Convert Central Time to Eastern Time without the guesswork. Add one hour. Get the right time, instantly.
9:00 AM CST = 10:00 AM EST · EST is 1 hour ahead
CST (UTC-6) → EST (UTC-5) · Fixed standard-time conversion
Central · UTC-6 Eastern · UTC-5The time difference
Eastern Standard Time (EST) is one hour ahead of Central Standard Time (CST). The CST to EST time difference is exactly one hour, so to convert CST to EST, simply add one hour to your Central time.
If your CST time is 11:00 PM or later, the EST result falls on the next day. For example, 11:30 PM CST becomes 12:30 AM EST the following day.
Live clocks using fixed standard-time offsets.
Current time in CST
12:24:45 PM
Tue, Oct 6
Central Standard Time · UTC-6
Current time in EST
1:24:45 PM
Tue, Oct 6
Eastern Standard Time · UTC-5
Full day reference
Every hour of the day, Central Standard Time converted to Eastern Standard Time.
| CST (Central) | EST (Eastern) |
|---|---|
| 12:00 AM CST | 1:00 AM EST |
| 1:00 AM CST | 2:00 AM EST |
| 2:00 AM CST | 3:00 AM EST |
| 3:00 AM CST | 4:00 AM EST |
| 4:00 AM CST | 5:00 AM EST |
| 5:00 AM CST | 6:00 AM EST |
| 6:00 AM CST | 7:00 AM EST |
| 7:00 AM CST | 8:00 AM EST |
| 8:00 AM CST | 9:00 AM EST |
| 9:00 AM CST | 10:00 AM EST |
| 10:00 AM CST | 11:00 AM EST |
| 11:00 AM CST | 12:00 PM EST |
| CST (Central) | EST (Eastern) |
|---|---|
| 12:00 PM CST | 1:00 PM EST |
| 1:00 PM CST | 2:00 PM EST |
| 2:00 PM CST | 3:00 PM EST |
| 3:00 PM CST | 4:00 PM EST |
| 4:00 PM CST | 5:00 PM EST |
| 5:00 PM CST | 6:00 PM EST |
| 6:00 PM CST | 7:00 PM EST |
| 7:00 PM CST | 8:00 PM EST |
| 8:00 PM CST | 9:00 PM EST |
| 9:00 PM CST | 10:00 PM EST |
| 10:00 PM CST | 11:00 PM EST |
| 11:00 PM CST | 12:00 AM EST · next day |
Central Standard Time (CST) is the standard-time form of US Central Time. CST means UTC-6 and is used from early November to mid-March in places that observe daylight saving. The offset of CST is six hours behind UTC, and in summer those places switch to CDT (UTC-5).
Eastern Standard Time (EST) is the standard-time form of US Eastern Time. EST means UTC-5 and is used from early November to mid-March in places that observe daylight saving. The offset of EST is five hours behind UTC, and in summer those places switch to EDT (UTC-4).
Know the abbreviations
Four abbreviations cause most Central-to-Eastern mix-ups. The standard-time pair (CST and EST) is always one hour apart, which is the conversion this tool calculates.
| Code | Name | UTC offset | Used |
|---|---|---|---|
| CST | Central Standard Time | UTC-6 | Winter in Central Time; all year in Saskatchewan and most of Mexico |
| CDT | Central Daylight Time | UTC-5 | Summer in Central Time |
| EST | Eastern Standard Time | UTC-5 | Winter in Eastern Time; all year in Panama and Jamaica |
| EDT | Eastern Daylight Time | UTC-4 | Summer in Eastern Time |
| Pair | Difference | Example |
|---|---|---|
| CST → EST | EST is 1 hour ahead | 9:00 AM CST = 10:00 AM EST |
| CDT → EDT | EDT is 1 hour ahead | 9:00 AM CDT = 10:00 AM EDT |
| CST → EDT | EDT is 2 hours ahead | 9:00 AM CST = 11:00 AM EDT |
| CDT → EST | Same time | 9:00 AM CDT = 9:00 AM EST |
The converter above calculates the CST → EST row, and the reverse EST → CST direction.
Most Central and Eastern locations switch to CDT and EDT in summer. Some places never do, so for them a fixed CST to EST conversion is accurate in every month.
Saskatchewan in Canada, most of Mexico including Mexico City, and Central American countries such as Guatemala, Costa Rica and Honduras.
Panama, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Cancún in Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Because EST is one hour ahead of CST, the same one-hour shift answers most scheduling questions between the two zones.
9:00 AM to 4:00 PM CST equals 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST, the window where both sides are inside a normal 9-to-5 day.
The New York market opens at 9:30 AM Eastern, which is 8:30 AM Central, and closes at 4:00 PM Eastern, which is 3:00 PM Central. The gap stays one hour in summer too.
An 8:00 PM Eastern broadcast airs at 7:00 PM Central. Subtract one hour when converting Eastern times to Central.
Enter the time in Central Standard Time.
Add one hour - minutes stay the same.
If the result passes midnight, move to the next day.
This converter uses fixed CST (UTC-6) and EST (UTC-5) offsets. During daylight saving time, many US locations use CDT (UTC-5) and EDT (UTC-4) instead. Central and Eastern locations following the same seasonal rules generally remain one hour apart, but CST to EDT is a two-hour difference. For a dated meeting, confirm the local time zone and daylight saving rules.
Good to know
Add one hour to the CST time. For example, 2:00 PM CST is 3:00 PM EST. Minutes stay the same.
Enter a Central Standard Time, and the converter adds one hour to show the Eastern Standard Time result instantly. You can also pick a quick time, tap an hour in the grid, or press Now. A next-day marker appears when the result passes midnight, and everything is calculated in your browser.
Yes. Press the swap button between the two time boxes to reverse the direction. The converter then subtracts one hour, so 10:00 AM EST becomes 9:00 AM CST.
Yes. It is free to use, needs no account, and nothing is downloaded or installed.
EST is one hour ahead of CST. CST has a UTC offset of -6 hours, while EST has an offset of -5 hours.
9:00 AM CST is 10:00 AM EST on the same day.
5:00 PM CST is 6:00 PM EST on the same day.
The EST result falls on the next day. For example, 11:30 PM CST is 12:30 AM EST the following day.
No. It converts fixed Central Standard Time to fixed Eastern Standard Time. It does not interpret a date or automatically switch to CDT or EDT.
CST is Central Standard Time at UTC-6, used in winter. CDT is Central Daylight Time at UTC-5, used in summer by places that observe daylight saving.
EST is Eastern Standard Time at UTC-5, used in winter. EDT is Eastern Daylight Time at UTC-4, used in summer by places that observe daylight saving.
Yes. CST (UTC-6) is two hours behind EDT (UTC-4). CDT to EDT, and CST to EST, are each one hour.
No. Central and Eastern Time change their clocks on the same dates, so the gap stays one hour all year. Only a mixed pair such as CST with EDT, or CDT with EST, gives a different gap.
Examples of US cities in the Central time zone include Chicago and Dallas; New York and Miami are in the Eastern time zone. These cities normally observe daylight saving time, so their seasonal abbreviations change.
Saskatchewan in Canada, most of Mexico including Mexico City, and Central American countries such as Guatemala, Costa Rica and Honduras stay on UTC-6 all year. For these places, fixed CST is correct in every month.
Panama, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Cancún in Quintana Roo, Mexico stay on UTC-5 all year. For these places, fixed EST is correct in every month.
No. Central Time (CT) is the name of the whole zone, covering CST in winter and CDT in summer. CST refers only to the standard-time half, UTC-6. The same applies to ET and EST.
9:00 AM to 4:00 PM CST, which is 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST, lets both people work inside a normal 9-to-5 day. Anything later than 4:00 PM CST falls after 5:00 PM EST.
9:30 AM Eastern is 8:30 AM Central, and the 4:00 PM Eastern close is 3:00 PM Central. The one-hour gap holds all year because both zones change their clocks together.
An 8:00 PM EST show airs at 7:00 PM CST. Subtract one hour when converting Eastern times to Central.