Convert CET to UTC
UTC = CET −1 h
UTC is 1 hour behind CET. CET is always UTC+1, so this gap is the same on every date.
CET · Central European Time · UTC+1
3:08PM
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
UTC · Coordinated Universal Time · UTC+0
2:08PM
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Berlin is on CET (UTC+1) right now.
- Next clock change: March 28, 2027. Berlin moves to CEST (UTC+2), so UTC is then 2 hours behind Berlin.
- Next clock change: October 31, 2027. Berlin moves to CET (UTC+1), so UTC is then 1 hour behind Berlin.
CET to UTC for every hour
Each UTC column holds for part of the year (dates in the header for 2027). The first uses the fixed offset (CET UTC+1); the others give local clock time when daylight saving time changes the gap. Until 1:00 AM CET, UTC is still on the previous calendar day. The dot marks the current CET hour.
| CET | UTC −1 hfixed offsets | UTC −2 hMar 28 – Oct 31 | 24-hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 AM | 11:00 PM −1 day | 10:00 PM −1 day | 00:00 → 23:00 |
| 1:00 AM | 12:00 AM | 11:00 PM −1 day | 01:00 → 00:00 |
| 2:00 AM | 1:00 AM | 12:00 AM | 02:00 → 01:00 |
| 3:00 AM | 2:00 AM | 1:00 AM | 03:00 → 02:00 |
| 4:00 AM | 3:00 AM | 2:00 AM | 04:00 → 03:00 |
| 5:00 AM | 4:00 AM | 3:00 AM | 05:00 → 04:00 |
| 6:00 AM | 5:00 AM | 4:00 AM | 06:00 → 05:00 |
| 7:00 AM | 6:00 AM | 5:00 AM | 07:00 → 06:00 |
| 8:00 AM | 7:00 AM | 6:00 AM | 08:00 → 07:00 |
| 9:00 AM | 8:00 AM | 7:00 AM | 09:00 → 08:00 |
| 10:00 AM | 9:00 AM | 8:00 AM | 10:00 → 09:00 |
| 11:00 AM | 10:00 AM | 9:00 AM | 11:00 → 10:00 |
| 12:00 PM | 11:00 AM | 10:00 AM | 12:00 → 11:00 |
| 1:00 PM | 12:00 PM | 11:00 AM | 13:00 → 12:00 |
| 2:00 PM | 1:00 PM | 12:00 PM | 14:00 → 13:00 |
| 3:00 PM | 2:00 PM | 1:00 PM | 15:00 → 14:00 |
| 4:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 2:00 PM | 16:00 → 15:00 |
| 5:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 17:00 → 16:00 |
| 6:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 18:00 → 17:00 |
| 7:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 19:00 → 18:00 |
| 8:00 PM | 7:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 20:00 → 19:00 |
| 9:00 PM | 8:00 PM | 7:00 PM | 21:00 → 20:00 |
| 10:00 PM | 9:00 PM | 8:00 PM | 22:00 → 21:00 |
| 11:00 PM | 10:00 PM | 9:00 PM | 23:00 → 22:00 |
The CET times people look up most
| CET | UTC −1 h | UTC −2 h |
|---|---|---|
| 11:00 PM | 10:00 PM | 9:00 PM |
Does the difference change during the year?
As written, no: CET is always UTC+1, so the gap is 1 hour on every date. But Berlin uses CET only in winter, and people often keep writing “CET” when they mean the local time. Between the local clock in Berlin and UTC, the gap is 1 hour or 2 hours:
| From | What changes | Berlin | UTC | UTC vs CET |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | Start of the year | CET (UTC+1) | UTC (UTC+0) | −1 h |
| March 29 | Berlin moves to CEST (UTC+2) | CEST (UTC+2) | UTC (UTC+0) | −2 h |
| October 25 | Berlin moves to CET (UTC+1) | CET (UTC+1) | UTC (UTC+0) | −1 h |
| From | What changes | Berlin | UTC | UTC vs CET |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | Start of the year | CET (UTC+1) | UTC (UTC+0) | −1 h |
| March 28 | Berlin moves to CEST (UTC+2) | CEST (UTC+2) | UTC (UTC+0) | −2 h |
| October 31 | Berlin moves to CET (UTC+1) | CET (UTC+1) | UTC (UTC+0) | −1 h |
Converting CET to UTC by hand
With the fixed offsets, take away 1 hour: 3:30 PM CET is 2:30 PM UTC.
With the −2 h gap (Mar 28 – Oct 31), take away 2 hours: 3:30 PM CET is 1:30 PM UTC.
Going back from UTC to CET, do the opposite: the UTC to CET page has its own table.
Reading a UTC timestamp as CET time
Logs, APIs and flight plans usually carry UTC. A timestamp ending in Z is UTC, and one ending in an offset already says how far from UTC it is. These two name the same moment:
2027-01-15T20:00:00Z2027-01-15T21:00:00+01:00
The offset in the second form is the one in force on that date (January 15, 2027). A program should store the UTC form and apply the right offset when it displays the time, rather than storing a local time and hoping the offset is still the same.
What CET and UTC 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.
Coordinated Universal Time
UTC is the world’s reference time. It has no daylight saving time and no seasons: every UTC offset you see (UTC−5, UTC+5:30) is measured from it.