scoville scale

The Scoville scale is a system used to measure how spicy a chili pepper or hot food is, expressed in Scoville heat units (SHU). It is based on the amount of capsaicinoids—especially capsaicin—the chemical compounds that create the burning sensation.

What the Scoville scale measures

• The scale quantifies pungency (spiciness) of peppers, sauces, and other hot substances in SHU.
• Higher SHU means more capsaicin and therefore a hotter sensation on the tongue and skin.

How it originally worked

• The scale was created in 1912 by American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville.
• In the original “Scoville organoleptic test,” pepper extract was diluted in sugar water and tasted by a panel until they could no longer detect heat; the dilution factor became the SHU rating.

Modern measurement

• Today, labs typically use high‑performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to measure capsaicinoid concentration more objectively.
• Those measured values are then converted into SHU, keeping the familiar Scoville scale while using more precise chemistry instead of taste panels.

Typical SHU ranges

• 0 SHU: Sweet bell peppers (no heat).
• A few hundred to a few thousand SHU: Very mild chilies like some banana peppers.
• Tens of thousands SHU: Common “hot” peppers like jalapeños and serranos, depending on variety and growing conditions.
• Hundreds of thousands to over a million SHU: Extremely hot peppers such as habanero-type chilies and modern “superhots.”
• Over one million up toward tens of millions SHU: Theoretical or lab-pure capsaicin at the top of the scale.

If you’d like, a follow-up can map specific peppers (jalapeño, habanero, Carolina Reaper, etc.) to their usual Scoville ranges in a small reference table.