CET to EST converter
Eastern Time is 6 hours behind Central European Time on nearly every date: Central European Time runs at UTC+1 / UTC+2 and Eastern Time at UTC−5 / UTC−4. To convert CET to EST, subtract 6 hours from the CET time.
Central European Time runs at UTC+1 / UTC+2, Eastern Time at UTC−5 / UTC−4.
CET to EST conversion table
Every hour of the day converted. One column is enough here: the gap between the two zones is the same in winter and summer.
| Central European Time (CET / CEST) | Eastern Time (EST / EDT) |
|---|---|
| 00:00 12:00 AM | 18:00 6:00 PM previous day |
| 01:00 1:00 AM | 19:00 7:00 PM previous day |
| 02:00 2:00 AM | 20:00 8:00 PM previous day |
| 03:00 3:00 AM | 21:00 9:00 PM previous day |
| 04:00 4:00 AM | 22:00 10:00 PM previous day |
| 05:00 5:00 AM | 23:00 11:00 PM previous day |
| 06:00 6:00 AM | 00:00 12:00 AM |
| 07:00 7:00 AM | 01:00 1:00 AM |
| 08:00 8:00 AM | 02:00 2:00 AM |
| 09:00 9:00 AM | 03:00 3:00 AM |
| 10:00 10:00 AM | 04:00 4:00 AM |
| 11:00 11:00 AM | 05:00 5:00 AM |
| 12:00 12:00 PM | 06:00 6:00 AM |
| 13:00 1:00 PM | 07:00 7:00 AM |
| 14:00 2:00 PM | 08:00 8:00 AM |
| 15:00 3:00 PM | 09:00 9:00 AM |
| 16:00 4:00 PM | 10:00 10:00 AM |
| 17:00 5:00 PM | 11:00 11:00 AM |
| 18:00 6:00 PM | 12:00 12:00 PM |
| 19:00 7:00 PM | 13:00 1:00 PM |
| 20:00 8:00 PM | 14:00 2:00 PM |
| 21:00 9:00 PM | 15:00 3:00 PM |
| 22:00 10:00 PM | 16:00 4:00 PM |
| 23:00 11:00 PM | 17:00 5:00 PM |
How the CET to EST conversion works
Converting CET to EST means taking a wall-clock time in Central European Time (CET / CEST, UTC+1 / UTC+2) and expressing the same instant in Eastern Time (EST / EDT, UTC−5 / UTC−4). The arithmetic is one step: subtract 6 hours from any CET time, and it holds on nearly every date. Applying the gap pushes part of the day onto a different calendar date — the table below marks every row that shifts. In code, store the instant in UTC and convert with the IANA identifiers Europe/Paris and America/New_York, never with the abbreviations. One note on the source label: CET names the winter offset only, so a summer date written as CET is almost always CEST, an hour later. On the target label: EST is also used for Australian Eastern Standard Time (UTC+10), so the abbreviation alone is ambiguous.
Best time for meetings between CET and EST
Working hours are taken as 09:00–18:00 in each zone. The window in force depends on the date, so both halves of the year are listed where they differ.
EST / EDT, most of the year
A 9-to-6 working day in both zones overlaps for 3 hours: 3:00 PM–6:00 PM CET is 9:00 AM–12:00 PM EST. Book inside that window and neither side is working outside normal hours.
Daylight saving time: which side moves
Both Central European Time and Eastern Time shift their clocks forward by one hour in spring and back in autumn. Because they shift in the same direction by the same amount, the gap between them holds at 6 hours for most of the year.
EU summer time runs from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. US daylight saving time runs from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November.
The two regions do not switch on the same dates, so for a few weeks each spring and autumn the gap is one hour off its usual value. Those weeks are the ones that break meetings, and they are why the conversion should be done against the IANA rules for the exact date rather than against a remembered offset.
- Central European Time
- Europe/Paris
- CET / CEST — UTC+1 / UTC+2
- Eastern Time
- America/New_York
- EST / EDT — UTC−5 / UTC−4
Frequently asked questions
What is the time difference between CET and EST?
Eastern Time runs 6 hours behind Central European Time on nearly every date. In offset terms, Central European Time sits at UTC+1 / UTC+2 and Eastern Time at UTC−5 / UTC−4. So 9:00 AM CET is 3:00 AM EST. The hour-by-hour table on this page lists the conversion for all 24 hours so you do not have to do the arithmetic.
Does the CET to EST difference change with daylight saving time?
The difference holds at 6 hours for most of the year. Both Central European Time and Eastern Time shift by an hour in the same direction, so the gap between them stays put even though both clocks move. Because the two regions switch on different dates, the gap is one hour off its usual value for a few weeks each spring and autumn.
What time is 9 am CET in EST?
9:00 AM CET is 3:00 AM in Eastern Time on nearly every date, because the two zones stay 6 hours apart except during the weeks when only one region has switched its clocks. The rule is the same one the whole page runs on: subtract 6 hours from any CET time.
What do CET and EST stand for?
CET stands for Central European Time, and CEST is Central European Summer Time. EST stands for Eastern Standard Time, and EDT is Eastern Daylight Time. Both are display labels rather than rules: the offsets behind them come from the IANA identifiers Europe/Paris and America/New_York. CET names the winter offset only, so a summer date written as CET is almost always CEST, an hour later.
Related conversions
Need more than two zones at once? The full timezone converter shows a single moment across up to six IANA timezones, for any date you choose.