Document And Entity Information - shares	9 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2017	Oct. 02, 2017
Document Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	ARTS WAY MANUFACTURING CO INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000007623
Trading Symbol	artw
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--11-30
Entity Filer Category	Smaller Reporting Company
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding (in shares)		4,158,752
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Aug. 31, 2017
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2017
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Amendment Flag	false