EST to CST Time Zone Converter
CST is currently 1 hour behind EST.
Convert a fixed abbreviation time
EST to CST — Full 24-Hour Conversion Table
The table below shows what time it is in Central Time for every hour of the day in Eastern Time, using the fixed UTC offsets named by these abbreviations. A city may use a different abbreviation during daylight saving time.
| Time in EST (UTC−05:00) | Time in CST (UTC−06:00) |
|---|---|
| 00:00 | 23:00 |
| 01:00 | 00:00 |
| 02:00 | 01:00 |
| 03:00 | 02:00 |
| 04:00 | 03:00 |
| 05:00 | 04:00 |
| 06:00 | 05:00 |
| 07:00 | 06:00 |
| 08:00 | 07:00 |
| 09:00 | 08:00 |
| 10:00 | 09:00overlap |
| 11:00 | 10:00overlap |
| 12:00 | 11:00overlap |
| 13:00 | 12:00overlap |
| 14:00 | 13:00overlap |
| 15:00 | 14:00overlap |
| 16:00 | 15:00overlap |
| 17:00 | 16:00 |
| 18:00 | 17:00 |
| 19:00 | 18:00 |
| 20:00 | 19:00 |
| 21:00 | 20:00 |
| 22:00 | 21:00 |
| 23:00 | 22:00 |
Green rows indicate hours where both zones fall within 09:00–17:00 business hours. Abbreviations use their fixed UTC offsets. For a city that observes daylight saving, use the date-aware meeting planner.
Best Meeting Times: EST and CST
The best meeting window is 10:00 AM–05:00 PM (New York) / 09:00 AM–04:00 PM (Chicago), giving 7 hours of shared business hours.
Shared business-hours overlap: 7 hours. Use our Meeting Planner to find specific slots and share with your team.
Working Across EST and CST
Daylight Saving Time: EST and CST
The US observes Daylight Saving Time. Clocks spring forward 1 hour on the second Sunday in March and fall back on the first Sunday in November. During EDT (UTC−4), the gap to IST narrows by 1 hour.
Central Time follows US DST rules, moving from CST (UTC−6) to CDT (UTC−5) in March.