Scoville Heat Converter
Compare pepper and hot sauce heat levels using the Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) scale
Heat Analysis
5.0K SHU
Medium-Hot
Closest match: Jalapeño
vs Jalapeño (5K)
1x
vs Cayenne (40K)
0.13x
vs Habanero (225K)
0.02x
Scientific Data
Capsaicin Concentration
0.031250%
Dilution Factor
1:5.0K
parts water to neutralize
Pepper Heat Scale
Hot Sauce Reference
About Scoville Heat Units
The Scoville scale measures the heat of peppers based on capsaicin concentration. Created by Wilbur Scoville in 1912.
Originally, the test involved diluting pepper extract until the heat was no longer detectable by a panel of tasters. Modern tests use high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for precision.
Pure capsaicin measures 16 million SHU. Police pepper spray typically ranges from 2-5 million SHU.
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Editorial Note
MyCalcBuddy Editorial Team
This page is maintained as an educational calculator reference.
Formula Source: NIST Guide to SI Units
by National Institute of Standards