Pepper Heat Levels
From sweet bell peppers at 0 SHU to the world-record Pepper X at 2.6 million SHU. Five heat tiers, one complete guide.
Little to no heat — perfect for everyday cooking and raw eating.
Noticeable warmth that most people enjoy. The sweet spot for home cooks.
Significant heat that builds and lingers. For dedicated spice lovers.
Intense, lasting burn. Handle with gloves — seriously.
Extreme heat. World record territory. Not for the faint of heart.
Our five-tier classification system is based on the Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) scale, the international standard for measuring pepper pungency. Each tier represents a distinct range of capsaicin concentration.
| Tier | SHU Range | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Mild | 0–999 SHU | Bell Pepper, Banana Pepper |
| Medium | 1K–10K SHU | Jalapeño, Poblano |
| Hot | 10K–100K SHU | Serrano, Cayenne |
| Extra-Hot | 100K–1M SHU | Habanero, Scotch Bonnet |
| Super-Hot | 1M+ SHU | Carolina Reaper, Pepper X |
The Scoville Organoleptic Test, created by Wilbur Scoville in 1912, originally relied on human tasters. Modern labs use High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) to precisely measure capsaicinoid concentration, then convert to Scoville units.
Individual peppers vary in heat based on growing conditions, ripeness, and genetics. The SHU ranges on this site represent typical lab-tested values from sources including the USDA and Chile Pepper Institute.