CST to EST converter
Eastern Time is 1 hour ahead of Central Time all year. Type any time below, or pick another place.
Central Time (US) to Eastern Time (US), hour by hour (Nov 13, 2026)
| Central Time (US) CST | Eastern Time (US) EST |
|---|---|
| 12:00 AM | 1:00 AM |
| 1:00 AM | 2:00 AM |
| 2:00 AM | 3:00 AM |
| 3:00 AM | 4:00 AM |
| 4:00 AM | 5:00 AM |
| 5:00 AM | 6:00 AM |
| 6:00 AM | 7:00 AM |
| 7:00 AM | 8:00 AM |
| 8:00 AM | 9:00 AM |
| 9:00 AM | 10:00 AM |
| 10:00 AM | 11:00 AM |
| 11:00 AM | 12:00 PM |
| 12:00 PM | 1:00 PM |
| 1:00 PM | 2:00 PM |
| 2:00 PM | 3:00 PM |
| 3:00 PM | 4:00 PM |
| 4:00 PM | 5:00 PM |
| 5:00 PM | 6:00 PM |
| 6:00 PM | 7:00 PM |
| 7:00 PM | 8:00 PM |
| 8:00 PM | 9:00 PM |
| 9:00 PM | 10:00 PM |
| 10:00 PM | 11:00 PM |
| 11:00 PM | 12:00 AMSat |
Shaded rows: 9 AM to 5 PM in both places. A weekday is shown next to times that fall on a different day. The table follows the date picked above.
When daylight saving changes the gap
2026
Eastern Time (US) is 1 hour ahead of Central Time (US) all year.
Central Time (US) moves its clocks forward on March 8 (2:00 AM becomes 3:00 AM) and back on November 1 (2:00 AM becomes 1:00 AM). Eastern Time (US) moves its clocks forward on March 8 (2:00 AM becomes 3:00 AM) and back on November 1 (2:00 AM becomes 1:00 AM).
Both switch at 2:00 AM local time, which is a different moment in each zone, so for about an hour on March 8 and November 1 the gap is briefly different.
2027
Eastern Time (US) is 1 hour ahead of Central Time (US) all year.
Central Time (US) moves its clocks forward on March 14 (2:00 AM becomes 3:00 AM) and back on November 7 (2:00 AM becomes 1:00 AM). Eastern Time (US) moves its clocks forward on March 14 (2:00 AM becomes 3:00 AM) and back on November 7 (2:00 AM becomes 1:00 AM).
Both switch at 2:00 AM local time, which is a different moment in each zone, so for about an hour on March 14 and November 7 the gap is briefly different.
What CST and EST mean here
Here CST means US Central Time: Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis, New Orleans and Winnipeg. That's CST (UTC−6) in winter and CDT (UTC−5) from March 8 to November 1, 2026. CST is also the abbreviation for China Standard Time (UTC+8) and Cuba Standard Time; for China, search for Beijing or "China Standard Time" in the converter.
EST (Eastern Standard Time, UTC−5) is the winter time in New York, Washington, Atlanta, Miami and Toronto. From March 8 to November 1, 2026 those places use EDT (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC−4) instead. Most people who write "EST" mean "Eastern Time, whatever the clocks say today", so this converter follows the clocks in New York and switches between EST and EDT on the right days.
This page also answers: central to eastern time, cdt to est.
Questions
What is the time difference between CST and EST?
Eastern Time is 1 hour ahead of Central Time all year.
What is 9 AM CST in EST?
9:00 AM CST is 10:00 AM EST, noon CST is 1:00 PM EST, and 5:00 PM CST is 6:00 PM EST.
When do working hours overlap?
7 hours of a 9-to-5 day overlap: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM in Central Time is 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM in Eastern Time.
Does CST mean China Standard Time here?
No. On this page CST means US Central Time (Chicago). China Standard Time is UTC+8 all year, 14 hours ahead of US Central in winter. To convert China time, type Beijing or Shanghai in the converter.
What about CDT to EST?
Read literally, CDT is UTC−5 and EST is UTC−5, so they are the same time. But people who search for "cdt to est" almost always mean the clocks in those places, and in practice Eastern Time is 1 hour ahead of Central Time all year. That real-clock answer is what the converter shows.