Convert EST to CET
CET = EST +6 h
CET is 6 hours ahead of EST. EST is always UTC−5 and CET is always UTC+1, so this gap is the same on every date.
EST · Eastern Standard Time · UTC−5
11:01AM
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
CET · Central European Time · UTC+1
5:01PM
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
New York is on EST (UTC−5) right now.
Berlin is on CET (UTC+1) right now.
- Next clock change: March 14, 2027. New York moves to EDT (UTC−4), so Berlin is then 5 hours ahead of New York.
- Next clock change: March 28, 2027. Berlin moves to CEST (UTC+2), so Berlin is then 6 hours ahead of New York.
- Next clock change: October 31, 2027. Berlin moves to CET (UTC+1), so Berlin is then 5 hours ahead of New York.
- Next clock change: November 7, 2027. New York moves to EST (UTC−5), so Berlin is then 6 hours ahead of New York.
EST to CET for every hour
Each CET column holds for part of the year (dates in the header for 2027). The first uses the fixed offsets (EST UTC−5, CET UTC+1); the others give local clock time when daylight saving time changes the gap. From 6:00 PM EST, CET is already on the next calendar day.
| EST | CET +6 hfixed offsets | CET +5 hMar 14 – Mar 28, Oct 31 – Nov 7 | 24-hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 AM | 6:00 AM | 5:00 AM | 00:00 → 06:00 |
| 1:00 AM | 7:00 AM | 6:00 AM | 01:00 → 07:00 |
| 2:00 AM | 8:00 AM | 7:00 AM | 02:00 → 08:00 |
| 3:00 AM | 9:00 AM | 8:00 AM | 03:00 → 09:00 |
| 4:00 AM | 10:00 AM | 9:00 AM | 04:00 → 10:00 |
| 5:00 AM | 11:00 AM | 10:00 AM | 05:00 → 11:00 |
| 6:00 AM | 12:00 PM | 11:00 AM | 06:00 → 12:00 |
| 7:00 AM | 1:00 PM | 12:00 PM | 07:00 → 13:00 |
| 8:00 AM | 2:00 PM | 1:00 PM | 08:00 → 14:00 |
| 9:00 AM | 3:00 PM | 2:00 PM | 09:00 → 15:00 |
| 10:00 AM | 4:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 10:00 → 16:00 |
| 11:00 AM | 5:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 11:00 → 17:00 |
| 12:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 12:00 → 18:00 |
| 1:00 PM | 7:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 13:00 → 19:00 |
| 2:00 PM | 8:00 PM | 7:00 PM | 14:00 → 20:00 |
| 3:00 PM | 9:00 PM | 8:00 PM | 15:00 → 21:00 |
| 4:00 PM | 10:00 PM | 9:00 PM | 16:00 → 22:00 |
| 5:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 10:00 PM | 17:00 → 23:00 |
| 6:00 PM | 12:00 AM +1 day | 11:00 PM | 18:00 → 00:00 |
| 7:00 PM | 1:00 AM +1 day | 12:00 AM +1 day | 19:00 → 01:00 |
| 8:00 PM | 2:00 AM +1 day | 1:00 AM +1 day | 20:00 → 02:00 |
| 9:00 PM | 3:00 AM +1 day | 2:00 AM +1 day | 21:00 → 03:00 |
| 10:00 PM | 4:00 AM +1 day | 3:00 AM +1 day | 22:00 → 04:00 |
| 11:00 PM | 5:00 AM +1 day | 4:00 AM +1 day | 23:00 → 05:00 |
Bold rows fall inside office hours (9:00 to 17:00) on both sides. The dot marks the current EST hour.
Does the difference change during the year?
As written, no: EST is always UTC−5 and CET is always UTC+1, so the gap is 6 hours on every date. But New York uses EST only in winter and Berlin uses CET only in winter, and people often keep writing “EST” when they mean the local time. Between the local clocks of New York and Berlin, the gap is 6 hours or 5 hours:
| From | What changes | New York | Berlin | CET vs EST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | Start of the year | EST (UTC−5) | CET (UTC+1) | +6 h |
| March 8 | New York moves to EDT (UTC−4) | EDT (UTC−4) | CET (UTC+1) | +5 h |
| March 29 | Berlin moves to CEST (UTC+2) | EDT (UTC−4) | CEST (UTC+2) | +6 h |
| October 25 | Berlin moves to CET (UTC+1) | EDT (UTC−4) | CET (UTC+1) | +5 h |
| November 1 | New York moves to EST (UTC−5) | EST (UTC−5) | CET (UTC+1) | +6 h |
| From | What changes | New York | Berlin | CET vs EST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | Start of the year | EST (UTC−5) | CET (UTC+1) | +6 h |
| March 14 | New York moves to EDT (UTC−4) | EDT (UTC−4) | CET (UTC+1) | +5 h |
| March 28 | Berlin moves to CEST (UTC+2) | EDT (UTC−4) | CEST (UTC+2) | +6 h |
| October 31 | Berlin moves to CET (UTC+1) | EDT (UTC−4) | CET (UTC+1) | +5 h |
| November 7 | New York moves to EST (UTC−5) | EST (UTC−5) | CET (UTC+1) | +6 h |
Converting EST to CET by hand
With the fixed offsets, add 6 hours: 3:30 PM EST is 9:30 PM CET.
With the +5 h gap (Mar 14 – Mar 28, Oct 31 – Nov 7), add 5 hours: 3:30 PM EST is 8:30 PM CET.
Going back from CET to EST, do the opposite: the CET to EST page has its own table.
Where the EST and CET working days overlap
EST to CET (+6 h): Two 9:00–17:00 days share 2 hours: 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM EST, which is 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM CET. 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: 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM EST, which is 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM CET.
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 America/New_York) rather than as a fixed offset.
What EST and CET mean
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).
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.