We extend Deligne's notion of determinant functor to Waldhausen categories and (strongly) triangulated categories. We construct explicit universal determinant functors in each case, whose target is an algebraic model for the 1-type of the corresponding K-theory spectrum. As applications, we answer open questions by Maltsiniotis and Neeman on the K-theory of (strongly) triangulated categories and a question of Grothendieck to Knudsen on determinant functors. We also prove additivity theorems for low-dimensional Ktheory of (strongly) triangulated categories and obtain generators and (some) relations for various K 1 -groups. This is achieved via a unified theory of determinant functors which can be applied in further contexts, such as derivators.