The Complete Scoville Scale Guide

Understanding Scoville Heat Units (SHU) and Hot Sauce Heat Levels

What is the Scoville Scale?

The Scoville Scale is the measurement of the pungency (spicy heat) of chili peppers and hot sauces. Created by pharmacist Wilbur Scoville in 1912, it measures the concentration of capsaicinoids, primarily capsaicin, which causes the burning sensation.

Scoville Heat Units (SHU) range from 0 (bell peppers) to over 2,000,000 (Carolina Reaper). Modern testing uses High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) for precise measurements.

Complete Scoville Scale Chart

Pepper/Sauce	Scoville Heat Units (SHU)	Heat Level
Bell Pepper	0	Mild
Banana Pepper	0-500	Mild
Poblano Pepper	1,000-2,000	Mild
Jalapeño Pepper	2,500-8,000	Medium
Serrano Pepper	10,000-25,000	Medium
Cayenne Pepper	30,000-50,000	Hot
Tabasco Pepper	30,000-50,000	Hot
Habanero Pepper	100,000-350,000	Very Hot
Scotch Bonnet	100,000-350,000	Very Hot
Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia)	855,000-1,041,427	Extreme
Trinidad Scorpion	1,200,000-2,000,000	Extreme
Carolina Reaper	1,400,000-2,200,000	Extreme

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