CST to EST converter
Eastern Time is 1 hour ahead of Central Time year-round: Central Time runs at UTC−6 / UTC−5 and Eastern Time at UTC−5 / UTC−4. To convert CST to EST, add 1 hour to the CST time. Both zones shift by an hour on the same dates, so the gap never moves.
Central Time runs at UTC−6 / UTC−5, Eastern Time at UTC−5 / UTC−4.
CST 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 Time (CST / CDT) | Eastern Time (EST / EDT) |
|---|---|
| 00:00 12:00 AM | 01:00 1:00 AM |
| 01:00 1:00 AM | 02:00 2:00 AM |
| 02:00 2:00 AM | 03:00 3:00 AM |
| 03:00 3:00 AM | 04:00 4:00 AM |
| 04:00 4:00 AM | 05:00 5:00 AM |
| 05:00 5:00 AM | 06:00 6:00 AM |
| 06:00 6:00 AM | 07:00 7:00 AM |
| 07:00 7:00 AM | 08:00 8:00 AM |
| 08:00 8:00 AM | 09:00 9:00 AM |
| 09:00 9:00 AM | 10:00 10:00 AM |
| 10:00 10:00 AM | 11:00 11:00 AM |
| 11:00 11:00 AM | 12:00 12:00 PM |
| 12:00 12:00 PM | 13:00 1:00 PM |
| 13:00 1:00 PM | 14:00 2:00 PM |
| 14:00 2:00 PM | 15:00 3:00 PM |
| 15:00 3:00 PM | 16:00 4:00 PM |
| 16:00 4:00 PM | 17:00 5:00 PM |
| 17:00 5:00 PM | 18:00 6:00 PM |
| 18:00 6:00 PM | 19:00 7:00 PM |
| 19:00 7:00 PM | 20:00 8:00 PM |
| 20:00 8:00 PM | 21:00 9:00 PM |
| 21:00 9:00 PM | 22:00 10:00 PM |
| 22:00 10:00 PM | 23:00 11:00 PM |
| 23:00 11:00 PM | 00:00 12:00 AM next day |
How the CST to EST conversion works
Converting CST to EST means taking a wall-clock time in Central Time (CST / CDT, UTC−6 / UTC−5) and expressing the same instant in Eastern Time (EST / EDT, UTC−5 / UTC−4). The arithmetic is one step: add 1 hour to any CST time, and it holds on every date of the year. 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 America/Chicago and America/New_York, never with the abbreviations. One note on the source label: CST is also used for China Standard Time (UTC+8) and Cuba Standard Time, so the abbreviation alone is ambiguous. 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 CST 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, year-round
A 9-to-6 working day in both zones overlaps for 8 hours: 9:00 AM–5:00 PM CST is 10:00 AM–6:00 PM EST. Book inside that window and neither side is working outside normal hours.
Daylight saving time: which side moves
Both Central Time and Eastern Time shift their clocks on the same dates, by the same hour, in the same direction. The gap between them therefore holds at 1 hour on every date, including the two transition weekends.
US daylight saving time runs from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November.
- Central Time
- America/Chicago
- CST / CDT — UTC−6 / UTC−5
- Eastern Time
- America/New_York
- EST / EDT — UTC−5 / UTC−4
Frequently asked questions
What is the time difference between CST and EST?
Eastern Time runs 1 hour ahead of Central Time on every date of the year. In offset terms, Central Time sits at UTC−6 / UTC−5 and Eastern Time at UTC−5 / UTC−4. So 9:00 AM CST is 10:00 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 CST to EST difference change with daylight saving time?
The difference holds at 1 hour on every date. Both Central Time and Eastern Time shift by an hour on the same dates and in the same direction, so the gap between them never moves, not even across a transition weekend. In the US that means clocks move forward on the second Sunday of March and back on the first Sunday of November.
What time is 9 am CST in EST?
9:00 AM CST is 10:00 AM in Eastern Time, and it stays that way all year because the two zones stay 1 hour apart. The rule is the same one the whole page runs on: add 1 hour to any CST time. Check the hour-by-hour table for any other starting hour, including the rows that land on the previous or next calendar day.
What do CST and EST stand for?
CST stands for Central Standard Time, and CDT is Central Daylight 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 America/Chicago and America/New_York. CST is also used for China Standard Time (UTC+8) and Cuba Standard Time, so the abbreviation alone is ambiguous.
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.