🌶️ Chili Heat Reference
Every pepper in the chili heat scale, ranked by Scoville midpoint and shown as a multiple of a jalapeño— because Scoville is a ratio scale, and multiples are the comparison that actually helps when substituting.
| Pepper | Midpoint SHU | Band | × Jalapeño |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bell pepper | 0 | mild | — |
| Pepperoncini | 300 | mild | 0.1× |
| Poblano | 1,500 | mild | 0.3× |
| Gochugaru (Korean chili) | 2,750 | mild | 0.5× |
| Guajillo | 3,750 | mild | 0.7× |
| Jalapeño | 5,250 | medium | 1× |
| Fresno pepper | 6,250 | medium | 1.2× |
| Chipotle (smoked jalapeño) | 7,500 | medium | 1.4× |
| Aleppo pepper | 10,000 | medium | 1.9× |
| Serrano | 16,500 | medium | 3.1× |
| Chile de árbol | 22,500 | medium | 4.3× |
| Cayenne | 40,000 | medium | 7.6× |
| Thai chili (prik kee noo) | 75,000 | hot | 14.3× |
| Bird's eye chili | 112,500 | hot | 21.4× |
| Piri piri | 112,500 | hot | 21.4× |
| Habanero | 225,000 | hot | 42.9× |
| Scotch bonnet | 225,000 | hot | 42.9× |
| Ghost pepper (bhut jolokia) | 920,713.5 | extreme | 175.4× |
| Trinidad Scorpion | 1,600,000 | extreme | 304.8× |
| Carolina Reaper | 1,800,000 | extreme | 342.9× |
Reading the table
The multiples are the point. A habanero is 42.9× a jalapeño, and a Carolina Reaper is 342.9×. Substituting one for another by count is how a dish becomes inedible — the ratio is the number to work from.
The gaps that matter are near the bottom. The step from a poblano to a jalapeño is a few thousand units and is the one you notice at dinner. The step from a ghost pepper to a Carolina Reaper is nearly a million and is largely academic, because both are far past the point of ordinary cooking.
Most of the heat sits in the pith — the pale membrane the seeds attach to — rather than the seeds themselves, so the same pepper can be used two ways depending on whether it is removed. And capsaicin is oil-soluble: water spreads it, dairy and fat relieve it, and gloves are worth wearing anywhere near the bottom of this table.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Why show multiples instead of differences?
Because Scoville is a ratio scale and the numbers climb steeply. A habanero is 42.9× a jalapeño — not "a bit hotter". Differences are misleading at the top of the scale, where a single step can be hundreds of thousands of units and still be one notch on a menu.
Why are published Scoville values always ranges?
Because the heat of a real pepper varies with variety, growing conditions, ripeness and the individual fruit. Two jalapeños off the same plant are not the same pepper. This table uses the midpoint of each published range so the peppers can be ordered, and the ranges themselves remain the honest answer.
Does drying or smoking change the heat?
Drying concentrates by weight, so a gram of dried chili carries more heat than a gram of fresh. Smoking mostly changes flavour — chipotle sits at 7,500 SHU against the jalapeño it came from at 5,250, a difference well inside the natural range of either.
How should I handle the hot end?
Superhots are a different category from cooking chilies. Capsaicin is an irritant: wear gloves, keep hands away from eyes, and remember the oil transfers to knives and boards. It is oil-soluble, so water spreads it — dairy for the mouth, soap and oil for hands. Frying superhots in an unventilated kitchen produces something close to pepper spray, and eating-challenge quantities can cause real harm.