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A 30 lb dog needs a 36-in crate: 36×23×25 in (91.4×58.4×63.5 cm), 5.75 sq ft of floor. A crate should be big enough for the dog to stand, turn around and lie down stretched out, and no bigger: too small is cruel, and too big defeats the den instinct that makes a crate work. This chart gives the standard crate for every dog from 5 to 110 lb, and the calculator below picks yours by weight. This is a home-crate chart: it is not a puppy-growth chart and not an airline-travel chart.
Seven standard crate sizes cover every dog from a 5 lb Chihuahua to a 110 lb Mastiff, and the weight is what decides the size. Find your dog’s weight in the chart, and take the crate for that band: the crate length is the dog’s length plus about 4 inches, so the dog can stand up, turn around and lie down stretched out. The calculator below does the lookup for you, and the reverse lookup tells you the biggest dog a crate you already own will hold.
A crate is a den, not a cage: it should be big enough for the dog to stand up, turn around and lie down stretched out, and no bigger. Too small and the dog cannot move; too big and the dog will sleep at one end and toilet at the other, which defeats the den instinct that makes crate training work. The rule is simple: measure the dog from nose to tail, add 4 inches, and take the next standard crate length at or above that. The weight bands below do the same job without a tape measure, because a dog’s weight and its length track closely enough for a crate.
| Dog weight | Crate size (L×W×H) | Centimetres | Floor area | Example breeds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| up to 5 lb | 18×12×14 in | 45.7×30.5×35.6 cm | 1.50 sq ft | Chihuahua, Yorkshire Terrier |
| 6–15 lb | 24×18×19 in | 61.0×45.7×48.3 cm | 3.00 sq ft | Pomeranian, Shih Tzu |
| 16–25 lb | 30×19×21 in | 76.2×48.3×53.3 cm | 3.96 sq ft | Beagle, Cocker Spaniel |
| 26–40 lb | 36×23×25 in | 91.4×58.4×63.5 cm | 5.75 sq ft | Border Collie, Australian Shepherd |
| 41–70 lb | 42×28×30 in | 106.7×71.1×76.2 cm | 8.17 sq ft | Labrador, Golden Retriever |
| 71–90 lb | 48×30×32 in | 121.9×76.2×81.3 cm | 10.00 sq ft | German Shepherd, Rottweiler |
| 91–110 lb | 54×37×45 in | 137.2×94.0×114.3 cm | 13.88 sq ft | Great Dane, Mastiff |
The sizes are the standard crates the makers sell: 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48 and 54 inches long. There is no 60-inch standard crate: a dog over 110 lb is outside the chart, and needs a custom crate or a room of its own. The floor area is the length times the width divided by 144: a 36-inch crate is 36 × 23 inches, which is 828 square inches, or 5.75 square feet. The breeds are examples, not rules: a long, lean dog and a short, heavy dog of the same weight may need different crates, and the tape measure beats the breed list every time.
The sizing rule is dog length + 4 inches. Measure the dog standing, from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail, in inches, and add 4. Then measure the height from the top of the head (or the ears, for a prick-eared dog) to the floor, and add 4. Take the next standard crate at or above both numbers. A 30 lb Border Collie is about 32 inches long, so 32 + 4 = 36, which is the 36-inch crate — the same answer the weight chart gives. If the two methods disagree, trust the tape measure: a long dog needs the longer crate even if it is light.
Setup: a 30 lb dog; find the crate size.
Line 1 — the weight band. 30 lb falls in the 26–40 lb band, which takes the 36-in crate.
Line 2 — the dimensions. The 36-in crate is 36×23×25 in, or 91.4×58.4×63.5 cm.
Line 3 — the floor area. 36 × 23 ÷ 144 = 5.75 sq ft.
Line 4 — the answer. A 36-in crate, the size for a Border Collie.
Line 5 — the reverse. A 36-in crate holds a dog up to 40 lb.
8 lb dog: 8 lb falls in the 6–15 lb band, so the answer is the 24-in crate (24×18×19 in, 3.00 sq ft) — the size for a Pomeranian or a Shih Tzu.
50 lb dog: 50 lb falls in the 41–70 lb band, so the answer is the 42-in crate (42×28×30 in, 8.17 sq ft) — the size for a Labrador or a Golden Retriever.
85 lb dog: 85 lb falls in the 71–90 lb band, so the answer is the 48-in crate (48×30×32 in, 10.00 sq ft) — the size for a German Shepherd or a Rottweiler.
100 lb dog: 100 lb falls in the 91–110 lb band, so the answer is the 54-in crate (54×37×45 in, 13.88 sq ft) — the size for a Great Dane or a Mastiff.
Reverse — the 42-in crate: a 42-in crate is the 41–70 lb band, so it holds a dog up to 70 lb. A 24-in crate is the 6–15 lb band, so it holds a dog up to 15 lb. If your dog is at the top of the band, measure it: a 70 lb dog that is long may need the 48-in crate instead.
This chart is for a home crate: a den for sleeping and crate training, in the house. It is not a puppy-growth chart — a puppy grows, and a crate bought for a puppy’s adult size needs a divider while the puppy is small, or the puppy will toilet in the spare space. It is not an airline-travel chart — airlines have their own rules, and a travel crate must be big enough for the dog to stand without touching the roof, which is stricter than the home rule. It assumes the dog is of average build for its weight: a long, lean dog and a short, heavy dog of the same weight may need different crates, and the tape measure beats the weight chart every time. It assumes the dog is an adult: a puppy’s weight changes weekly, so weigh the puppy and the adult target separately. Rounding convention: centimetres are rounded to 1 decimal, floor area to 2 decimals, and all figures are computed from unrounded values, rounded only for display.
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Crate size | next standard crate at or above the weight band | 36-in crate. |
| Dimensions | standard L×W×H for the size | 36×23×25 in. |
| Centimetres | inches × 2.54 | 91.4×58.4×63.5 cm. |
| Floor area | length × width ÷ 144 | 5.75 sq ft. |
| 8 lb dog | same model | 24-in crate, 24×18×19 in. |
| 50 lb dog | same model | 42-in crate, 42×28×30 in. |
| 85 lb dog | same model | 48-in crate, 48×30×32 in. |
| 100 lb dog | same model | 54-in crate, 54×37×45 in. |
| Reverse: your crate holds up to | max weight of the crate’s band | 40 lb; a 42-in crate holds up to 70 lb, a 24-in crate up to 15 lb. |
The chart is exact for the standard sizes: the weight bands, the dimensions and the floor areas are the standard crates the makers sell. What the chart cannot do is measure your dog: weigh the dog, measure it from nose to tail, add 4 inches, and take the next standard crate at or above that. If the weight and the tape measure disagree, trust the tape measure. It says nothing about the crate’s material — wire, plastic or soft-sided — or about how long a dog should spend in a crate, which is a training question, not a size question. It is not a puppy-growth chart and not an airline-travel chart: a puppy needs a divider in an adult-sized crate, and an airline has its own rules. For the room the crate sits in, see paint cost calculator; for the dog’s food, see slow-cooker size chart.
Bright Side Kit. "Dog Crate Size Chart: Weight to Crate Size (18–54 in)." https://brightoolbox.com/dog-crate-size-chart/ Accessed October 24, 2026.A 36-in crate. A 30 lb dog falls in the 26–40 lb band, so the crate is 36×23×25 in (91.4×58.4×63.5 cm), with 5.75 sq ft of floor — the size for a Border Collie or an Australian Shepherd.
Measure the dog from nose to tail and add 4 inches. That is the crate length you need: a dog about 32 inches long needs a 36-inch crate. Also measure the height from the top of the head to the floor and add 4 inches. Take the next standard crate at or above both numbers. If the weight chart and the tape measure disagree, trust the tape measure.
A 42-in crate. A 50 lb dog falls in the 41–70 lb band, so the crate is 42×28×30 in, with 8.17 sq ft of floor — the size for a Labrador or a Golden Retriever.
Yes. A crate should be big enough for the dog to stand, turn around and lie down stretched out, and no bigger. Too big and the dog will sleep at one end and toilet at the other, which defeats the den instinct that makes crate training work. For a puppy, buy the adult-sized crate with a divider to block off the spare space.
A 54-in crate, the biggest standard size. A 100 lb dog falls in the 91–110 lb band, so the crate is 54×37×45 in, with 13.88 sq ft of floor — the size for a Great Dane or a Mastiff. There is no standard crate above 54 inches.
Up to 70 lb. A 42-in crate is the 41–70 lb band, so it holds a dog up to 70 lb. A 24-in crate holds a dog up to 15 lb. If your dog is at the top of the band, measure it: a long 70 lb dog may need the 48-in crate instead.
No — this is a home-crate chart, not an airline-travel chart. Airlines have their own rules, and a travel crate must be big enough for the dog to stand without touching the roof, which is stricter than the home rule. Check with the airline before you buy a travel crate.
The adult size, with a divider. A puppy grows, so a crate bought for the puppy’s current size will be outgrown in months. Buy the crate for the dog’s adult weight — a 30 lb adult Border Collie needs a 36-in crate — and use the divider to block off the spare space while the puppy is small.