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EST to CST converter

Central Time is 1 hour behind Eastern Time all year. Type any time below, or pick another place.

Then, Central Time (US)
8:00 AM
Friday, November 13
1 hour behind Eastern Time (US) · CST

Eastern Time (US) to Central Time (US), hour by hour (Nov 13, 2026)

Eastern Time (US) ESTCentral Time (US) CST
12:00 AM11:00 PMThu
1:00 AM12:00 AM
2:00 AM1:00 AM
3:00 AM2:00 AM
4:00 AM3:00 AM
5:00 AM4:00 AM
6:00 AM5:00 AM
7:00 AM6:00 AM
8:00 AM7:00 AM
9:00 AM8:00 AM
10:00 AM9:00 AM
11:00 AM10:00 AM
12:00 PM11:00 AM
1:00 PM12:00 PM
2:00 PM1:00 PM
3:00 PM2:00 PM
4:00 PM3:00 PM
5:00 PM4:00 PM
6:00 PM5:00 PM
7:00 PM6:00 PM
8:00 PM7:00 PM
9:00 PM8:00 PM
10:00 PM9:00 PM
11:00 PM10:00 PM

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

Central Time (US) is 1 hour behind Eastern Time (US) all year.

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). 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).

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

Central Time (US) is 1 hour behind Eastern Time (US) all year.

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). 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).

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 EST and CST mean here

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.

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.

This page also answers: eastern to central time.

Questions

What is the time difference between EST and CST?

Central Time is 1 hour behind Eastern Time all year.

What is 9 AM EST in CST?

9:00 AM EST is 8:00 AM CST, noon EST is 11:00 AM CST, and 5:00 PM EST is 4:00 PM CST.

When do working hours overlap?

7 hours of a 9-to-5 day overlap: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM in Eastern Time is 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM in Central 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.

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