Rubric v1 · 16 products scored
Dog crate rubric
Every product in this category is scored against the same rubric. Weights sum to 100. A hit on any disqualifier forces a "skip" verdict regardless of the point total.
Criteria & weights
1. Structural integrity
- 10Reinforced welded frame, aluminum or steel body
- 5Heavy-gauge wire, standard welds
- 0Light-gauge wire, no reinforcement
2. Door security
- 10Multi-point locking with tamper-resistant hardware
- 5Dual latches
- 0Single slide-latch
3. Sizing chart
- 10Sizing chart with breed and weight ranges in inches/lbs
- 5General S/M/L only
- 0No sizing guidance
4. Ventilation and airflow
- 10Airflow on 3+ sides
- 5Ventilation on 2 sides
- 0Solid on 3+ sides
5. Floor pan
- 10Removable leak-proof pan, cleanable
- 5Removable pan, plastic
- 0No floor pan or non-removable
6. Travel certification
- 10Crash-tested by an independent lab (e.g. CPS)
- 5IATA CR-82 airline-approved
- 0No certification (home-only crate)
7. Finish safety
- 10Lead-free powder-coat, rounded edges, tested
- 5Standard powder-coat, no defect reports
- 0Sharp exposed edges or unfinished welds
Disqualifiers
Any of the following forces a "skip" verdict, no matter how well the product scores on other criteria. Non-negotiable.
- No sizing chart in inches or lbs
- Sharp exposed edges reported by CPSC
- Marketed as travel/car crate without crash-test evidence
Verdict thresholds
Total score cutoffs for each public verdict tier. Sum of weighted criterion scores maps directly onto these bands.
- Editors' pick
- ≥ 80
- Solid buy
- ≥ 65
- Situational
- ≥ 50