million of revenue that was deferred at December 31, 2018. See Note 15 “Business Segments” for the disaggregation of revenue by reporting segments. The Company believes this disaggregation best depicts how the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows are affected by economic factors.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and Cash Equivalents consist of all highly liquid investments with maturities of three months or less at the date of purchase.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, receivables and payables approximated fair value because of the relatively short maturity of these instruments. See Note 13 “Derivative Financial Instruments” for the fair value of derivative financial instruments.

Inventories

Inventories consist primarily of oilfield and industrial finished goods. Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value and using average cost methods. Allowances for excess and obsolete inventories are determined based on the Company’s historical usage of inventory on hand as well as its future expectations. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company reported inventory of $465 million and $602 million, respectively (net of inventory reserves of $26 million and $28 million, respectively).

Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost. Expenditures for major improvements that extend the lives of property and equipment are capitalized while minor replacements, maintenance and repairs are charged to expense as incurred. Disposals are removed at cost less accumulated depreciation with any resulting gain or loss reflected in the results of operations for the respective period. Depreciation is provided using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of individual items.

Long-Lived Assets, Including Goodwill and Other Acquired Intangible Assets

The Company evaluates the recoverability of property, plant and equipment and amortizable intangible assets for possible impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. Recoverability of these assets is measured by a comparison of the carrying amounts to the future undiscounted cash flows the assets are expected to generate. If such review indicates that the carrying amount of property and equipment and intangible assets is not recoverable, the carrying amount of such assets is reduced to fair value.

In addition to the recoverability assessment, the Company routinely reviews the remaining estimated useful lives of property, plant and equipment and amortizable intangible assets. If the Company changes the estimated useful life assumption for any asset, the remaining unamortized balance is amortized or depreciated over the revised estimated useful life.

The Company conducts goodwill impairment testing annually in the fourth quarter of each fiscal year, and more frequently on an interim basis, when an event occurs or changes in circumstances indicate that the fair value of a reporting unit may have declined below its carrying value. Events or circumstances which could indicate a probable impairment include, but are not limited to, a significant reduction in worldwide oil and gas prices or drilling; a significant reduction in profitability or cash flow of oil and gas companies or drilling contractors; a significant reduction in worldwide well completion and remediation activity; a significant reduction in capital investment by other oilfield service companies; or a significant increase in worldwide inventories of oil or gas.

The Company evaluates goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level, which is defined as an operating segment or one level below that constitutes a business for which financial information is available and is regularly reviewed by management. The Company determined that it has five reporting units for this purpose—United States Energy, United States Supply Chain, United States Process Solutions, Canada and International.

The Company tests goodwill for impairment by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit to its carrying value. If the carrying amount exceeds the fair value of a reporting unit, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess, but not to exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit.

When performing goodwill impairment testing, the fair values of reporting units are determined based on valuation techniques using the best available information, including the discounted cash flow method, and the market approach where applicable. The market approach is based on metrics derived from comparable publicly-traded companies. The discounted cash flow is based on management’s short-term and long-term forecast of operating performance for each reporting unit. The two main assumptions used in measuring goodwill impairment, which bear the risk of change and could impact the Company’s goodwill impairment analysis, include the cash flow from operations from each of the Company’s reporting units and the discount rate. The starting point for each reporting unit’s projected cash flow from operations is the detailed annual plan or updated forecast. The detailed planning and forecasting process takes into consideration a multitude of factors including worldwide rig activity, inflationary forces, pricing strategies, customer analysis, operational issues, competitor analysis, capital spending requirements, working capital requirements and customer needs among other items which impact the individual reporting unit projections. Cash flows beyond the specific operating plans were estimated using a terminal value calculation, which incorporated historical and forecasted financial cyclical trends for each reporting unit and also considered long-term earnings growth rates. The financial and credit market volatility impacts the fair value

measurement by adjusting the discount rate. During times of volatility, significant judgment must be applied to determine whether credit changes are a short-term or long-term trend. The Company makes significant assumptions and estimates about the extent and timing of future cash flows, growth rates, and discount rates all of which represent unobservable inputs into valuation methodologies and are classified as level 3 inputs under the fair value hierarchy. In evaluating the reasonableness of the Company’s fair value estimates, the Company considers, among other factors, the relationship between the market capitalization of the Company and the total estimated fair value of its reporting units less debt.

Foreign Currency

The functional currency for most of the Company’s foreign operations is the local currency. Certain foreign operations use the U.S. dollar as the functional currency. For those that have local currency as functional the cumulative effects of translating the balance sheet accounts from the functional currency into the U.S. dollar at current exchange rates are included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). Revenues and expenses are translated at average exchange rates in effect during the period.

Accordingly, financial statements of these foreign subsidiaries are remeasured to U.S. dollars for consolidation purposes using current rates of exchange for monetary assets and liabilities and historical rates of exchange for nonmonetary assets and related elements of expense. Revenue and expense elements are remeasured at rates that approximate the rates in effect on the transaction dates. For all operations, gains or losses from remeasuring foreign currency transactions into the reporting currency are included in other expense. Net foreign currency transaction losses were $1 million, $2 million and $2 million for the years ending December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively, and were included in other expense in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.

Revenue Recognition

The Company’s primary source of revenue is the sale of energy products and an extensive selection of products for industrial applications based upon purchase orders or contracts with customers. The majority of revenue is recognized at a point in time once the Company has determined that the customer has obtained control over the product. Control is typically deemed to have been transferred to the customer when the product is shipped, delivered or picked up by the customer. The Company does not grant extended payment terms. Revenue is recognized net of any taxes collected from customers, which are subsequently remitted to proper government authorities. Shipping and handling costs for product shipments occur prior to the customer obtaining control of the goods and are recorded in cost of products.

The amount of revenue recognized reflects the consideration to which the Company expects to be entitled to receive in exchange for products sold. Revenue is recorded at the transaction price net of estimates of variable consideration, which may include product returns, trade discounts and allowances. The Company accrues for variable consideration using the expected value method. Estimates of variable consideration are included in revenue to the extent that it is probable that a significant reversal in the amount of cumulative revenue recognized will not occur.

Cost of Products

Cost of products includes the cost of inventory sold and related items, such as vendor consideration, inventory allowances, amortization of intangibles and inbound and outbound freight.

Warehousing, Selling and Administrative Expenses

Warehousing, selling and administrative expenses include branch location, distribution center and regional expenses (including costs such as compensation, benefits and rent) as well as corporate general selling and administrative expenses.

Vendor Consideration

The Company receives funds from vendors in the normal course of business, principally as a result of purchase volumes. Generally, these vendor funds do not represent the reimbursement of specific, incremental and identifiable costs incurred by the Company to sell the vendor’s product. Therefore, the Company treats these funds as a reduction of inventory when purchased and once these goods are sold to third parties the associated amount is credited to cost of products. The Company develops accrual rates for vendor consideration based on the provisions of the arrangements in place, historical trends, purchases and future expectations. Due to the complexity and diversity of the individual vendor agreements, the Company performs analyses and reviews historical trends throughout the year and confirms actual amounts with select vendors to ensure the amounts earned are appropriately recorded. Amounts accrued throughout the year could be impacted if actual purchase volumes differ from projected annual purchase volumes, especially in the case of programs that provide for increased funding when graduated purchase volumes are met.

Income Taxes

The liability method is used to account for income taxes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences between the financial reporting and tax basis of assets and liabilities and are measured using the enacted tax rates that will be in effect when the differences are expected to reverse. Valuation allowances are established when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to amounts which are more-likely-than-not to be realized.

Concentration of Credit Risk

The Company grants credit to its customers, which operate primarily in the energy, industrial and manufacturing markets. Concentrations of credit risk are limited because the Company has a large number of geographically diverse customers, thus spreading trade credit risk. The Company controls credit risk through credit evaluations, credit limits and monitoring procedures. The Company performs periodic credit evaluations of its customers’ financial condition and, generally, does not require collateral but may require letters of credit or prepayments for certain sales. Credit losses are provided for in the financial statements. Allowances for doubtful accounts are determined based on a continuous process of assessing the Company’s portfolio on an individual customer basis taking into account current market conditions and trends. This process consists of a thorough review of historical collection experience, current aging status of the customer accounts and financial condition of the Company’s customers. Based on a review of these factors, the Company will establish or adjust allowances for specific customers. Balances that remain outstanding after the Company has used reasonable collection efforts are written off through a charge to the allowance and a credit to receivables. No single customer represents more than 10% of the Company’s revenue.

Stock-Based Compensation

Compensation expense for the Company’s stock-based compensation plans is measured using the fair value method required by ASC Topic 718 “Compensation—Stock Compensation”. Under this guidance the fair value of the award is measured on the grant date and amortized to expense using the straight-line method over the shorter of the vesting period or the remaining requisite service period. Forfeitures are recognized as they occur.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect reported and contingent amounts of assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements and reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The Company periodically evaluates its estimates and judgments that are most critical in nature, which are related to allowance for doubtful accounts, inventory reserves, goodwill, purchase price allocation of acquisitions, vendor consideration, stock-based compensation and income taxes. On an ongoing basis, the Company evaluates such estimates by comparing to historical experience and trends, which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities.

Contingencies

The Company accrues for costs relating to litigation claims and other contingent matters, when such liabilities become probable and reasonably estimable. Such estimates may be based on advice from third parties or on management’s judgment, as appropriate. Revisions to contingent liabilities are reflected in income in the period in which different facts or information become known or circumstances change that affect the Company’s previous judgments with respect to the likelihood or amount of loss. Amounts paid upon the ultimate resolution of contingent liabilities may be materially different from previous estimates and could require adjustments to the estimated reserves to be recognized in the period such new information becomes known.

In circumstances where the most likely outcome of a contingency can be reasonably estimated, the Company accrues a liability for that amount. Where the most likely outcome cannot be estimated, a range of potential losses is established, and, if no one amount in that range is more likely than others, the low end of the range is accrued.

Receivables, net

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Receivables [Abstract]

Receivables, net

4. Receivables, net

Receivables are recorded and carried at the original invoiced amount less an allowance for doubtful accounts.

The allowance for doubtful accounts reflects the Company’s best estimate of probable losses inherent in the accounts receivable balance. Activity in the allowance for doubtful accounts was as follows (in millions):

	December 31,
	2019			2018			2017
Allowance for doubtful accounts
Beginning balance	$	27		$	29		$	34
Additions (deductions) charged to expenses		(2	)		2			3
Charge-offs and other		(9	)		(4	)		(8	)
Ending balance	$	16		$	27		$	29

Income Taxes - Difference Between Effective Tax Rate (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income tax provision (benefit) at federal statutory rate	$ (19)	$ 12	$ (18)
Foreign tax rate differential	2	2	(2)
State income tax provision (benefit), net of federal benefit		3	(5)
Nondeductible expenses	3	9	2
Foreign tax credits	1	21	(31)
Benefit of net operating loss		(14)
One-time transition tax		1	33
U.S. tax rate change			69
Investment in subsidiaries	(9)
Nondeductible goodwill impairment	16
Change in valuation allowance	9	(28)	(45)
Change in contingency reserve and other	1		$ (3)
Income tax provision (benefit)	$ 4	$ 6
Effective tax rate	(4.40%)	10.70%	0.00%

Transactions - Additional Information (Detail) $ in Millions		3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2019 USD ($) Acquisition	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)
Transactions [Line Items]
Goodwill		$ 245		$ 245	$ 314	$ 328
Assets held-for-sale		34		34
Liabilities held-for-sale		6		6
Impairment charges		128		128
Held-for-Sale [Member]
Transactions [Line Items]
Assets held-for-sale		34		34
Liabilities held-for-sale		$ 6		6
Impairment charges				9
Held-for-Sale [Member] \| Subsequent Event [Member]
Transactions [Line Items]
Proceeds from sale of business	$ 28
Two Acquisitions [Member]
Transactions [Line Items]
Number of acquisitions \| Acquisition			2
Purchase price consideration			$ 8
Goodwill			6
Intangible assets			$ 2
Two Acquisitions [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Transactions [Line Items]
Acquisition related costs				$ 1

Receivables, Net - Rollforward of Allowance for Doubtful Accounts (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Allowance For Doubtful Accounts Receivable Rollforward
Beginning balance	$ 27	$ 29	$ 34
Additions (deductions) charged to expenses	(2)	2	3
Charge-offs and other	(9)	(4)	(8)
Ending balance	$ 16	$ 27	$ 29

Receivables, net (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Receivables [Abstract]

Rollforward of Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

	December 31,
	2019			2018			2017
Allowance for doubtful accounts
Beginning balance	$	27		$	29		$	34
Additions (deductions) charged to expenses		(2	)		2			3
Charge-offs and other		(9	)		(4	)		(8	)
Ending balance	$	16		$	27		$	29

Income Taxes - Domestic and Foreign Components of Income (Loss) Before Income Taxes (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
United States	$ (12)	$ 39	$ (64)
Foreign	(81)	19	12
Income (loss) before income taxes	$ (93)	$ 58	$ (52)

Transactions

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Transactions [Abstract]

Transactions

20. Transactions

During the three months ended June 30, 2019, the Company completed two acquisitions for a net purchase price consideration of approximately $8 million cash. These acquisitions expand NOW’s market in the U.S. The Company completed its preliminary valuations as of the acquisition date of the acquired net assets and recognized goodwill of $6 million and intangible assets of $2 million in the United States segment, which are subject to change. The full amount of goodwill recognized is expected to be deductible for income tax purposes. If additional information is obtained about these assets and liabilities within the measurement period (not to exceed one year from the date of acquisition), the Company will refine its estimate of fair value to allocate the purchase price more accurately; any such revisions are not expected to be significant. Acquisition-related costs were less than $1 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The Company has not presented supplemental pro forma information because the acquired operations did not materially impact the Company’s consolidated operating results.

During the three months ended December 31, 2019, as a result of strategic review of its assets, the Company decided to commit to a plan to divest a business that is primarily in the United States segment selling cutting tools to the aerospace and automotive markets. Since this business did not qualify to be a discontinued operation as it did not represent a strategic shift that would have a major effect on the Company’s operations and financial results, the Company classified the business’s assets and liabilities as held-for-sale. At December 31, 2019, the carrying value of the net assets held-for-sale was compared to the estimated fair value resulting in a $9 million impairment charge which was included in impairment charges in the consolidated statements of operations and the remaining $34 million of assets and $6 million of liabilities were classified as held-for-sale in the consolidated balance sheets. Subsequent to year end, on January 31, 2020, the Company entered into a definitive agreement and sold the business for $28 million, subject to customary post-closing working capital and other transaction price adjustments as defined in the transaction agreement.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income (loss)	$ (97)	$ 52	$ (52)
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	41	41	50
Deferred income taxes	(2)	(1)	(1)
Stock-based compensation	13	16	20
Provision for inventory	13	8	11
Impairment charges	128
Other, net	30	3	(8)
Change in operating assets and liabilities, net of acquisitions:
Receivables	98	(69)	(64)
Inventories	109	(30)	(110)
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	(110)	54	43
Other, net	1	(1)	(4)
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	224	73	(115)
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchases of property, plant and equipment	(12)	(11)	(4)
Business acquisitions, net of cash acquired	(8)		(4)
Other, net	(2)	2	16
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	(22)	(9)	8
Cash flows from financing activities:
Borrowings under the revolving credit facility	268	503	359
Repayments under the revolving credit facility	(400)	(533)	(262)
Other, net	(6)	(7)	(3)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	(138)	(37)	94
Effect of exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents	3	(9)	5
Net change in cash and cash equivalents	67	18	(8)
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period	116	98	106
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period	183	116	98
Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:
Income taxes paid, net	7	6	2
Interest paid	5	$ 9	$ 6
Non-cash investing and financing activities:
Accrued purchases of property, plant and equipment	$ 3

Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited) (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]

Summarized Quarterly Result

Summarized quarterly results were as follows (in millions, except per share data):

	First Quarter		Second Quarter		Third Quarter		Fourth Quarter
Year ended December 31, 2019
Revenue	$	785	$	776	$	751	$	639
Operating expenses
Cost of products		627		623		601		514
Warehousing, selling and administrative		135		136		136		134
Impairment charges		—		—		—		128
Operating profit (loss)	$	23	$	17	$	14	$	(137	)
Net income (loss)	$	18	$	14	$	10	$	(139	)
Earnings (loss) per share:
Basic earnings (loss) per common share	$	0.17	$	0.12	$	0.09	$	(1.27	)
Diluted earnings (loss) per common share	$	0.16	$	0.12	$	0.09	$	(1.27	)

Year ended December 31, 2018
Revenue	$	764	$	777	$	822	$	764
Operating expenses
Cost of products		616		620		654		607
Warehousing, selling and administrative		141		139		142		135
Operating profit	$	7	$	18	$	26	$	22
Net income	$	2	$	14	$	20	$	16
Earnings per share:
Basic earnings per common share	$	0.02	$	0.12	$	0.18	$	0.14
Diluted earnings per common share	$	0.02	$	0.12	$	0.18	$	0.14

Goodwill (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Summary of Goodwill Identified by Segment

Goodwill is identified by segment as follows (in millions):

	United States		Canada			International			Total
Balance at December 31, 2017 ⁽¹⁾	$	119	$	98		$	111		$	328
Foreign currency translation adjustments		—		(8	)		(6	)		(14	)
Balance at December 31, 2018	$	119	$	90		$	105		$	314
Additions		6		—			—			6
Impairment		—		(27	)		(54	)		(81	)
Foreign currency translation adjustments		—		4			2			6
Balance at December 31, 2019	$	125	$	67		$	53		$	245

⁽¹⁾

^{In the United States segment, net of prior years accumulated impairment of $393 million.}

Stock-based Compensation and Outstanding Awards - Summary of Status of Nonvested Shares of PSAs (Parenthetical) (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019 shares
Performance Share (PSAs) Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares withheld and retired to satisfy minimum tax withholding	32,000

Organization and Basis of Presentation - Additional Information (Detail) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($) GeographicMarket Country	Jan. 01, 2020 USD ($)	Jan. 01, 2019 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Basis Of Presentation And Organization [Line Items]
Number of geographical area covered \| GeographicMarket	80
Number of countries distribution occur through vendors \| Country	40
Accumulated deficit	$ (775)			$ (678)
Right-of-use assets net	72
Lease liabilities	$ 72
ASC Topic 326 [Member] \| Subsequent Event [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Basis Of Presentation And Organization [Line Items]
Accumulated deficit		$ 10
ASC Topic 842
Basis Of Presentation And Organization [Line Items]
Right-of-use assets net			$ 66
Deferred rent			1
Lease liabilities			$ 67

Stock-based Compensation and Outstanding Awards - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Company common stock were authorized for grant	16,000,000
Stock-based compensation expense	$ 13,000,000	$ 16,000,000	$ 20,000,000
Tax effected benefit for share-based compensation arrangements	$ 3,000,000	$ 3,000,000	$ 7,000,000
Share-based compensation arrangement by share-based payment award, options, contractual term	3 years 3 months 18 days
Weighted-average grant-date fair value of options granted	$ 6.02	$ 3.95	$ 7.07
Cash received from exercises of stock options	$ 2,000,000
Maximum [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Aggregate intrinsic value, Exercised or settled	$ 1,000,000	$ 1,000,000	$ 1,000,000
Stock Options [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock based awards, vested, number of years	3 years
Unrecognized compensation costs	$ 4,000,000
Expected to be recognized over a weighted average period	1 year 3 months 18 days
Stock Options [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based compensation arrangement by share-based payment award, options, contractual term	7 years
Stock Options [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based compensation arrangement by share-based payment award, options, contractual term	10 years
Restricted Stock [Member] \| Cliff Vests After Year One [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock based awards, vested, number of years	1 year
Restricted Stock [Member] \| Cliff Vests After Year Three [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock based awards, vested, number of years	3 years
Restricted Stock [Member] \| Cliff Vests After Year Six [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock based awards, vested, number of years	6 years
Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Unrecognized compensation costs	$ 7,000,000
Expected to be recognized over a weighted average period	1 year
Weighted average grant date fair value, Granted	$ 13.42	$ 10.82	$ 15.87
Fair value of shares vested	$ 12,000,000	$ 7,000,000	$ 12,000,000
Performance-base restricted stock [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock based awards, vested, number of years	3 years
Unrecognized compensation costs	$ 2,000,000
Expected to be recognized over a weighted average period	1 year 3 months 18 days
Weighted average grant date fair value, Granted	$ 17.69	$ 11.81	$ 22.75
Performance-based awards granted, percentage, minimum threshold met	0.00%
Performance-based awards granted, percentage, maximum threshold met	200.00%
Vest-date fair value vested during period	$ 2,000,000
TSR metric [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Performance based restricted stock awards granted in percent	50.00%
Performance based restricted stock awards goals over performance period	3 years
EBITDA metric [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Performance based restricted stock awards granted in percent	25.00%
Performance based restricted stock awards goals over performance period	3 years
Return on Capital Employed (ROCE) metric [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Performance based restricted stock awards granted in percent	25.00%
Performance based restricted stock awards goals over performance period	3 years

Leases - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Lessee Lease Description [Line Items]
Operating lease weighted average remaining term	3 years
Finance lease weighted average remaining term	5 years
Operating lease weighted-average discount rates	6.10%
Finance lease weighted-average discount rates	5.60%
Rental expense		$ 48	$ 50
Total future lease commitments	$ 60
Series of Individually Immaterial Business Acquisitions [Member]
Lessee Lease Description [Line Items]
Rental expense	2	$ 3	$ 3
Total future lease commitments	$ 1
Operating leases, expiry year	2020

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Equity [Abstract]

Components of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

The components of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) are as follows (in millions):

	Foreign Currency
	Translation
	Adjustments
Balance at December 31, 2018	$	(143	)
Other comprehensive income		15
Balance at December 31, 2019	$	(128	)

Goodwill - Summary of Goodwill Identified by Segment (Detail) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill, Beginning balance		$ 314,000,000	$ 328,000,000
Additions		6,000,000
Impairment	$ (81,000,000)	(81,000,000)	0	$ 0
Foreign currency translation adjustments		6,000,000	(14,000,000)
Goodwill, Ending balance	245,000,000	245,000,000	314,000,000	328,000,000
United States [Member]
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill, Beginning balance		119,000,000	119,000,000
Additions		6,000,000
Goodwill, Ending balance	125,000,000	125,000,000	119,000,000	119,000,000
Canada [Member]
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill, Beginning balance		90,000,000	98,000,000
Impairment		(27,000,000)
Foreign currency translation adjustments		4,000,000	(8,000,000)
Goodwill, Ending balance	67,000,000	67,000,000	90,000,000	98,000,000
International [Member]
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill, Beginning balance		105,000,000	111,000,000
Impairment		(54,000,000)
Foreign currency translation adjustments		2,000,000	(6,000,000)
Goodwill, Ending balance	$ 53,000,000	$ 53,000,000	$ 105,000,000	$ 111,000,000

Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Schedule Of Income Tax [Line Items]
Cumulative Loss Position Period	3 years
Unrecognized tax benefits, income tax penalties and interest expense	$ 0
Unrecognized tax benefits, income tax penalties and interest accrued	0
Valuation Allowance	138,000,000	$ 129,000,000	$ 157,000,000
Valuation allowance	7,000,000
Foreign tax credit carryforwards	7,000,000	$ 8,000,000	$ 29,000,000
Undistributed earnings	81,000,000
Additional income taxes provided for other foreign earnings or any additional outside basis differences inherent in foreign subsidiaries	$ 0
Minimum [Member]
Schedule Of Income Tax [Line Items]
Foreign tax credits expiration year	2024
Maximum [Member]
Schedule Of Income Tax [Line Items]
Foreign tax credits expiration year	2027
Federal [Member]
Schedule Of Income Tax [Line Items]
Operating loss carryforwards	$ 218,000,000
Deferred tax benefit	46,000,000
Valuation Allowance	$ 46,000,000
Federal [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Schedule Of Income Tax [Line Items]
Operating loss carryforwards expiration year	2036
Federal [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Schedule Of Income Tax [Line Items]
Operating loss carryforwards expiration year	2037
State [Member]
Schedule Of Income Tax [Line Items]
Operating loss carryforwards	$ 126,000,000
Deferred tax benefit	7,000,000
Valuation allowance	$ 7,000,000
State [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Schedule Of Income Tax [Line Items]
Operating loss carryforwards expiration year	2020
State [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Schedule Of Income Tax [Line Items]
Operating loss carryforwards expiration year	2038
Foreign Country [Member]
Schedule Of Income Tax [Line Items]
Operating loss carryforwards	$ 15,000,000
Valuation allowance	3,000,000
Operating Loss Carryforwards without expiration date	12,000,000
Operating Loss Carryforwards with expiration date	$ 3,000,000
Foreign Country [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Schedule Of Income Tax [Line Items]
Operating loss carryforwards expiration year	2039
Foreign Country [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Schedule Of Income Tax [Line Items]
Operating loss carryforwards expiration year	2021
U.S. [Member]
Schedule Of Income Tax [Line Items]
Change in valuation allowance	$ 5,000,000
Canada [Member]
Schedule Of Income Tax [Line Items]
Change in valuation allowance	1,000,000
Other Foreign Jurisdictions [Member]
Schedule Of Income Tax [Line Items]
Change in valuation allowance	$ 3,000,000

Revenue

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Revenue From Contract With Customer [Abstract]

Revenue

3. Revenue

Remaining Performance Obligations

Remaining performance obligations represent the transaction price of firm orders for which work has not been performed on contracts with an original expected duration of more than one year. The Company’s contracts are predominantly short-term in nature with a contract term of one year or less. For those contracts, the Company has utilized the practical expedient in ASC Topic 606 exempting the Company from disclosure of the transaction price allocated to remaining performance obligations when the performance obligation is part of a contract that has an original expected duration of one year or less.

Receivables

Receivables are recorded when the Company has an unconditional right to consideration.

Contract Assets and Liabilities

Contract assets primarily consist of retainage amounts held as a form of security by customers until the Company satisfies its remaining performance obligations. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, contracts assets were $3 million and $2 million, respectively, and were included in receivables, net in the consolidated balance sheets. The Company generally accounts for the incremental costs of obtaining a contract as an expense when incurred if the amortization period of the asset that the entity otherwise would have been recognized is one year or less. These expenses were not material for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018.

Contract liabilities primarily consist of deferred revenues recorded when customer payments are received or due in advance of satisfying performance obligations, including amounts which are refundable, and other accrued customer liabilities. Revenue recognition is deferred to a future period until the Company completes its obligations contractually agreed with customers. The increase in contract liabilities for the year ended December 31, 2019 was primarily related to net customer deposits of approximately $18 million, partially offset by approximately $15 million of revenue that was deferred at December 31, 2018.

See Note 15 “Business Segments” for the disaggregation of revenue by reporting segments. The Company believes this disaggregation best depicts how the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows are affected by economic factors.

Business Segments (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Summary of Financial Information of Company's Reportable Segments

The following table presents financial information for each of the Company’s reportable segments as of and for the year ended December 31 (in millions):

	United States			Canada			International			Total
2019
Revenue	$	2,240		$	319		$	392		$	2,951
Operating loss		(6	)		(19	)		(58	)		(83	)
Impairment charges		(43	)		(27	)		(58	)		(128	)
Depreciation and amortization		30			2			9			41
Property, plant and equipment, net		84			14			22			120
Total assets		948			402			241			1,591
2018
Revenue	$	2,371		$	358		$	398		$	3,127
Operating profit		57			14			2			73
Depreciation and amortization		30			2			9			41
Property, plant and equipment, net		73			12			21			106
Total assets		1,272			399			124			1,795
2017
Revenue	$	1,914		$	356		$	378		$	2,648
Operating profit (loss)		(53	)		13			(1	)		(41	)
Depreciation and amortization		37			3			10			50
Property, plant and equipment, net		81			14			24			119
Total assets		1,207			401			141			1,749

Schedule of Comparison of Approximate Sales Mix in Principal Product Categories

The following table presents a comparison of the approximate sales mix in the principal product categories (in millions):

	December 31,
	2019		2018		2017
Product Category
Drilling and production	$	711	$	691	$	625
Pipe		473		587		418
Valves		608		664		541
Fittings and flanges		524		523		419
Mill tool, MRO, safety and other		635		662		645
Total	$	2,951	$	3,127	$	2,648

Leases - Supplemental Cash Flow Information (Detail) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($)
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities
Operating cash flows from operating leases	$ 31
Financing cash flows from finance leases	5
ROU assets obtained in exchange for new lease liabilities
Operating	17
Finance	$ 20

Debt - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)		12 Months Ended
Debt - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	Apr. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2019
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Term of loan	5 years
Agreement date		Apr. 30, 2018
Senior secured revolving credit facility commitment	$ 750,000,000
Sub-facility for letter of credit	$ 60,000,000
Percentage of swing line sub-facility	10.00%
Increase in aggregate principal amount	$ 250,000,000
Description of line of credit		The Company will be required to maintain a fixed charge coverage ratio of at least 1.00:1.00 as of the end of each fiscal quarter if excess availability under the Credit Facility falls below the greater of 12.5% of the borrowing base or $60 million.
Minimum amount of credit facility required to maintain coverage ratio percentage	12.50%
Minimum amount of credit facility required to maintain coverage ratio	$ 60,000,000
Fixed charge coverage ratio	100.00%
Senior Secured Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit facility borrowings		$ 0
Line of Credit Facility, Available Borrowing Capacity		$ 413,000,000
Line Of credit Unused Capacity Percentage		98.00%
Letters of credit		$ 7,000,000
Casualty insurance, expiration month and year		2020-07
Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unused portion of commitment fee range		0.25%
Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unused portion of commitment fee range		0.375%
Canadian Subsidiaries [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Senior secured revolving credit facility commitment	$ 100,000,000
UK Subsidiaries [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Senior secured revolving credit facility commitment	$ 40,000,000

Property, Plant and Equipment, net (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Property Plant And Equipment [Abstract]

Summary of Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment consist of (in millions):

	Estimated	December 31,
	Useful Lives	2019			2018
Information technology assets	1-7 Years	$	46		$	45
Operating equipment ⁽¹⁾	2-15 Years		109			92
Buildings and land ⁽²⁾	5-35 Years		100			99
Construction in progress			10			—
Total property, plant and equipment			265			236
Less: accumulated depreciation			(145	)		(130	)
Property, plant and equipment, net		$	120		$	106

⁽¹⁾

^{Includes finance right-of-use assets.}

⁽²⁾

^{Land has an indefinite life}

Property, Plant and Equipment, net

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Property Plant And Equipment [Abstract]

Property, Plant and Equipment, net

5. Property, Plant and Equipment, net

Property, plant and equipment consist of (in millions):

	Estimated	December 31,
	Useful Lives	2019			2018
Information technology assets	1-7 Years	$	46		$	45
Operating equipment ⁽¹⁾	2-15 Years		109			92
Buildings and land ⁽²⁾	5-35 Years		100			99
Construction in progress			10			—
Total property, plant and equipment			265			236
Less: accumulated depreciation			(145	)		(130	)
Property, plant and equipment, net		$	120		$	106

⁽¹⁾

^{Includes finance right-of-use assets.}

⁽²⁾

^{Land has an indefinite life}

Depreciation expense was $22 million, $21 million and $28 million for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Detail) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($) ReportingUnit	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Inventories, net	$ 465	$ 602
Net of inventory reserves	$ 26	28
Number of reporting units \| ReportingUnit	5
Foreign currency transaction losses	$ 1	$ 2	$ 2
Customer Concentration Risk [Member] \| Sales Revenue, Net [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Percentage of revenue	10.00%

Employee Bargaining Agreements and Benefit Plans - Plan's Assets Carried at Fair Value (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total fair value measurements	$ 16	$ 15
Equity Securities [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total fair value measurements	6	5
Fixed Income Securities [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total fair value measurements	5	5
Other [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total fair value measurements	5	5
Level 1 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total fair value measurements	12	10
Level 1 [Member] \| Equity Securities [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total fair value measurements	6	5
Level 1 [Member] \| Fixed Income Securities [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total fair value measurements	5	5
Level 1 [Member] \| Other [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total fair value measurements	1
Level 2 [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total fair value measurements	4	5
Level 2 [Member] \| Other [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total fair value measurements	$ 4	$ 5

Business Segments - Additional Information (Detail)	12 Months Ended
Business Segments - Additional Information (Detail)	Dec. 31, 2019 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	165
Canada [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of locations	50
International [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of locations	30
Number of countries \| Country	20

Employee Bargaining Agreements and Benefit Plans - Change in Benefit Obligation, Plan Assets and Funded Status of Defined Benefit Pension Plans (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Fair value of plan assets
Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year	$ 15
Fair value of plan assets at end of year	16	$ 15
Pension Benefits
Benefit obligation
Benefit obligation at beginning of year	11	13
Actuarial loss (gain)		1
Plan settlements		(3)
Benefit obligation at end of year	11	11
Fair value of plan assets
Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year	15	18
Actual return	1
Plan settlements		(3)
Fair value of plan assets at end of year	16	15
Funded status	5	4
Accumulated benefit obligation at end of year	$ 11	$ 11

Commitments and Contingencies - Additional Information (Detail) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($)
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Contingent liability	$ 11