petsupplies.co

Rubric v1 · 550 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. 1. Structural integrity

    Weight 20/100

    Signal: product description + spec sheet

    1. 10Reinforced welded frame, aluminum or steel body
    2. 5Heavy-gauge wire, standard welds
    3. 0Light-gauge wire, no reinforcement

  2. 2. Door security

    Weight 15/100

    Signal: product description

    1. 10Multi-point locking with tamper-resistant hardware
    2. 5Dual latches
    3. 0Single slide-latch

  3. 3. Sizing chart

    Weight 10/100

    Signal: product description

    1. 10Sizing chart with breed and weight ranges in inches/lbs
    2. 5General S/M/L only
    3. 0No sizing guidance

  4. 4. Ventilation and airflow

    Weight 10/100

    Signal: product description

    1. 10Airflow on 3+ sides
    2. 5Ventilation on 2 sides
    3. 0Solid on 3+ sides

  5. 5. Floor pan

    Weight 10/100

    Signal: product description

    1. 10Removable leak-proof pan, cleanable
    2. 5Removable pan, plastic
    3. 0No floor pan or non-removable

  6. 6. Travel certification

    Weight 20/100

    Signal: product description

    1. 10Crash-tested by an independent lab (e.g. CPS)
    2. 5IATA CR-82 airline-approved
    3. 0No certification (home-only crate)

  7. 7. Finish safety

    Weight 15/100

    Signal: product description

    1. 10Lead-free powder-coat, rounded edges, tested
    2. 5Standard powder-coat, no defect reports
    3. 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

Below 50, or any disqualifier hit → verdict: skip.

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