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, 2019	Apr. 30, 2018
Numerator:
Net income attributable to Raven Industries, Inc.	$ 13,210	$ 22,135
Denominator:
Weighted average common shares outstanding (in shares)	35,962,066	35,826,096
Weighted average fully vested stock units outstanding (in shares)	105,341	87,716
Denominator for basic calculation (in shares)	36,067,407	35,913,812
Weighted average common shares outstanding (in shares)	35,962,066	35,826,096
Weighted average fully vested stock units outstanding (in shares)	105,341	87,716
Dilutive impact of stock options and restricted units (in shares)	325,831	466,768
Denominator for diluted calculation (in shares)	36,393,238	36,380,580
Net income per share - basic (in dollars per share)	$ 0.37	$ 0.62
Net income per share - diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 0.36	$ 0.61