Convert CET to EST
EST = CET −6 h
EST is 6 hours behind CET. CET is always UTC+1 and EST is always UTC−5, so this gap is the same on every date.
CET · Central European Time · UTC+1
2:08PM
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
EST · Eastern Standard Time · UTC−5
8:08AM
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Berlin is on CET (UTC+1) right now.
New York is on EST (UTC−5) right now.
- Next clock change: March 14, 2027. New York moves to EDT (UTC−4), so New York is then 5 hours behind Berlin.
- Next clock change: March 28, 2027. Berlin moves to CEST (UTC+2), so New York is then 6 hours behind Berlin.
- Next clock change: October 31, 2027. Berlin moves to CET (UTC+1), so New York is then 5 hours behind Berlin.
- Next clock change: November 7, 2027. New York moves to EST (UTC−5), so New York is then 6 hours behind Berlin.
CET to EST for every hour
Each EST column holds for part of the year (dates in the header for 2027). The first uses the fixed offsets (CET UTC+1, EST UTC−5); the others give local clock time when daylight saving time changes the gap. Until 6:00 AM CET, EST is still on the previous calendar day.
| CET | EST −6 hfixed offsets | EST −5 hMar 14 – Mar 28, Oct 31 – Nov 7 | 24-hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 AM | 6:00 PM −1 day | 7:00 PM −1 day | 00:00 → 18:00 |
| 1:00 AM | 7:00 PM −1 day | 8:00 PM −1 day | 01:00 → 19:00 |
| 2:00 AM | 8:00 PM −1 day | 9:00 PM −1 day | 02:00 → 20:00 |
| 3:00 AM | 9:00 PM −1 day | 10:00 PM −1 day | 03:00 → 21:00 |
| 4:00 AM | 10:00 PM −1 day | 11:00 PM −1 day | 04:00 → 22:00 |
| 5:00 AM | 11:00 PM −1 day | 12:00 AM | 05:00 → 23:00 |
| 6:00 AM | 12:00 AM | 1:00 AM | 06:00 → 00:00 |
| 7:00 AM | 1:00 AM | 2:00 AM | 07:00 → 01:00 |
| 8:00 AM | 2:00 AM | 3:00 AM | 08:00 → 02:00 |
| 9:00 AM | 3:00 AM | 4:00 AM | 09:00 → 03:00 |
| 10:00 AM | 4:00 AM | 5:00 AM | 10:00 → 04:00 |
| 11:00 AM | 5:00 AM | 6:00 AM | 11:00 → 05:00 |
| 12:00 PM | 6:00 AM | 7:00 AM | 12:00 → 06:00 |
| 1:00 PM | 7:00 AM | 8:00 AM | 13:00 → 07:00 |
| 2:00 PM | 8:00 AM | 9:00 AM | 14:00 → 08:00 |
| 3:00 PM | 9:00 AM | 10:00 AM | 15:00 → 09:00 |
| 4:00 PM | 10:00 AM | 11:00 AM | 16:00 → 10:00 |
| 5:00 PM | 11:00 AM | 12:00 PM | 17:00 → 11:00 |
| 6:00 PM | 12:00 PM | 1:00 PM | 18:00 → 12:00 |
| 7:00 PM | 1:00 PM | 2:00 PM | 19:00 → 13:00 |
| 8:00 PM | 2:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 20:00 → 14:00 |
| 9:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 21:00 → 15:00 |
| 10:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 22:00 → 16:00 |
| 11:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 23:00 → 17:00 |
Bold rows fall inside office hours (9:00 to 17:00) on both sides. The dot marks the current CET hour.
The CET times people look up most
| CET | EST −6 h | EST −5 h |
|---|---|---|
| 4:00 PM | 10:00 AM | 11:00 AM |
| 2:00 PM | 8:00 AM | 9:00 AM |
| 5:00 PM | 11:00 AM | 12:00 PM |
| 9:15 AM | 3:15 AM | 4:15 AM |
| 9:15 PM | 3:15 PM | 4:15 PM |
| 6:00 PM | 12:00 PM | 1:00 PM |
| 10:00 AM | 4:00 AM | 5:00 AM |
Does the difference change during the year?
As written, no: CET is always UTC+1 and EST is always UTC−5, so the gap is 6 hours on every date. But Berlin uses CET only in winter and New York uses EST only in winter, and people often keep writing “CET” when they mean the local time. Between the local clocks of Berlin and New York, the gap is 6 hours or 5 hours:
| From | What changes | Berlin | New York | EST vs CET |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | Start of the year | CET (UTC+1) | EST (UTC−5) | −6 h |
| March 8 | New York moves to EDT (UTC−4) | CET (UTC+1) | EDT (UTC−4) | −5 h |
| March 29 | Berlin moves to CEST (UTC+2) | CEST (UTC+2) | EDT (UTC−4) | −6 h |
| October 25 | Berlin moves to CET (UTC+1) | CET (UTC+1) | EDT (UTC−4) | −5 h |
| November 1 | New York moves to EST (UTC−5) | CET (UTC+1) | EST (UTC−5) | −6 h |
| From | What changes | Berlin | New York | EST vs CET |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | Start of the year | CET (UTC+1) | EST (UTC−5) | −6 h |
| March 14 | New York moves to EDT (UTC−4) | CET (UTC+1) | EDT (UTC−4) | −5 h |
| March 28 | Berlin moves to CEST (UTC+2) | CEST (UTC+2) | EDT (UTC−4) | −6 h |
| October 31 | Berlin moves to CET (UTC+1) | CET (UTC+1) | EDT (UTC−4) | −5 h |
| November 7 | New York moves to EST (UTC−5) | CET (UTC+1) | EST (UTC−5) | −6 h |
Converting CET to EST by hand
With the fixed offsets, take away 6 hours: 3:30 PM CET is 9:30 AM EST.
With the −5 h gap (Mar 14 – Mar 28, Oct 31 – Nov 7), take away 5 hours: 3:30 PM CET is 10:30 AM EST.
Going back from EST to CET, do the opposite: the EST to CET page has its own table.
Where the CET and EST working days overlap
CET to EST (−6 h): Two 9:00–17:00 days share 2 hours: 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM CET, which is 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM EST. That is tight. Put a recurring call at the start of the window, so a meeting that runs late does not push it out.
−5 h (from Mar 14 to Mar 28 and Oct 31 to Nov 7, 2027): Two 9:00–17:00 days share 3 hours: 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM CET, which is 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM EST.
A meeting fixed in one city’s calendar moves by an hour for the other when the gap changes. Calendar apps handle this when the event is saved in a named zone (for example Europe/Berlin) rather than as a fixed offset.
What CET and EST mean
Central European Time
CET is UTC+1: winter time in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland and most of the EU. From 01:00 UTC on the last Sunday of March to 01:00 UTC on the last Sunday of October those countries are on CEST, UTC+2 (Directive 2000/84/EC). Algeria and Tunisia use CET all year.
Eastern Standard Time
EST is UTC−5. The US East Coast and eastern Canada (New York, Washington, Miami, Toronto, Montreal) use it only in winter; from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November they are on EDT, UTC−4. Jamaica, Panama and Cancún keep it all year, and since 2026 so does Manitoba (Winnipeg).