Scoville scale chart
How hot is it, really? Start with a chilli you already know, such as a jalapeño, and see how many times hotter the others are. Or pick any two and compare them. The numbers are Scoville heat units (SHU), but you don't need to learn them.
Compare two peppers
Heat chart
Each bar shows the published range for that item on a log scale, so each gridline to the right is ten times hotter (1m is one million SHU). The name, band and numbers are written out beside every bar. You can also press "Compare" on any row.
Pick a chilli you already know and every row will say how it compares. A jalapeño is a good place to start.
Bands and their descriptions are our own, not an official scale, and tolerance varies from person to person. An item sits in the band that holds the middle of its range.
How to read the chart
Heat on the Scoville scale is measured in Scoville heat units (SHU). A bigger number means more capsaicin and related compounds, the chemicals that cause the burning feeling. A jalapeño is typically a few thousand SHU. A habanero is often over a hundred thousand. The hottest chillies reach well over a million.
The scale is wide, so the chart uses a log scale: moving one gridline to the right means ten times more heat. That is the only way to fit a bell pepper and a Carolina Reaper on one page and still read both.
Two things are worth remembering. First, every figure is a range, because two peppers of the same variety can differ a lot. Second, a "times hotter" figure is a rough guide drawn from the middle of each range. To see how the measurement works, and where it falls short, read how the Scoville scale works. To see where the figures come from, read the About page.
Chillies and chilli products can irritate skin and eyes. See the handling notes on the how it works page, and read our health warning about chilli eating challenges.