Convert CST to EST
EST = CST +1 h
EST is 1 hour ahead of CST. CST is always UTC−6 and EST is always UTC−5, so this gap is the same on every date.
CST · Central Standard Time · UTC−6
6:13AM
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
EST · Eastern Standard Time · UTC−5
7:13AM
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Chicago is on CST (UTC−6) right now.
New York is on EST (UTC−5) right now.
CST to EST for every hour
Every hour of the CST day with the matching EST time, valid on any date. From 11:00 PM CST, EST is already on the next calendar day.
| CST | EST +1 h | 24-hour |
|---|---|---|
| 12:00 AM | 1:00 AM | 00:00 → 01:00 |
| 1:00 AM | 2:00 AM | 01:00 → 02:00 |
| 2:00 AM | 3:00 AM | 02:00 → 03:00 |
| 3:00 AM | 4:00 AM | 03:00 → 04:00 |
| 4:00 AM | 5:00 AM | 04:00 → 05:00 |
| 5:00 AM | 6:00 AM | 05:00 → 06:00 |
| 6:00 AM | 7:00 AM | 06:00 → 07:00 |
| 7:00 AM | 8:00 AM | 07:00 → 08:00 |
| 8:00 AM | 9:00 AM | 08:00 → 09:00 |
| 9:00 AM | 10:00 AM | 09:00 → 10:00 |
| 10:00 AM | 11:00 AM | 10:00 → 11:00 |
| 11:00 AM | 12:00 PM | 11:00 → 12:00 |
| 12:00 PM | 1:00 PM | 12:00 → 13:00 |
| 1:00 PM | 2:00 PM | 13:00 → 14:00 |
| 2:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 14:00 → 15:00 |
| 3:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 15:00 → 16:00 |
| 4:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 16:00 → 17:00 |
| 5:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 17:00 → 18:00 |
| 6:00 PM | 7:00 PM | 18:00 → 19:00 |
| 7:00 PM | 8:00 PM | 19:00 → 20:00 |
| 8:00 PM | 9:00 PM | 20:00 → 21:00 |
| 9:00 PM | 10:00 PM | 21:00 → 22:00 |
| 10:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 22:00 → 23:00 |
| 11:00 PM | 12:00 AM +1 day | 23:00 → 00:00 |
Bold rows fall inside office hours (9:00 to 17:00) on both sides. The dot marks the current CST hour.
The CST times people look up most
| CST | EST +1 h |
|---|---|
| 3:00 PM | 4:00 PM |
| 12:00 PM | 1:00 PM |
| 8:30 AM | 9:30 AM |
| 8:30 PM | 9:30 PM |
| 10:38 AM | 11:38 AM |
| 10:38 PM | 11:38 PM |
| 8:00 AM | 9:00 AM |
| 8:00 PM | 9:00 PM |
Does the difference change during the year?
No. Chicago and New York both change their clocks, on the same dates and in the same direction, so the gap of 1 hour holds all year.
On the change nights themselves the two sides do not switch at the same instant. Each changes at its own local time, so for 1 hour in the early hours the gap between the local clocks is different: 2 h on Mar 14 and 0 h on Nov 7, 2027. That matters only for events scheduled in the middle of the night.
Converting CST to EST by hand
Add 1 hour: 3:30 PM CST is 4:30 PM EST.
Going back from EST to CST, do the opposite: the EST to CST page has its own table.
Where the CST and EST working days overlap
Two 9:00–17:00 days share 7 hours: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM CST, which is 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST.
What CST and EST mean
Central Standard Time
CST here is North American Central Standard Time, UTC−6: winter time in Chicago, Houston and Dallas, and all-year time in Mexico City, most of Central America and Saskatchewan. Since 2026 Alberta and the Northwest Territories also stay on UTC−6 all year.
CST can also mean China Standard Time (UTC+8, China) or Cuba Standard Time (UTC−5, Cuba). This page uses Central Standard Time, the meaning people searching for this conversion have in mind. For another one, type the city into the time zone converter.
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).