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What are Scoville Heat Units, and how do they measure heat?

Scoville Heat Units (SHU) are the measurement used to quantify how spicy a pepper or chili product is. The number represents the concentration of capsaicin, the chemical responsible for heat.

A quick definition:  
SHU = how many times a pepper extract must be diluted in sugar water before a tasting panel can no longer detect heat.

What SHU Actually Measures

SHU reflects capsaicinoid concentration, originally determined by human tasters (the Scoville Organoleptic Test).

Modern labs use High‑Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) to measure capsaicin precisely, then convert that to SHU.

1 ppm capsaicin ≈ 16 SHU.

Typical SHU Ranges by Pepper Type

Why SHU Values Vary Even peppers of the same variety can test differently due to:

• Growing conditions
• Soil nutrients
• Water stress
• Ripeness
• Genetic variation

Capsaicin is concentrated mostly in the white pith (placenta), not the seeds—so removing the pith dramatically reduces heat.

Why SHU Matters

Helps cooks choose the right pepper for a recipe. Allows hot sauce makers (like you with Eat Good Chili) to standardize heat levels across batches. Gives growers a consistent way to market pepper varieties.