Hot Sauce Scoville Scale

Everything Spicy / By

When it comes to different types of hot sauce, you will want to get well acquainted with the Hot Sauce Scoville scale. This is your guide to how hot a hot sauce is. What Is Hot Sauce?

Contents show

Hot sauce is made using chili peppers. These chili peppers vary significantly in their heat levels. While some are more subdued and will provide a small kick, others will be eye wateringly hot, and even painful to consume. While you may be able to handle the heat, if you unwittingly dab wings in a sauce at the top of The Hot Sauce Scoville Scale, you may instantly regret this decision. 

Why Is The Hot Sauce Scoville Scale Important?

The Hot Sauce Scoville Scale is important. Given this, it is useful to have a better idea of this scale, and how it is relevant to the hot sauces you try. This scale will allow you to gauge the type of heat you can handle, and it helps you to figure out your hot sauce preferences.

When looking at the Hot Sauce Scoville Scale, it measures a sauce by how strong it is, and also the amount of capsaicin. This then translates into how hot the sauce is in Scoville Heat Units. You may often see this abbreviated to SHU. 

The higher, the number of SHU, the spicier and hotter the sauce will be. If you are purchasing a hot sauce, it can be easy to get carried away by the flavors, and the packaging, especially if it sounds tasty. 

By looking at the scale in more depth, you will be able to find the sauce you are considering purchasing and work out whether you will be able to handle the heat. Even if you can handle the heat, some sauces are only intended to be used in small portions, whereas others can be used liberally.

Different Strengths Of Hot Sauce

Following on from the different types of hot sauce, before we jump into the Hot Sauce Scoville Scale, let’s have a look at some different types of hot sauce, and their SHY levels. Tabasco is a type of hot sauce that the vast majority of people have heard of. While it does provide a kick to wings and other recipes, some of their sauces are not too overpowering. It can be used fairly liberally without too many issues. 

This is because it is fairly low on the Hot Sauce Scoville Scale. Both the Sweet and Spicy Pepper, and the Raspberry Chipotle Sauce are 300 SHU. This is a heat that the majority of people would be okay with. At the top of the scale, we have Blair’s Halloween Reserve 2005.

This comes in at a whopping 16,000,000 SHU! This hot sauce is not for the faint hearted, and we certainly would not recommend using too much of it on hot wings. It is one of the hottest sauces you can purchase!

Here is the Hot Sauce Scoville Scale:

Scoville Heat Units
Scoville Level
Hot Sauce
Producer
16,000,000 SHU
10+++
Blair's 16 Million Reserve (Pure Capsaicin crystals)
Blair's Sauces and Snacks
16,000,000 SHU
10+++
Blair's 6 A.M. (Pure Capsaicin crystals)
Blair's Sauces and Snacks
16,000,000 SHU
10+++
Blair’s Halloween Reserve 2009 (Extract)
Blair's Sauces and Snacks
14,725,000 SHU
10+++
Blair's Holiday Reserve 2005 (Extract)
Blair's Sauces and Snacks
14,200,000 SHU
10+++
Meaty Vegan’s Experiment 1064 (Extract)
Meaty Vegan
14,100,000 SHU
10+++
Blair's Holiday Reserve 2004 (Extract)
Blair's Sauces and Snacks
14,000,000 SHU
10+++
Blair's Holiday Reserve 2006 (Extract)
Blair's Sauces and Snacks
13,500,000 SHU
10+++
Blair's Halloween Reserve 2006 (Extract)
Blair's Sauces and Snacks
10,000,000 SHU
10+++
Blair’s Caldera Hot Sauce Top (Extract)
Blair's Sauces and Snacks
9,600,000 SHU
10+++
Texas Creek
9,000,000 SHU
10+++
Ashley Food Company
7,100,000 SHU
10+++
Spicin Foods (Original Juan)
6,000,000 SHU
10+++
Bumblefoot’s Bumblef**kd
Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal (Distributed by CaJohns Fiery Foods Co.)
6,000,000 SHU
10+++
Crazy Uncle Jester’s - The Jester
Crazy Uncle Jester's Inferno World
6,000,000 SHU
10+++
CaJohns Fiery Foods Co.
6,000,000 SHU
10+++
Ashley Food Company
6,000,000 SHU
10+++
Ashley Food Company
5,500,000 SHU
10+++
Blair's 5 A.M.
Blair's Sauces and Snacks
5,000,000 SHU
10+++
Blair’s Caldera Hot Sauce Middle
Blair's Sauces and Snacks
4,000,000 SHU
10+++
Blair's 4 A.M.
Blair's Sauces and Snacks
4,000,000 SHU
10+++
CaJohns Magma 4 Hot Sauce
CaJohns Fiery Foods Co.
4,000,000 SHU
10+++
CaJohns Fiery Foods Co.
4,000,000 SHU
10+++
Ashley Food Company
3,500,000 SHU
10+++
Pepper Palace - The Hottest Sauce in the Universe
3,000,000 SHU
10+++
CaJohns Fiery Foods Co.
3,000,000 SHU
10+++
2,500,000 SHU
10+++
CaJohns Fiery Foods Co.
2,000,000 SHU
10+++
Blair's Sauces and Snacks
2,000,000 SHU
10+++
CaJohns Fiery Foods Co.
2,000,000 SHU
10+++
CaJohns Fiery Foods Co.
2,000,000 SHU
10+++
Demon Ichor
2,000,000 SHU
10+++
Heatonist
2,000,000 SHU
10+++
Ashley Food Company
1,560,000 SHU
10+++
1,500,000 SHU
10+++
Spicin Foods (Original Juan)
1,500,000 SHU
10+++
Pyro Diablo
1,500,000 SHU
10+++
Smack My Ass and Call Me Sally – Chet’s Gone Mad
1,400,000 SHU
10++
Blair’s Le Million Reserve
Blair's Sauces and Snacks
1,200,000 SHU
10+
Crazy Uncle Jester’s Spontaneous Combustion
Crazy Uncle Jester's Inferno World
1,200,000 SHU
10+
1,100,000 SHU
10+
Crazy Uncle Jester’s Select Reserve
Crazy Uncle Jester's Inferno World
1,000,000 SHU
10+
Blair’s Caldera Hot Sauce Bottom
Blair's Sauces and Snacks
1,000,000 SHU
10+
CaJohns Magma Hot Sauce
CaJohns Fiery Foods Co.
1,000,000 SHU
10+
First We Feast and 88Rising
1,000,000 SHU
10+
Cool Million – One Million Scoville Units
1,000,000 SHU
10+
1,000,000 SHU
10+
Gold Cap
1,000,000 SHU
10+
Hell’s Inferno Naga Bhut Jolokia Sauce
1,000,000 SHU
10+
Ashley Food Company
1,000,000 SHU
10+
Ashley Food Company
1,000,000 SHU
10+
Ashley Food Company
1,000,000 SHU
10+
Pepper Palace - The Hottest Sauce in the World
800,000 SHU
10
Blair's Sauces and Snacks
800,000 SHU
10
750,000 SHU
10
Blair’s 2 A.M.
Blair's Sauces and Snacks
750,000 SHU
10
Blair’s Jersey Death Sauce
Blair's Sauces and Snacks
750,000 SHU
10
Ashley Food Company
750,000 SHU
10
Habanera 750
750,000 SHU
10
Unbearable
700,000 SHU
10
669,000 SHU
10
Burn After Eating Hot Sauce
Karma Sauce
690,000 SHU
10
Puckerbutt Chocolate Plague Hot Sauce
650,000 SHU
10
Dave's Gourmet
600,000 SHU
10
Ashley Food Company
600,000 SHU
10
600,000 SHU
10
577,000 SHU
10
Melinda's
550,000 SHU
10
Blair's Sauces and Snacks
500,000 SHU
10
500,000 SHU
10
Dave’s Private Reserve Insanity Hot Sauce
500,000 SHU
10
500,000 SHU
10
Quaker Steak and Lube Triple Atomic Sauce
Quaker Steak and Lube
357,000 SHU
10
Ashley Food Company
305,500 SHU
10
Danny Cash’s Jolokial Havoc
300,000 SHU
10
283,000 SHU
10
Blair’s Possible Side Effects Hot Sauce
Blair's Sauces and Snacks
250,000 SHU
10
100,000 - 250,000 SHU
10
234,500 SHU
9
234,000 SHU
9
Spicin Foods (Original Juan)
225,000 SHU
9
Not Cool Chocolate Habanero
180,000 SHU
9
175,000 SHU
9
Predator Great White Shark
162,300 SHU
9
Habanero Punch T.K.O. Hot Sauce
150,000 SHU
9
Ashley Food Company
150,000 SHU
9
Ashley Food Company
150,000 SHU
9
Ashley Food Company
150,000 SHU
9
Quaker Steak and Lube Atomic Wing Sauce
Quaker Steak and Lube
135,000 SHU
9
Spicin Foods (Original Juan)
134,000 SHU
9
125,000 SHU
9
Crazy Jerry’s Mustard Gas Hot Sauce
Crazy Jerry’s
116,000 SHU
9
Aka Miso Ghost-Reaper Hot Sauce
Bravado Spice Company
116,000 SHU
9
105,000 SHU
9
Blair's Sauces and Snacks
104,000 SHU
9
100,000 SHU
9
Dead Heat Limited Edition Hot Sauce
100,000 SHU
9
Ashley Food Company
100,000 SHU
9
Ashley Food Company
99,760 SHU
8
Blair's Sauces and Snacks
90,000 SHU
8
Ashley Food Company
90,000 SHU
8
80,000 SHU
8
77,000 SHU
8
Adoboloco Fiya! Fiya! Hot Sauce
66,000 SHU
8
67,582 SHU
8
TorchBearer #42 Slaughter Sauce
57,000 SHU
7
Dave's Gourmet
52,000 SHU
7
Torchbearer Headless Horseradish Hot Sauce
50,000 SHU
7
Blair’s After Death Hot Sauce with Chipotle
Blair's Sauces and Snacks
50,000 SHU
7
McIlhenny
49,250 SHU
7
Blair's Sauces and Snacks
45,000 SHU
7
44,100 SHU
7
Spicin Foods (Original Juan)
42,000 SHU
7
Dead Heat Hot Sauce
40,600 SHU
7
Spicin Foods (Original Juan)
40,000 SHU
7
Spicin Foods (Original Juan)
38,202 SHU
7
TorchBearer #37 Tarnation Sauce
36,000 SHU
7
Hot Ones - Los Calientes Hot Sauce
35,000 SHU
7
Blair's Sauces and Snacks
33,390 SHU
7
33,390 SHU
7
Endorphin Rush Hot Sauce
30,000 SHU
6
Blair's Sauces and Snacks
30,000 SHU
6
29,800 SHU
6
Lucky Dog - Year of The Dog Thai Chile Pineapple Hot Sauce
30,000 SHU
6
Quaker Steak and Lube SuperCharged Wing Sauce
Quaker Steak and Lube
25,000 SHU
6
21,540 SHU
6
Naga Sabi Bomb Hot Sauce
20,000 SHU
6
Blair's Sauces and Snacks
20,000 SHU
6
15,100 SHU
6
Spicin Foods (Original Juan)
14,000 SHU
5
Big Daddy Jake’s Texas Pit Smoked Hot Sauce
14,000 SHU
5
12,200 SHU
5
Heartbeat Pineapple Habanero Hot Sauce
11,700 SHU
5
Quaker Steak and Lube Dusted Ghost Pepper
Quaker Steak and Lube
11,600 SHU
5
El Yucateco
11,000 SHU
5
10,950 SHU
5
Spicin Foods (Original Juan)
10,100 SHU
5
Shaquanda's Hot Pepper Sauce
10,000 SHU
5
Fire and Spice
Spicin Foods (Original Juan)
9,450 SHU
5
9,410 SHU
5
Spicin Foods (Original Juan)
8,910 SHU
5
El Yucateco
8,560 SHU
5
Spicin Foods (Original Juan)
8,000 SHU
5
Flying Goose
8,000 SHU
5
McIlhenny
6,240 SHU
5
Crazy Mother Pucker’s Liquid Lava Sauce
6,000 SHU
5
5,800 SHU
5
El Yucateco
5,400 SHU
5
El Yucateco
5,000 SHU
5
Quaker Steak and Lube
4,000 SHU
4
3,880 SHU
4
Spicin Foods (Original Juan)
3,870 SHU
4
Quaker Steak and Lube Cajun Sauce
Quaker Steak and Lube
3,600 SHU
4
3,400 SHU
4
El Yucateco
3,300 SHU
4
Flying Goose
3,000 SHU
3
3,000 SHU
3
Flying Goose Sriracha Lemongrass Sauce
Flying Goose
3,000 SHU
3
Flying Goose Sriracha Onion Sauce
Flying Goose
3,000 SHU
3
3,000 SHU
3
Quaker Steak and Lube Hot Sauce
Quaker Steak and Lube
2,800 SHU
3
2,750 SHU
3
The Lube's Sriracha
Quaker Steak and Lube
2,550 SHU
3
Dusted Mango Habanero
Quaker Steak and Lube
2,500 SHU
3
2,500 SHU
3
McIlhenny
2,200 SHU
3
2,200 SHU
3
Trappey’s INDI-PEP Pepper Sauce
2,200 SHU
3
2,100 SHU
3
2,050 SHU
3
Quaker Steak and Lube
2,030 SHU
3
Quaker Steak and Lube
2,000 SHU
2
2,000 SHU
2
McIlhenny
2,000 SHU
2
McIlhenny
2,000 SHU
2
Trappey’s Chef Magic Jalapeno Sauce
1,935 SHU
2
Quaker Steak and Lube Haute Parm
Quaker Steak and Lube
1,850 SHU
2
Quaker Steak and Lube
1,800 SHU
2
Hot Ones - The Classic Hot Sauce
1,600 SHU
2
McIlhenny
1,600 SHU
2
1,500 SHU
2
Quaker Steak and Lube Dusted Salt & Vinegar
Quaker Steak and Lube
1,440 SHU
2
Quaker Steak and Lube
1,400 SHU
2
Thaisian
Quaker Steak and Lube
1,400 SHU
2
1,400 SHU
2
1,250 SHU
2
El Yucateco
1,250 SHU
2
Quaker Steak and Lube
1,220 SHU
2
Quaker Steak and Lube
1,1180 SHU
2
Spicin Foods (Original Juan)
1,130 SHU
2
Boom Boom
Quaker Steak and Lube
1,000 SHU
1
1,000 SHU
1
1,000 SHU
1
McIlhenny
1,000 SHU
1
930 SHU
1
Asian Sesame
Quaker Steak and Lube
900 SHU
1
900 SHU
1
Dusted Chipotle BBQ
Quaker Steak and Lube
870 SHU
1
Parmesan Pepper Sauce
Quaker Steak and Lube
900 SHU
1
851 SHU
1
Spicin Foods (Original Juan)
800 SHU
1
Taco Bell Lava Sauce
750 SHU
1
725 SHU
1
700 SHU
1
600 SHU
1
600 SHU
1
McIlhenny
450 SHU
1
450 SHU
1
425 SHU
1
300 SHU
1
McIlhenny
300 SHU
1
McIlhenny
110 SHU
1
Quaker Steak and Lube Kentucky Bourbon
Quaker Steak and Lube
100 SHU
1
Dusted Tex Mex Ranch
Quaker Steak and Lube
90 SHU
1
Quaker Steak and Lube

Related Posts: