Net 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, 2017	Oct. 31, 2016	Oct. 31, 2017	Oct. 31, 2016
Numerator:
Net income attributable to Raven Industries, Inc.	$ 11,998	$ 5,741	$ 32,581	$ 15,753
Denominator:
Weighted average common shares outstanding (in shares)	35,829,880	36,076,259	36,002,024	36,164,468
Weighted average fully vested stock units outstanding (in shares)	109,558	97,716	105,830	100,595
Denominator for basic calculation (in shares)	35,939,438	36,173,975	36,107,854	36,265,063
Weighted average common shares outstanding (in shares)	35,829,880	36,076,259	36,002,024	36,164,468
Weighted average fully vested stock units outstanding (in shares)	109,558	97,716	105,830	100,595
Dilutive impact of stock options and restricted units (in shares)	380,997	122,270	369,339	70,102
Denominator for diluted calculation (in shares)	36,320,435	36,296,245	36,477,193	36,335,165
Net income per share - basic (in dollars per share)	$ 0.33	$ 0.16	$ 0.90	$ 0.43
Net income per share - diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 0.33	$ 0.16	$ 0.89	$ 0.43