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, 2018	Oct. 31, 2017	Oct. 31, 2018	Oct. 31, 2017
Numerator:
Net income attributable to Raven Industries, Inc.	$ 13,032	$ 11,998	$ 48,844	$ 32,581
Denominator:
Weighted average common shares outstanding (in shares)	35,952,688	35,829,880	35,890,638	36,002,024
Weighted average fully vested stock units outstanding (in shares)	104,649	109,558	98,235	105,830
Denominator for basic calculation (in shares)	36,057,337	35,939,438	35,988,873	36,107,854
Weighted average common shares outstanding (in shares)	35,952,688	35,829,880	35,890,638	36,002,024
Weighted average fully vested stock units outstanding (in shares)	104,649	109,558	98,235	105,830
Dilutive impact of stock options and restricted units (in shares)	414,542	380,997	450,429	369,339
Denominator for diluted calculation (in shares)	36,471,879	36,320,435	36,439,302	36,477,193
Net income per share - basic (in dollars per share)	$ 0.36	$ 0.33	$ 1.36	$ 0.90
Net income per share - diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 0.36	$ 0.33	$ 1.34	$ 0.89