ChilliFacts

Tabasco Scoville Heat

Tabasco measures 30,000–50,000 SHU, with a typical figure of 40,000 SHU: about 8× a typical jalapeño. It ranks #17 among verified peppers.

Also called Tabasco pepper. Capsicum frutescens.

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

40,000 SHUTypical heat
30,000–50,000 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 SHUCayenne: 40,000 SHUGuntur Chilli: 36,160 SHUKashmiri Chilli: 20,800 SHUSerrano: 15,000 SHUByadgi Chilli: 10,000 SHUJalapeño: 5,000 SHUTabasco · 40,0001K SHU10K SHU100K SHU1M SHU
Where Tabasco sits on the Scoville scale. Each dot is a pepper in our dataset, on a log scale.

Where the number comes from

Texas A&M and UF/IFAS both give 30,000-50,000 for the pepper. The bottled sauce is far milder because the pepper is diluted with vinegar and salt. Sauce figures vary by source and were not verified.

Origin

Mexico (named after the state of Tabasco); commercialised on Avery Island, Louisiana. Edmund McIlhenny grew his first commercial crop on Avery Island, Louisiana, in 1868 for TABASCO sauce. The pepper is named after the Mexican state of Tabasco. [3]

Flavour and looks

Colours: yellow-green, yellow, orange, red.

Facts

  • Like all C. frutescens, the fruits point upwards on the plant instead of hanging down. [4]
  • A large part of the tabasco pepper stock was hit by tobacco mosaic virus in the 1960s. The first resistant variety, Greenleaf tabasco, came around 1970. [4]

Record history

  • 1868: First commercial crop for TABASCO sauce on Avery Island

Hotter and milder

Tabasco compared

Compare Tabasco with any other pepper →

Questions

How hot is Tabasco?

Tabasco measures 30,000–50,000 SHU, with a typical figure of 40,000 SHU. That makes it a hot pepper.

How many times hotter is Tabasco 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 Tabasco the hottest pepper in the world?

No. It ranks #17 in our verified ranking. The current record holder is Pepper X at 2,693,000 SHU.

Where does Tabasco come from?

Mexico (named after the state of Tabasco); commercialised on Avery Island, Louisiana. Edmund McIlhenny grew his first commercial crop on Avery Island, Louisiana, in 1868 for TABASCO sauce.

Is the Tabasco heat figure verified?

Lab tested: Measured by a university, government or peer-reviewed lab. Texas A&M and UF/IFAS both give 30,000-50,000 for the pepper.

Sources

  1. Texas AgriLife Extension (Dr. Joe Masabni), 'Jalapeno & Other Hot Peppers': 30,000-50,000
  2. UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions, 'Peppers Ranked by Heat': 30,000-50,000; C. frutescens
  3. McIlhenny Company, 'The History of TABASCO Brand': 1868 first commercial crop
  4. Wikipedia, Tabasco pepper: naming, TMV history (secondary source)