ChilliFacts

Cayenne Scoville Heat

Cayenne measures 25,000–50,000 SHU, with a typical figure of 40,000 SHU: about 8× a typical jalapeño. It ranks #16 among verified peppers.

Also called Long Red Cayenne. Capsicum annuum.

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

40,000 SHUTypical heat
25,000–50,000 SHUMeasured range
8×Against a jalapeño
Lab testedStatus
Pepper X: 2,693,000 SHUDragon's Breath: 2,480,000 SHUCarolina Reaper: 1,641,183 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 SHUTabasco: 40,000 SHUGuntur Chilli: 36,160 SHUKashmiri Chilli: 20,800 SHUSerrano: 15,000 SHUByadgi Chilli: 10,000 SHUJalapeño: 5,000 SHUCayenne · 40,0001K SHU10K SHU100K SHU1M SHU
Where Cayenne sits on the Scoville scale. Each dot is a pepper in our dataset, on a log scale.

Where the number comes from

NDSU gives 30,000-50,000, UF/IFAS 25,000-50,000 and Texas A&M 35,000 (average). Our typical figure is the 30,000-50,000 midpoint.

Origin

Named after Cayenne, French Guiana. It shares its name with Cayenne, the capital of French Guiana. Today it is grown worldwide, mostly for dried ground powder. [4]

Flavour and looks

Sharp, clean heat.

Colours: red.

Facts

  • Texas A&M extension lists the average cayenne at 35,000 SHU. [3]

Hotter and milder

Cayenne compared

Compare Cayenne with any other pepper →

Questions

How hot is Cayenne?

Cayenne measures 25,000–50,000 SHU, with a typical figure of 40,000 SHU. That makes it a hot pepper.

How many times hotter is Cayenne than a jalapeño?

About 8× a typical jalapeño (40,000 vs 5,000 SHU). Against the hottest jalapeños it is about 5×, and against the mildest about 16×.

Is Cayenne the hottest pepper in the world?

No. It ranks #16 in our verified ranking. The current record holder is Pepper X at 2,693,000 SHU.

Where does Cayenne come from?

Named after Cayenne, French Guiana. It shares its name with Cayenne, the capital of French Guiana.

Is the Cayenne heat figure verified?

Lab tested: Measured by a university, government or peer-reviewed lab. NDSU gives 30,000-50,000, UF/IFAS 25,000-50,000 and Texas A&M 35,000 (average).

Sources

  1. NDSU Extension FN584 'From the Garden to the Table: Salsa!': 30,000-50,000
  2. UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions, 'Peppers Ranked by Heat': 25,000-50,000
  3. Texas AgriLife Extension (Dr. Joe Masabni), 'Jalapeno & Other Hot Peppers': 35,000
  4. PepperScale: French Guiana name origin (secondary source)