Pepper Reference
Every pepper behind this site’s calculators, in one table: Scoville range and heat class, average fresh weight, how much of each it takes to match one jalapeño’s heat, and roughly what one pepper yields once dried.
Pepper, Scoville range, and yield
| Pepper | Scoville range | Heat class | Avg. fresh weight | Equiv. to 1 Jalapeño | Dried weight (1 pepper) | Weight lost drying |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bell Pepper | 0–0 SHU | No heat | 120 g | — | 16 g | 86.67% |
| Pepperoncini | 100–500 SHU | Mild | 10 g | 10× | 1.33 g | 86.67% |
| Poblano | 1,000–2,000 SHU | Mild | 70 g | 3.3× | 9.33 g | 86.67% |
| Anaheim | 500–2,500 SHU | Mild | 50 g | 2.5× | 6.67 g | 86.67% |
| Jalapeño | 2,500–8,000 SHU | Medium | 14 g | 1× | 1.87 g | 86.67% |
| Chipotle (smoke-dried Jalapeño) | 2,500–8,000 SHU | Medium | 4 g | 0.6× | 0.53 g | 86.67% |
| Serrano | 10,000–25,000 SHU | Medium | 8 g | 0.2× | 1.07 g | 86.67% |
| Cayenne | 30,000–50,000 SHU | Hot | 5 g | 0.1× | 0.67 g | 86.67% |
| Thai Chili (Bird's Eye) | 50,000–100,000 SHU | Very hot | 2 g | 0.1× | 0.27 g | 86.67% |
| Habanero | 100,000–350,000 SHU | Very hot | 9 g | 0× | 1.2 g | 86.67% |
| Scotch Bonnet | 100,000–350,000 SHU | Very hot | 8 g | 0× | 1.07 g | 86.67% |
| Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia) | 800,000–1,050,000 SHU | Extreme | 6 g | 0× | 0.8 g | 86.67% |
| Carolina Reaper | 1,400,000–2,200,000 SHU | Extreme | 8 g | 0× | 1.07 g | 86.67% |
Heat class and Scoville-equivalent columns are computed live from the same heatBand() and substituteQuantity() functions behind the Scoville blend and chili substitution calculators; dried weight comes from the same formula behind the pepper drying calculator. Nothing in this table is a separate, hand-typed copy of those numbers.
How to read this table
The Scoville range is the commonly cited low-high spread for each variety; the calculators elsewhere on this site use a single midpoint drawn from that range to keep their arithmetic simple, and this table shows both so neither view is hidden. The heat class sorts that midpoint into the same six plain-language bands the Scoville blend calculator reports — mild, medium, hot, very hot, and extreme — for a quick sense of scale without reading raw numbers.
The equivalent to 1 jalapeño column answers a specific, common question directly: if a recipe calls for one jalapeñoand you want to swap in a different pepper at roughly the same total heat, this is how many of that pepper to use. A serrano’s value under 1 means fewer serranos are needed than jalapeños; a pepperoncini’s value well over 1 means a lot more pepperoncini would be needed — itself a sign that pepperoncini is a poor heat-match substitute for a jalapeño, even though the arithmetic still produces an answer.
The dried weight and weight lost columns show what one average fresh pepper of that variety yields once dried down to a shelf-stable moisture level, assuming the same representative 88%-to-10% moisture swing used elsewhere on this site. Multiply by however many peppers you’re actually drying to estimate a full batch’s yield, or use the pepper drying calculator directly for a batch weight and a different moisture assumption.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does this table show a Scoville range instead of one number per pepper?
A single SHU figure hides real variation — the same pepper variety can land anywhere across a fairly wide band depending on the plant, ripeness, and growing conditions. This table shows the commonly cited low-high range alongside the midpoint that this site's calculators use internally, so a range is available for anyone who wants it without giving up the single reference number the arithmetic needs.
How is the "equivalent to 1 jalapeño" column calculated?
It's the same ratio the chili substitution calculator uses: how much of a given pepper it takes to match one jalapeño's heat, computed as the jalapeño's SHU divided by that pepper's SHU. A number under 1 means the pepper is hotter than a jalapeño (less of it is needed); a number over 1 means it's milder (more is needed). Bell pepper has no value here because it carries 0 SHU — there's no finite amount of a pepper with no heat that can match any amount of heat.
Why is the dried weight the same percentage loss for every pepper?
The dried weight and weight-loss columns are computed by running each pepper's own average fresh weight through the same drying-yield formula the pepper drying calculator uses, assuming a representative 88% fresh moisture drying down to a shelf-stable 10% — the calculator's own defaults. Because every row uses the same assumed moisture swing, the percentage lost comes out identical across the board; what differs is the absolute weight, which scales with how much each pepper weighs fresh. Peppers that actually start drier or wetter than this assumption will yield somewhat more or less than shown.
Are these numbers exact?
No — every figure here is a widely cited, practical starting point, not a lab measurement of a specific pod. Scoville figures vary with growing conditions and ripeness, and average pepper weights vary by size and variety within a type. Treat this table the way you'd treat any of this site's calculators: a solid estimate to plan from and adjust by taste.
Educational estimates based on commonly cited representative ranges. Real pepper heat and weight vary with the plant, ripeness, and growing conditions — this is not a substitute for lab pungency testing.
Use it with
- Scoville Blend Calculator— weight-average two or more of these peppers into a blend’s estimated SHU.
- Chili Substitution Calculator — run the same substitution math as the table above for any quantity and any two peppers.
- Pepper Drying Weight Calculator — get a dried-yield estimate for a real batch weight instead of a single average pepper.
- Ten Chili Peppers Every Home Cook Should Know — flavor profiles and culinary notes for the peppers in this table.
- Substituting One Chili for Another at Equal Heat — worked examples using this same substitution math.