Scoville units
Capsaicin concentration scale
Scoville units measure the heat of chili peppers and other spicy foods.
The scale quantifies capsaicin concentration—the compound that produces the burning sensation.
A bell pepper rates zero; a jalapeño falls around 2,500 to 8,000; the hottest peppers exceed two million.
That sauce is over 500,000 Scoville units—proceed with caution.
- sensory thresholdMinimum stimulus for perception
- pungencySharp smell or taste
- peppersSeasons or bombards repeatedly
- chiliCapsicum pod or stew
- heatTransferred thermal energy
heat level · oleoresin · spiciness · intensity · Carolina Reaper · hottest · burn your mouth · spice tolerance · measurements · scale · ghost pepper · standardization · taste buds · chromatography · ratings · hot sauce · hot wings · metric
spiciness/pungency level
Scoville unitsmildness
Gentle, moderate quality
blandness · sweetness · bell pepper · milk · cooling sensation