ChilliFacts

Habanero Scoville Heat

Habanero measures 100,000–350,000 SHU, with a typical figure of 225,000 SHU: about 45× a typical jalapeño. It ranks #11 among verified peppers.

Also called Chile habanero. Capsicum chinense.

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

A single orange habanero pepper, close up
A single orange habanero pepper, close up. Photo: The original uploader was H at English Wikipedia ., CC BY 2.5.
225,000 SHUTypical heat
100,000–350,000 SHUMeasured range
45×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 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 SHUHabanero · 225K1K SHU10K SHU100K SHU1M SHU
Where Habanero sits on the Scoville scale. Each dot is a pepper in our dataset, on a log scale.

Where the number comes from

Range from UF/IFAS (100,000-350,000). Texas A&M gives an average of 200,000-300,000. In NMSU's 2005 Las Cruces trial, orange habanero averaged 357,729 SHU. NMSU's Chile Pepper Institute lists orange habanero at 250,000 among its hottest tested. Our typical figure is the UF/IFAS range midpoint.

Origin

Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico (species from the Amazon basin). Now most closely tied to Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. 'Chile Habanero de la Peninsula de Yucatan' is a protected Mexican denomination of origin, declared in the Diario Oficial on 4 June 2010. [5]

Flavour and looks

Bright tropical sweetness under the heat.

Colours: orange, red, white, brown, pink.

Facts

  • An orange habanero grown in NMSU's 2005 trial measured 357,729 SHU, hotter than the then record-holding Red Savina in the same field. [3]
  • Mexico protects the name 'Chile Habanero de la Peninsula de Yucatan' as a denomination of origin (2010). [5]

Hotter and milder

Habanero compared

Compare Habanero with any other pepper →

Questions

How hot is Habanero?

Habanero measures 100,000–350,000 SHU, with a typical figure of 225,000 SHU. That makes it a very hot pepper.

How many times hotter is Habanero than a jalapeño?

About 45× a typical jalapeño (225,000 vs 5,000 SHU). Against the hottest jalapeños it is about 28×, and against the mildest about 90×.

Is Habanero the hottest pepper in the world?

No. It ranks #11 in our verified ranking. The current record holder is Pepper X at 2,693,000 SHU.

Where does Habanero come from?

Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico (species from the Amazon basin). Now most closely tied to Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

Is the Habanero heat figure verified?

Lab tested: Measured by a university, government or peer-reviewed lab. Range from UF/IFAS (100,000-350,000).

Sources

  1. UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions, 'Peppers Ranked by Heat': 100,000-350,000 SHU
  2. Texas AgriLife Extension (Dr. Joe Masabni), 'Jalapeno & Other Hot Peppers': 200,000-300,000 average
  3. Bosland & Baral, HortScience 42(2):222-224 (2007), New Mexico State University: 357,729 trial mean
  4. NMSU Chile Pepper Institute, 'Heat' page (archived 19 Jun 2021): 250,000 SHU
  5. WIPO Lex record of Mexico's Declaratoria de la Denominacion de Origen 'Chile Habanero de la Peninsula de Yucatan' (DOF 4 Jun 2010): denomination of origin
  6. PepperScale: flavour, colours (secondary source)