Convert EST to CST
CST = EST −1 h
CST is 1 hour behind EST. EST is always UTC−5 and CST is always UTC−6, so this gap is the same on every date.
EST · Eastern Standard Time · UTC−5
6:05AM
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
CST · Central Standard Time · UTC−6
5:05AM
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
New York is on EST (UTC−5) right now.
Chicago is on CST (UTC−6) right now.
EST to CST for every hour
Every hour of the EST day with the matching CST time, valid on any date. Until 1:00 AM EST, CST is still on the previous calendar day.
| EST | CST −1 h | 24-hour |
|---|---|---|
| 12:00 AM | 11:00 PM −1 day | 00:00 → 23:00 |
| 1:00 AM | 12:00 AM | 01:00 → 00:00 |
| 2:00 AM | 1:00 AM | 02:00 → 01:00 |
| 3:00 AM | 2:00 AM | 03:00 → 02:00 |
| 4:00 AM | 3:00 AM | 04:00 → 03:00 |
| 5:00 AM | 4:00 AM | 05:00 → 04:00 |
| 6:00 AM | 5:00 AM | 06:00 → 05:00 |
| 7:00 AM | 6:00 AM | 07:00 → 06:00 |
| 8:00 AM | 7:00 AM | 08:00 → 07:00 |
| 9:00 AM | 8:00 AM | 09:00 → 08:00 |
| 10:00 AM | 9:00 AM | 10:00 → 09:00 |
| 11:00 AM | 10:00 AM | 11:00 → 10:00 |
| 12:00 PM | 11:00 AM | 12:00 → 11:00 |
| 1:00 PM | 12:00 PM | 13:00 → 12:00 |
| 2:00 PM | 1:00 PM | 14:00 → 13:00 |
| 3:00 PM | 2:00 PM | 15:00 → 14:00 |
| 4:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 16:00 → 15:00 |
| 5:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 17:00 → 16:00 |
| 6:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 18:00 → 17:00 |
| 7:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 19:00 → 18:00 |
| 8:00 PM | 7:00 PM | 20:00 → 19:00 |
| 9:00 PM | 8:00 PM | 21:00 → 20:00 |
| 10:00 PM | 9:00 PM | 22:00 → 21:00 |
| 11:00 PM | 10:00 PM | 23:00 → 22:00 |
Bold rows fall inside office hours (9:00 to 17:00) on both sides. The dot marks the current EST hour.
The EST times people look up most
| EST | CST −1 h |
|---|---|
| 11:00 AM | 10:00 AM |
| 12:00 PM | 11:00 AM |
| 9:00 AM | 8:00 AM |
| 10:00 AM | 9:00 AM |
| 9:30 AM | 8:30 AM |
| 9:30 PM | 8:30 PM |
| 2:30 AM | 1:30 AM |
| 2:30 PM | 1:30 PM |
Does the difference change during the year?
No. New York and Chicago 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 EST to CST by hand
Take away 1 hour: 3:30 PM EST is 2:30 PM CST.
Going back from CST to EST, do the opposite: the CST to EST page has its own table.
Where the EST and CST working days overlap
Two 9:00–17:00 days share 7 hours: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST, which is 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM CST.
What EST and CST 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 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.