ChilliFacts

Carolina Reaper Scoville Heat

Carolina Reaper measures up to 2,200,000 SHU, with a typical figure of 1,641,183 SHU: about 328× a typical jalapeño. It ranks #2 among verified peppers.

Also called Smokin' Ed's Carolina Reaper, HP22B. Capsicum chinense.

Data checked October 20, 2026 · How we rank and verify

A single wrinkled red Carolina Reaper pod with its pointed tail
A single wrinkled red Carolina Reaper pod with its pointed tail. Photo: Richard Elzey, CC BY 2.0.
1,641,183 SHUTypical heat
up to 2,200,000 SHUMeasured range
328×Against a jalapeño
Guinness recordStatus
Pepper X: 2,693,000 SHUDragon's Breath: 2,480,000 SHUTrinidad Scorpion Butch T: 1,463,700 SHU7 Pot Primo: 1,400,000 SHUKomodo Dragon: 1,400,000 SHUNaga Viper: 1,382,118 SHUTrinidad Moruga Scorpion: 1,200,000 SHUInfinity: 1,176,182 SHU7 Pot Brain Strain: 1,175,000 SHU7 Pot Douglah: 1,170,000 SHUDorset Naga: 1,032,310 SHUGhost Pepper: 1,001,304 SHUNaga Morich: 1,000,000 SHUDalle Khursani: 393,950 SHUFatalii: 262,500 SHURed Savina: 248,556 SHUHabanero: 225,000 SHUScotch Bonnet: 225,000 SHUDatil: 200,000 SHUKanthari: 80,640 SHUBird's Eye Chilli: 75,000 SHUCayenne: 40,000 SHUTabasco: 40,000 SHUGuntur Chilli: 36,160 SHUKashmiri Chilli: 20,800 SHUSerrano: 15,000 SHUByadgi Chilli: 10,000 SHUJalapeño: 5,000 SHUCarolina Reaper · 1.64M1K SHU10K SHU100K SHU1M SHU
Where Carolina Reaper sits on the Scoville scale. Each dot is a pepper in our dataset, on a log scale.

Where the number comes from

There are two Guinness averages, both from Winthrop University: 1,569,300 SHU (tests throughout 2012, record dated 7 Aug 2013) and 1,641,183 SHU (tests throughout 2017, record dated 11 Aug 2017). The 2.2 million figure comes from one individual pepper reported by AP in 2013. It is a peak, not the variety's heat, and Guinness never certified it. Guinness's own 2023 Pepper X page still quotes the older 1,569,300 average.

Origin

Fort Mill / Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA. Bred by Ed Currie of PuckerButt Pepper Company. Guinness (2013) calls it a cross of Sweet Habanero and Naga Viper. Other accounts quote Currie naming a La Soufriere (St Vincent) habanero crossed with a Pakistani Naga, so the parentage is disputed. [1]

Flavour and looks

Fruity and sweet, with a hint of cinnamon and chocolate undertones (Guinness description).

Colours: red.

Facts

  • AP reported that the record batch (code HP22B) averaged 1,569,300 SHU, while one individual pepper from Currie's crop measured 2.2 million SHU. [5]
  • Winthrop University chemistry students measured the peppers by HPLC as part of their undergraduate coursework. [5]
  • In 2018 a man developed a 'thunderclap' headache after eating a Carolina Reaper in a hot-pepper contest. It was published as a case report in BMJ Case Reports. [7]

Record history

  • 2013-08-07: Guinness record: average 1,569,300 SHU (Winthrop University tests, 2012). Announced 19 Nov 2013.
  • 2017-08-11: Guinness record updated: average 1,641,183 SHU (Winthrop tests, 2017)
  • 2023-08-23: Superseded by Pepper X

Hotter and milder

Carolina Reaper compared

Compare Carolina Reaper with any other pepper →

Questions

How hot is Carolina Reaper?

Carolina Reaper measures up to 2,200,000 SHU, with a typical figure of 1,641,183 SHU. That puts it among the superhots, peppers above 1 million SHU.

How many times hotter is Carolina Reaper than a jalapeño?

About 328× a typical jalapeño (1,641,183 vs 5,000 SHU). Against the hottest jalapeños it is about 205×, and against the mildest about 656×.

Is Carolina Reaper the hottest pepper in the world?

No. It ranks #2 in our verified ranking. The current record holder is Pepper X at 2,693,000 SHU.

Where does Carolina Reaper come from?

Fort Mill / Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA. Bred by Ed Currie of PuckerButt Pepper Company.

Is the Carolina Reaper heat figure verified?

Guinness record: Certified by Guinness World Records from university lab tests. There are two Guinness averages, both from Winthrop University: 1,569,300 SHU (tests throughout 2012, record dated 7 Aug 2013) and 1,641,183 SHU (tests throughout 2017, record dated 11 Aug 2017).

Sources

  1. Guinness World Records news, 19 Nov 2013: 1,569,300 SHU average; parentage per Guinness; previous holder Butch T
  2. Guinness World Records (record page, archived 24 Dec 2014): record text: average 1,569,300 SHU, Winthrop tests throughout 2012, dated 7 Aug 2013
  3. Guinness World Records (record page, archived 4 Dec 2020): record text: average 1,641,183 SHU, Winthrop tests throughout 2017, dated 11 Aug 2017
  4. Guinness World Records (record page, archived 26 Dec 2016): flavour description
  5. Associated Press via Fox News, Dec 2013: 2.2M individual pod; HP22B batch; Winthrop students (secondary source)
  6. Science Friday, 16 Aug 2016: Winthrop HPLC method; average about 1.569M, 'as high as 2.2 million' (secondary source)
  7. Boddhula et al., BMJ Case Reports 2018:bcr2017224085: medical case report
  8. Wikipedia, Carolina Reaper: alternative parentage (La Soufriere habanero x Naga) from Currie interviews (secondary source)