EST to CST

About EST to CST

This page converts Eastern Time (ET) to Central Time (CT). Pick a date and time, and the answer appears at once. Below it, a table shows every hour of that day.

CT is 1 hour behind ET all year. For example, 9:00 AM EST is 8:00 AM CST.

ET is the time in New York, Washington DC, Miami, Atlanta, Boston and Toronto. CT is the time in Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Austin, New Orleans, Minneapolis and Winnipeg.

The converter uses your browser's own time zone data, so daylight saving is handled for you — always right for the date you pick, in the past or the future.

Features

• One big answer — "9:00 AM EST → 8:00 AM CST" style, with "next day" or "previous day" when the date changes
• Any date and time — the right offset for that day, summer or winter
• Every hour of the day — a live table for the date you pick, your hour highlighted
• Swap — one tap turns it into CST to EST
• Add more zones — compare London, Tokyo or any other city at the same time
• Now — starts from the current time in ET

EST to CST time table

The difference is the same all year, so this table is always right.

Common times

• 9:00 AM EST is 8:00 AM CST
• 12:00 PM EST is 11:00 AM CST
• 5:00 PM EST is 4:00 PM CST
• 8:00 PM EST is 7:00 PM CST

States with two time zones

The line between Central and Eastern Time cuts through some states. Most of Indiana is on Eastern Time, but its north-west and south-west corners use Central Time. Kentucky and Tennessee are split: the east uses Eastern Time, the west Central Time (Nashville and Memphis are Central, Knoxville is Eastern). The Florida panhandle west of the Apalachicola River (Pensacola, Panama City) is on Central Time, and four Michigan counties next to Wisconsin are too. If you are not sure, add the city to the converter — it knows the local rules.

Daylight saving time

Eastern Time uses EST (UTC−5) in winter and EDT (UTC−4) in summer. Central Time uses CST (UTC−6) in winter and CDT (UTC−5) in summer.

Both follow the US rule: the clocks go forward on the second Sunday of March and back on the first Sunday of November — March 8, 2026 to November 1, 2026, and March 14, 2027 to November 7, 2027.

Each side changes its clocks at 2:00 AM its own time, so on the two nights of the change the gap is different for an hour or so, in the middle of the night. The live table above shows those hours as they really are.

Good to know

• EST or ET? Strictly, EST is only the winter time of the US East Coast; in summer it is EDT. Many people say "EST" all year when they mean "East Coast time". This page uses the real clock time for the date you pick, so the answer is right either way.
• Which CST? On this page CST is US Central Time (UTC−6, CDT UTC−5 in summer). China Standard Time is also written CST, but it is UTC+8 — 14 hours ahead of US Central Time in winter. For China, add Beijing / Shanghai in the converter.
• Planning a meeting? Pick the date and time, then add the other cities of the people you meet with. Everyone's time shows in one list.
• The answer comes from your device's time zone data. Nothing is sent anywhere.

Frequently asked questions

How many hours between EST and CST?

CT is 1 hour behind ET. Both sides change their clocks on the same days, so the difference stays the same.

What is 9:00 AM EST in CST?

9:00 AM EST is 8:00 AM CST. Central Time is one hour behind Eastern Time all year, so 9:00 AM EDT is 8:00 AM CDT in summer too.

Does daylight saving change EST to CST?

No. Both sides change their clocks on the same days, so the difference stays the same.

Is EST the same as ET?

Not exactly. EST is the winter time and EDT the summer time; ET means whichever one is in use. Most people say EST for both. This page always uses the correct clock time.

Is CST China time or US Central Time?

Here it is US Central Time (Chicago). China Standard Time is also written CST, but it is UTC+8. To convert to China, pick Beijing / Shanghai in the converter.

Related tools

• CST to EST — the other way round
• Time Zone Converter — any time zone to many others at once
• World Clock — the time now in cities around the world
• EST to PST — Eastern Time to Pacific Time
• CST to PST — Central Time to Pacific Time
• UTC to EST — Coordinated Universal Time to Eastern Time

How to use it

• The time is set to now in ET — change the date and time to the one you need
• Read the answer in the big box: the time in CT
• Look at the table for every hour of that day
• Press Swap to convert CST to EST instead
• Add more time zones from the list to compare other cities