ChilliFacts

Infinity Scoville Heat

Infinity measures 1,067,286–1,176,182 SHU, with a typical figure of 1,176,182 SHU: about 235× a typical jalapeño. It ranks #6 among verified peppers.

Also called Infinity Chilli, Naga Infinity. Capsicum chinense.

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

1,176,182 SHUTypical heat
1,067,286–1,176,182 SHUMeasured range
235×Against a jalapeño
Guinness recordStatus
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 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 SHUInfinity · 1.18M1K SHU10K SHU100K SHU1M SHU
Where Infinity sits on the Scoville scale. Each dot is a pepper in our dataset, on a log scale.

Where the number comes from

The BBC (Feb 2011) reported 1,176,182 SHU from a test by Andrew Jukes at the University of Warwick Crop Centre. Wikipedia gives the Guinness figure as 1,067,286 SHU. We could not retrieve the Guinness page to check which one was certified. Either way it was a single test, not an average.

Origin

Grantham, Lincolnshire, England. Found by accident by Nick Woods of Fire Foods, a former RAF security guard turned hot-sauce maker, who noticed an unusual plant in his polytunnel. [1]

Flavour and looks

Fruity at first.

Colours: red.

Delayed, then a burning in the back of the throat (Woods: 'the effect is delayed. Then it hit me.')

Facts

  • The BBC compared it with jalapenos, which it said score 2,500 to 8,000 SHU. [1]
  • Woods said, 'I knew as soon as I saw it in the polytunnel'. He identified the plant as a hot one by dissecting the fruit. [1]
  • After the Infinity and Naga Viper controversies, Guinness began requiring more verification of heat levels and of cultivar stability. [2]

Record history

  • 2011-02: Held the Guinness title for about two weeks
  • 2011-02/03: Displaced by Naga Viper (per Popular Science), then Butch T on 1 Mar 2011

Hotter and milder

Infinity compared

Compare Infinity with any other pepper →

Questions

How hot is Infinity?

Infinity measures 1,067,286–1,176,182 SHU, with a typical figure of 1,176,182 SHU. That puts it among the superhots, peppers above 1 million SHU.

How many times hotter is Infinity than a jalapeño?

About 235× a typical jalapeño (1,176,182 vs 5,000 SHU). Against the hottest jalapeños it is about 147×, and against the mildest about 470×.

Is Infinity the hottest pepper in the world?

No. It ranks #6 in our verified ranking. The current record holder is Pepper X at 2,693,000 SHU.

Where does Infinity come from?

Grantham, Lincolnshire, England. Found by accident by Nick Woods of Fire Foods, a former RAF security guard turned hot-sauce maker, who noticed an unusual plant in his polytunnel.

Is the Infinity heat figure verified?

Guinness record: Certified by Guinness World Records from university lab tests. The BBC (Feb 2011) reported 1,176,182 SHU from a test by Andrew Jukes at the University of Warwick Crop Centre.

Sources

  1. BBC News, 19 Feb 2011: 1,176,182 SHU; Warwick test by Andrew Jukes; origin story (secondary source)
  2. Wikipedia, Infinity chili: Guinness figure 1,067,286; two-week reign; Woods quote (secondary source)
  3. Popular Science, Jul 2011: chronology (secondary source)