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
	Apr. 30, 2018	Apr. 30, 2017
Numerator:
Net income attributable to Raven Industries, Inc.	$ 22,135	$ 12,348
Denominator:
Weighted average common shares outstanding (in shares)	35,826,096	36,080,143
Weighted average fully vested stock units outstanding (in shares)	87,716	98,787
Denominator for basic calculation (in shares)	35,913,812	36,178,930
Weighted average common shares outstanding (in shares)	35,826,096	36,080,143
Weighted average fully vested stock units outstanding (in shares)	87,716	98,787
Dilutive impact of stock options and restricted units (in shares)	466,768	359,795
Denominator for diluted calculation (in shares)	36,380,580	36,538,725
Net income per share - basic (in dollars per share)	$ 0.62	$ 0.34
Net income per share - diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 0.61	$ 0.34