Document and Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Jul. 31, 2016 shares
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Jul. 31, 2016
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2017
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Trading Symbol	CFI
Entity Registrant Name	CULP INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000723603
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--04-30
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	12,306,956