How spicy is Buldak? Find your rung on the Korean ramen ladder
ExampleBuldak OK → Haek Buldak (8,706) is 6 rungs up
Buldak (original) 4,404 SHU · rung 3 of 10 · Samyang, announced 2017
Teumsae Ramyun Ppalgyetteok 10,000 SHU틈새라면 빨계떡
From the launch report
Source: Smart Today
2014: 8,557 SHU (Kyungbuk Maeil (Yonhap))
Note: 2026 Paldo announcement report: 10,000 SHU. In 2014 it was 8,557 (Paldo announcement). Why it changed could not be confirmed
Teumsae Ramyun Spicy Kimchi 10,000 SHU틈새라면 매운김치
From the launch report
Source: Smart Today
Note: Existing-lineup figure in the Paldo announcement report
Rungs show rank only. The gaps are not to scale.
Haek Buldak (Nuclear) (2017) 8,706 SHU핵불닭볶음면
Number attributed to the maker in the report
Source: iNews24
Note: Samyang’s own measurement at the 2017 launch: 8,706. Later figures for re-released versions (10,000, 12,000 and so on) come from unattributed reports, so they are not used
Rungs show rank only. The gaps are not to scale.
Teumsae Ramyun Meat Jjamppong 8,200 SHU틈새라면 고기짬뽕
From the launch report
Source: Smart Today
Note: Existing-lineup figure in the Paldo announcement report
Rungs show rank only. The gaps are not to scale.
Shin Ramyun The Red 7,500 SHU신라면 더 레드
From the launch report
Source: The Asia Business Daily
Note: Launch report: during development they tested 6,000–10,000 SHU and settled on 7,500 SHU
The Hot Yeul Ramen 7,500 SHU더핫 열라면
From the launch report
Source: BizWatch (via Daum)
Note: Ottogi launch report: 7,500 SHU, 1.5× the original Yeul Ramen (5,013 SHU)
Rungs show rank only. The gaps are not to scale.
Ramen no Mapssody 6,000 SHU라면의 맵쏘디
Number attributed to the maker in the report
Source: Social Times
Note: According to Ottogi, Ramen no Mapssody is … 6,000 SHU (sold on Coupang)
Rungs show rank only. The gaps are not to scale.
Yeul Ramen 5,013 SHU열라면
Number attributed to the maker in the report
Source: Social Times
Note: According to Ottogi … Yeul Ramen (5,013 SHU)
Rungs show rank only. The gaps are not to scale.
Teumsae Ramyun Starter 5,000 SHU틈새라면 입문용
From the launch report
Source: Smart Today
Note: Announced as a new product due in February 2026; whether it launched is not confirmed
Rungs show rank only. The gaps are not to scale.
Buldak (original) (2017) 4,404 SHU불닭볶음면
Number attributed to the maker in the report
Source: iNews24
Note: Samyang’s own measurement: Buldak 4,404 (also cited as 4,404 SHU in a 2025 Ottogi announcement)
Rungs show rank only. The gaps are not to scale.
Shin Ramyun 3,400 SHU신라면
Number attributed to the maker in the report
Source: SBS News
Note: Nongshim staff: “It is true that Shin Ramyun is currently 3,400 SHU, but…”
Rungs show rank only. The gaps are not to scale.
Jin Ramen Spicy 3,000 SHU진라면 매운맛
Number attributed to the maker in the report
Source: SBS News
Note: Ottogi staff: Jin Ramen Spicy was raised from 2,000 to 3,000 SHU
Rungs show rank only. The gaps are not to scale.
Milder toward the bottom
This is not spiciness.
These are the makers' own numbers, and each company measures its own way.
Not a dare. Go easy on very spicy food if it doesn't agree with you.
How to read the ladder, and sources
Tiers A and B, the Ppalgyetteok number, Cheongyang chili, source table
How to read the ladder
Twelve ramen whose makers published a Scoville rating stand on the ladder in order. Milder at the bottom, hotter at the top. Ramen with the same number share a rung, so twelve ramen make 10 rungs.
The rungs show rank, not scale. Yeul (5,013) and Teumsae Starter (5,000) are almost equal yet sit one rung apart.
Pick the spiciest thing you've eaten: a pin goes into that rung and one line tells you how far Haek Buldak is. At or above Haek Buldak, it tells you how far the top rung is. Tabasco, published as a range, shows as a strap across several rungs.
Tiers A and B
Korean ramen makers don't list Scoville numbers on their websites, so every number here was checked in press reports of the makers' announcements. No government measurement of ramen exists that we could find.
A means the report attributes the number to the maker ("by our own measurement", "according to the company"). B means the number appears in a report of the maker's launch announcement. Both are ranked; B rungs say "From the launch report" in their ⓘ. Numbers nobody claims are marked "No official number" and aren't ranked.
Haek Buldak and Ppalgyetteok years
Haek Buldak's 8,706 SHU is Samyang's 2017 launch figure; no newer official number was found, so the year is shown.
Paldo gave Teumsae Ppalgyetteok 8,557 SHU in 2014 and 10,000 SHU in a 2026 report. The ladder uses the newer number and keeps the 2014 one in the ⓘ. Why it changed is not known.
Not covered
Prices, calories and health information aren't covered. Ramen without a published number, including most mild ones, aren't listed. New announcements are added after checking the source; the numbers are re-checked every quarter.
Questions
- What is a Scoville rating (SHU)?
A measure of how much of the hot compounds in chili (capsaicinoids) something contains. Higher means hotter. The numbers on this ladder are the ones the ramen makers measured and announced themselves, not lab tests by plusbeauxjours.
- What is the spiciest Korean ramen?
On this ladder, Teumsae Ppalgyetteok and Teumsae Spicy Kimchi (10,000 SHU, announced by Paldo in 2026) share the top rung. Only ramen with an official number are listed, so a hotter one without a published number may exist.
- How much spicier is Buldak than Shin Ramyun?
Buldak 4,404 ÷ Shin 3,400 ≈ 1.3 times. The two numbers come from different companies in different years, so the difference you taste may not match.
- Why isn't Cheongyang chili on the ladder?
Korea's Rural Development Administration gives 33,000–37,000 SHU, measured on dried chili. A finished bowl of ramen is measured differently, so the chili sits beside the ladder instead.
- Why do Angry Neoguri and Yupdduk have no number?
Articles print a number for Angry Neoguri, but none attribute it to Nongshim. No official number was found for Yupdduk. Numbers without a source don't go on the ladder.
- What about Buldak 2x and 3x Spicy?
No official announcement was found, so they aren't listed. They'll be added when the maker publishes a number.
- Does the same number mean the same heat?
No. Each company measures in its own way, so two equal numbers can taste different. This is not spiciness; it is the number the maker announced.
Sources
| Outlet | Date | Numbers checked |
|---|---|---|
| SBS News | Jin Spicy · Shin (Ottogi and Nongshim staff) | |
| iNews24 | Buldak · Haek Buldak (Samyang's own measurement) | |
| Social Times | Yeul · Mapssody (according to Ottogi) | |
| The Asia Business Daily | Shin The Red (launch announcement report) | |
| BizWatch (via Daum) | The Hot Yeul (launch announcement report) | |
| Smart Today | Teumsae Starter · Jjamppong · Ppalgyetteok · Kimchi (Paldo announcement) | |
| Kyungbuk Maeil (Yonhap) | Teumsae Ppalgyetteok, 2014 figure (Paldo) | |
| BizWatch | Prints an Angry Neoguri number, not attributed to Nongshim → no official number | |
| McIlhenny official product page | TABASCO Original Red | |
| Encyclopedia of Korean Culture | Cheongyang chili (dry weight) |
Numbers checked
Illustrations: AI-generated (Gemini), edited by plusbeauxjours