EST to CET converter
Central European Time is 6 hours ahead of Eastern Time on nearly every date: Eastern Time runs at UTC−5 / UTC−4 and Central European Time at UTC+1 / UTC+2. To convert EST to CET, add 6 hours to the EST time.
Eastern Time runs at UTC−5 / UTC−4, Central European Time at UTC+1 / UTC+2.
EST to CET 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.
| Eastern Time (EST / EDT) | Central European Time (CET / CEST) |
|---|---|
| 00:00 12:00 AM | 06:00 6:00 AM |
| 01:00 1:00 AM | 07:00 7:00 AM |
| 02:00 2:00 AM | 08:00 8:00 AM |
| 03:00 3:00 AM | 09:00 9:00 AM |
| 04:00 4:00 AM | 10:00 10:00 AM |
| 05:00 5:00 AM | 11:00 11:00 AM |
| 06:00 6:00 AM | 12:00 12:00 PM |
| 07:00 7:00 AM | 13:00 1:00 PM |
| 08:00 8:00 AM | 14:00 2:00 PM |
| 09:00 9:00 AM | 15:00 3:00 PM |
| 10:00 10:00 AM | 16:00 4:00 PM |
| 11:00 11:00 AM | 17:00 5:00 PM |
| 12:00 12:00 PM | 18:00 6:00 PM |
| 13:00 1:00 PM | 19:00 7:00 PM |
| 14:00 2:00 PM | 20:00 8:00 PM |
| 15:00 3:00 PM | 21:00 9:00 PM |
| 16:00 4:00 PM | 22:00 10:00 PM |
| 17:00 5:00 PM | 23:00 11:00 PM |
| 18:00 6:00 PM | 00:00 12:00 AM next day |
| 19:00 7:00 PM | 01:00 1:00 AM next day |
| 20:00 8:00 PM | 02:00 2:00 AM next day |
| 21:00 9:00 PM | 03:00 3:00 AM next day |
| 22:00 10:00 PM | 04:00 4:00 AM next day |
| 23:00 11:00 PM | 05:00 5:00 AM next day |
How the EST to CET conversion works
Converting EST to CET means taking a wall-clock time in Eastern Time (EST / EDT, UTC−5 / UTC−4) and expressing the same instant in Central European Time (CET / CEST, UTC+1 / UTC+2). The arithmetic is one step: add 6 hours to any EST 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 America/New_York and Europe/Paris, never with the abbreviations. One note on the source label: EST is also used for Australian Eastern Standard Time (UTC+10), so the abbreviation alone is ambiguous. On the target label: CET names the winter offset only, so a summer date written as CET is almost always CEST, an hour later.
Best time for meetings between EST and CET
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.
CET / CEST, most of the year
A 9-to-6 working day in both zones overlaps for 3 hours: 9:00 AM–12:00 PM EST is 3:00 PM–6:00 PM CET. Book inside that window and neither side is working outside normal hours.
Daylight saving time: which side moves
Both Eastern Time and Central European 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.
US daylight saving time runs from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November. EU summer time runs from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October.
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.
- Eastern Time
- America/New_York
- EST / EDT — UTC−5 / UTC−4
- Central European Time
- Europe/Paris
- CET / CEST — UTC+1 / UTC+2
Frequently asked questions
What is the time difference between EST and CET?
Central European Time runs 6 hours ahead of Eastern Time on nearly every date. In offset terms, Eastern Time sits at UTC−5 / UTC−4 and Central European Time at UTC+1 / UTC+2. So 9:00 AM EST is 3:00 PM CET. 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 EST to CET difference change with daylight saving time?
The difference holds at 6 hours for most of the year. Both Eastern Time and Central European 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 EST in CET?
9:00 AM EST is 3:00 PM in Central European 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: add 6 hours to any EST time.
What do EST and CET stand for?
EST stands for Eastern Standard Time, and EDT is Eastern Daylight Time. CET stands for Central European Time, and CEST is Central European Summer Time. Both are display labels rather than rules: the offsets behind them come from the IANA identifiers America/New_York and Europe/Paris. EST is also used for Australian Eastern Standard Time (UTC+10), 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.