Net (Loss) Income per Share (Schedule of Calculation of Numerator and Denominator in Earnings per Share) (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Oct. 31, 2015	Oct. 31, 2014	Oct. 31, 2015	Oct. 31, 2014
Numerator:
Net (loss) income attributable to Raven Industries, Inc.	$ (1,581)	$ 6,783	$ 7,465	$ 25,540
Denominator:
Weighted average common shares outstanding (in shares)	36,785,140	36,499,018	37,481,675	36,462,441
Weighted average stock units outstanding (in shares)	92,470	68,721	84,597	69,616
Denominator for basic calculation (in shares)	36,877,610	36,567,739	37,566,272	36,532,057
Weighted average common shares outstanding (in shares)	36,785,140	36,499,018	37,481,675	36,462,441
Weighted average stock units outstanding (in shares)	92,470	68,721	84,597	69,616
Dilutive impact of stock options and restricted units (in shares)	0	165,504	47,773	188,713
Denominator for diluted calculation (in shares)	36,877,610	36,733,243	37,614,045	36,720,770
Net income per share - basic (in dollars per share)	$ (0.04)	$ 0.19	$ 0.20	$ 0.70
Net income per share - diluted (in dollars per share)	$ (0.04)	$ 0.18	$ 0.20	$ 0.70