What is the typical Scoville heat range of a jalapeño pepper?

A typical jalapeño pepper measures about 2,500 to 8,000 Scoville heat units (SHU). That places it in the mild-to-moderately hot range: noticeably spicy, but far below peppers such as the habanero or Carolina Reaper.

The jalapeño is a cultivar of Capsicum annuum associated with Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, from which its name is derived. It is commonly harvested green, though mature jalapeños turn red. When a ripe jalapeño is smoked and dried, it is called a chipotle, an important ingredient in Mexican and Tex-Mex cooking.

Scoville values are ranges rather than guarantees. Heat varies with cultivar, growing conditions, maturity, and other factors, so individual peppers can fall outside the typical range. The pungency comes mainly from capsaicinoids concentrated in the inner ribs and membranes, not simply from the seeds themselves. Removing those tissues usually reduces the perceived heat.