Measuring your pet for a travel crate
Last verified: 2026-08-25
The test you are measuring against
A carrier states it plainly, and it is the standard the container has to meet:
Travel containers must comply with IATA standards and allow pets to stand, sit upright, lie down and turn around without touching the top or sides.
Four postures, not one. A crate the animal fits into lying down is not necessarily a crate it can sit upright in.
The four measurements
Take them with the animal standing naturally, on a flat floor, and write them down rather than trusting memory:
| How to measure | |
|---|---|
| A — length | tip of the nose to the base of the tail (not the tail’s end) |
| B — height to elbow | floor to the elbow joint of the front leg |
| C — width | the widest point across the body, usually the shoulders |
| D — height | floor to the top of the head, or to the ear tips if the ears stand up — whichever is higher |
The container’s internal length is generally A + half of B, its internal width generally C × 2, and its internal height at least D. Confirm the arithmetic with your carrier before buying: this is exactly the kind of detail that carries variations by carrier, and a snub-nosed animal may need additional clearance.
When to measure
- Not once. A young or growing animal will need re-measuring, and six months is a long time in a puppy’s life.
- Again before you buy, close to the purchase rather than at the start of planning.
- Again before travel if the animal has gained or lost condition.
For a puppy or kitten, buy the crate for the size the animal will be on the travel date, not the size it is now — and remember the animal still has to be comfortable in it, so a crate bought far too large is its own welfare problem in turbulence.
Getting it wrong is expensive at the wrong moment
A crate that fails the four-posture test is refused at the cargo terminal, hours before departure, with an animal already prepared, a permit with a finite life and a quarantine booking attached to the arrival date. There is no way to fix it there.
Measure, confirm the model with the operating carrier in writing, and buy early enough that a replacement is possible.
What this page does not tell you
- The IATA formulas themselves — a paid standard this site does not reproduce. The arithmetic above is the widely used interpretation, and your carrier’s is the one that counts.
- Which crate models fit which measurements.
- Any carrier’s specific clearance rules for snub-nosed animals.
Sources
- Shipping your pet (Delta Cargo) — Delta Air Linescarrier
- IATA Live Animals Regulations — International Air Transport Associationcarrier
- How to bring your cat to Australia from a Group 3 country — Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestrydestination_import