v3.26.1
Shareholder Report
12 Months Ended
May 31, 2026
USD ($)
Holding
Shareholder Report [Line Items]  
Document Type N-CSR
Amendment Flag false
Registrant Name T. ROWE PRICE SHORT-TERM BOND FUND, INC.
Entity Central Index Key 0000731890
Entity Investment Company Type N-1A
Document Period End Date May 31, 2026
Shareholder Report Annual or Semi-Annual Annual Shareholder Report
C000222038  
Shareholder Report [Line Items]  
Fund Name Short Duration Income Fund
Class Name Investor Class
Trading Symbol TSDLX
Annual or Semi-Annual Statement [Text Block] This annual shareholder report contains important information about Short Duration Income Fund (the "fund") for the period of June 1, 2025 to May 31, 2026.
Additional Information [Text Block] You can find the fund’s prospectus, financial information on Form N‑CSR (which includes required tax information for dividends), holdings, proxy voting information, and other information atwww.troweprice.com/prospectus. You can also request this information without charge by contacting T. Rowe Price at 1‑800‑638‑5660 or info@troweprice.com or contacting your intermediary.
Material Fund Change Notice [Text Block]  
Additional Information Phone Number 1‑800‑638‑5660
Additional Information Email <span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); display: inline; flex-wrap: nowrap; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 400; grid-area: auto; line-height: 17.3333px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; text-align: justify; text-align-last: left; white-space-collapse: preserve-breaks;">info@troweprice.com</span>
Additional Information Website www.troweprice.com/prospectus
Expenses [Text Block]

What were the fund costs for the last year? (based on a hypothetical $10,000 investment)

Table Summary
 
Costs of a $10,000 investment
Costs paid as a percentage of a $10,000 investment
Short Duration Income Fund - Investor Class
$41
0.40%
Expenses Paid, Amount $ 41
Expense Ratio, Percent 0.40%
Factors Affecting Performance [Text Block]

What drove fund performance during the past 12 months?

  • The shorter-maturity U.S. investment-grade bond market generated positive returns over the year ended May 31, 2026, as front-end yields ended lower amid elevated rate volatility, driven by moderating inflation expectations and Federal Reserve rate cuts during the second half of 2025.

  • The fund’s security selection within the high yield and investment-grade corporate sectors aided performance relative to its style-specific benchmark, the Bloomberg 1-3 Year U.S. Corporate Bond Index. Out-of-benchmark allocations to collateralized loan obligations, non-agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS), agency MBS, and asset-backed securities (ABS) also aided relative results.

  • Our allocation to Treasuries was a relative detractor over the one-year period.

  • The Short Duration Income Fund seeks to provide income consistent with limited fluctuation in principal value and liquidity. The fund’s allocation to investment-grade corporate bonds decreased over the reporting period but continued to represent its largest absolute position. The fund’s allocation to U.S. Treasuries also increased while its allocation to ABS and MBS increased. 

  • While we are primarily a cash bond manager, we occasionally employ the limited use of derivatives in our strategy for hedging purposes. The use of derivatives may include futures and options, as well as credit default swaps and interest rate swaps.

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text] The fund’s past performance is not a good predictor of the fund’s future performance.
Line Graph [Table Text Block]
A line chart as described in the following paragraph. 

Investor Class 11,552 
Regulatory Benchmark 9,894 
Strategy Benchmark 11,489
Table Summary
Investor Class
Regulatory Benchmark
Strategy Benchmark
12/8/20
10,000
10,000
10,000
2/28/21
10,083
9,822
10,028
5/31/21
10,121
9,808
10,056
8/31/21
10,162
9,968
10,063
11/30/21
10,091
9,909
10,005
2/28/22
9,951
9,562
9,876
5/31/22
9,753
9,002
9,756
8/31/22
9,637
8,820
9,678
11/30/22
9,544
8,636
9,651
2/28/23
9,659
8,633
9,708
5/31/23
9,779
8,809
9,831
8/31/23
9,865
8,715
9,908
11/30/23
10,013
8,738
10,070
2/29/24
10,209
8,920
10,231
5/31/24
10,332
8,924
10,343
8/31/24
10,626
9,351
10,626
11/30/24
10,723
9,339
10,723
2/28/25
10,915
9,438
10,871
5/31/25
11,026
9,411
10,999
8/31/25
11,235
9,644
11,189
11/30/25
11,367
9,871
11,329
2/28/26
11,530
10,029
11,464
5/31/26
11,552
9,894
11,489
Average Annual Return [Table Text Block]
Table Summary
 
1 Year
5 Years
Since Inception 12/8/20
Short Duration Income Fund (Investor Class)
4.77%
2.68%
2.67%
Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (Regulatory Benchmark)
5.13
0.17
-0.19
Bloomberg 1-3 Year U.S. Corporate Bond Index (Strategy Benchmark)
4.46
2.70
2.57
Performance Inception Date Dec. 08, 2020
No Deduction of Taxes [Text Block] Neither the fund’s returns nor the index returns reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or redemptions of fund shares.
Updated Performance Information Location [Text Block] Updated performance information can be found at www.troweprice.com.
Distribution of Capital [Text Block] The fund's total return figures reflect the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains, if any.
AssetsNet $ 227,418,000
Holdings Count | Holding 740
Advisory Fees Paid, Amount $ 26,000
InvestmentCompanyPortfolioTurnover 83.30%
Additional Fund Statistics Significance or Limits [Text Block]

What are some fund statistics?

Fund Statistics

  • Total Net Assets (000s)$227,418
  • Number of Portfolio Holdings740
Holdings [Text Block]
Table Summary
Corporate Bonds
38.4%
Asset-Backed Securities
25.5
U.S. Government Agency Obligations (Excluding Mortgage-Backed)
12.9
Non-U.S. Government Mortgage-Backed Securities
10.8
U.S. Government & Agency Mortgage-Backed Securities
6.6
Foreign Government Obligations & Municipalities
2.3
Commercial Paper
1.7
Bank Loans
1.4
Securities Lending Collateral
1.1
Short-Term and Other
-0.7
Largest Holdings [Text Block]
Table Summary
U.S. Treasury Notes
12.9%
Federal National Mortgage Assn.
2.8
Federal Home Loan Mortgage
2.7
Ally Bank Auto Credit-Linked Notes
1.2
KKR
1.0
JPMorgan Mortgage Trust
0.8
Hyundai Capital America
0.7
Hardee's Funding
0.7
Medline Borrower
0.7
Barclays
0.7
Material Fund Change [Text Block]
Updated Prospectus Web Address www.troweprice.com/paperless
C000222039  
Shareholder Report [Line Items]  
Fund Name Short Duration Income Fund
Class Name I Class
Trading Symbol TSIDX
Annual or Semi-Annual Statement [Text Block] This annual shareholder report contains important information about Short Duration Income Fund (the "fund") for the period of June 1, 2025 to May 31, 2026.
Additional Information [Text Block] You can find the fund’s prospectus, financial information on Form N‑CSR (which includes required tax information for dividends), holdings, proxy voting information, and other information atwww.troweprice.com/prospectus. You can also request this information without charge by contacting T. Rowe Price at 1‑800‑638‑5660 or info@troweprice.com or contacting your intermediary.
Material Fund Change Notice [Text Block]  
Additional Information Phone Number 1‑800‑638‑5660
Additional Information Email <span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); display: inline; flex-wrap: nowrap; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 400; grid-area: auto; line-height: 17.3333px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; text-align: justify; text-align-last: left; white-space-collapse: preserve-breaks;">info@troweprice.com</span>
Additional Information Website www.troweprice.com/prospectus
Expenses [Text Block]

What were the fund costs for the last year? (based on a hypothetical $10,000 investment)

Table Summary
 
Costs of a $10,000 investment
Costs paid as a percentage of a $10,000 investment
Short Duration Income Fund - I Class
$30
0.29%
Expenses Paid, Amount $ 30
Expense Ratio, Percent 0.29%
Factors Affecting Performance [Text Block]

What drove fund performance during the past 12 months?

  • The shorter-maturity U.S. investment-grade bond market generated positive returns over the year ended May 31, 2026, as front-end yields ended lower amid elevated rate volatility, driven by moderating inflation expectations and Federal Reserve rate cuts during the second half of 2025.

  • The fund’s security selection within the high yield and investment-grade corporate sectors aided performance relative to its style-specific benchmark, the Bloomberg 1-3 Year U.S. Corporate Bond Index. Out-of-benchmark allocations to collateralized loan obligations, non-agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS), agency MBS, and asset-backed securities (ABS) also aided relative results.

  • Our allocation to Treasuries was a relative detractor over the one-year period.

  • The Short Duration Income Fund seeks to provide income consistent with limited fluctuation in principal value and liquidity. The fund’s allocation to investment-grade corporate bonds decreased over the reporting period but continued to represent its largest absolute position. The fund’s allocation to U.S. Treasuries also increased while its allocation to ABS and MBS increased. 

  • While we are primarily a cash bond manager, we occasionally employ the limited use of derivatives in our strategy for hedging purposes. The use of derivatives may include futures and options, as well as credit default swaps and interest rate swaps.

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text] The fund’s past performance is not a good predictor of the fund’s future performance.
Line Graph [Table Text Block]
A line chart as described in the following paragraph. 

I Class 580,954 
Regulatory Benchmark 494,699 
Strategy Benchmark 574,461
Table Summary
I Class
Regulatory Benchmark
Strategy Benchmark
12/8/20
500,000
500,000
500,000
2/28/21
504,292
491,107
501,375
5/31/21
506,334
490,403
502,782
8/31/21
508,512
498,419
503,129
11/30/21
505,104
495,429
500,247
2/28/22
498,217
478,121
493,805
5/31/22
488,450
450,082
487,789
8/31/22
482,725
441,022
483,898
11/30/22
478,221
431,818
482,548
2/28/23
484,094
431,639
485,408
5/31/23
489,706
440,437
491,543
8/31/23
494,685
435,759
495,415
11/30/23
502,230
436,913
503,510
2/29/24
512,176
446,000
511,526
5/31/24
518,523
446,187
517,174
8/31/24
533,377
467,555
531,289
11/30/24
538,419
466,951
536,130
2/28/25
547,611
471,905
543,566
5/31/25
553,908
470,544
549,931
8/31/25
564,575
482,219
559,454
11/30/25
571,348
493,573
566,450
2/28/26
579,115
501,449
573,222
5/31/26
580,954
494,699
574,461
Average Annual Return [Table Text Block]
Table Summary
 
1 Year
5 Years
Since Inception 12/8/20
Short Duration Income Fund (I Class)
4.88%
2.79%
2.78%
Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (Regulatory Benchmark)
5.13
0.17
-0.19
Bloomberg 1-3 Year U.S. Corporate Bond Index (Strategy Benchmark)
4.46
2.70
2.57
Performance Inception Date Dec. 08, 2020
No Deduction of Taxes [Text Block] Neither the fund’s returns nor the index returns reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or redemptions of fund shares.
Updated Performance Information Location [Text Block] Updated performance information can be found at www.troweprice.com.
Distribution of Capital [Text Block] The fund's total return figures reflect the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains, if any.
AssetsNet $ 227,418,000
Holdings Count | Holding 740
Advisory Fees Paid, Amount $ 26,000
InvestmentCompanyPortfolioTurnover 83.30%
Additional Fund Statistics Significance or Limits [Text Block]

What are some fund statistics?

Fund Statistics

  • Total Net Assets (000s)$227,418
  • Number of Portfolio Holdings740
Holdings [Text Block]
Table Summary
Corporate Bonds
38.4%
Asset-Backed Securities
25.5
U.S. Government Agency Obligations (Excluding Mortgage-Backed)
12.9
Non-U.S. Government Mortgage-Backed Securities
10.8
U.S. Government & Agency Mortgage-Backed Securities
6.6
Foreign Government Obligations & Municipalities
2.3
Commercial Paper
1.7
Bank Loans
1.4
Securities Lending Collateral
1.1
Short-Term and Other
-0.7
Largest Holdings [Text Block]
Table Summary
U.S. Treasury Notes
12.9%
Federal National Mortgage Assn.
2.8
Federal Home Loan Mortgage
2.7
Ally Bank Auto Credit-Linked Notes
1.2
KKR
1.0
JPMorgan Mortgage Trust
0.8
Hyundai Capital America
0.7
Hardee's Funding
0.7
Medline Borrower
0.7
Barclays
0.7
Material Fund Change [Text Block]
Updated Prospectus Web Address www.troweprice.com/paperless