Convert PDT to CST
CST = PDT +1 h
CST is 1 hour ahead of PDT. PDT is always UTC−7 and CST is always UTC−6, so this gap is the same on every date.
PDT · Pacific Daylight Time · UTC−7
9:03AM
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
CST · Central Standard Time · UTC−6
10:03AM
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Los Angeles is on PST (UTC−8) right now.
Chicago is on CST (UTC−6) right now.
PDT to CST for every hour
Each CST column holds for part of the year (dates in the header for 2027). The first uses the fixed offsets (PDT UTC−7, CST UTC−6); the others give local clock time when daylight saving time changes the gap. From 11:00 PM PDT, CST is already on the next calendar day.
| PDT | CST +1 hfixed offsets | CST +2 hall year | 24-hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 AM | 1:00 AM | 2:00 AM | 00:00 → 01:00 |
| 1:00 AM | 2:00 AM | 3:00 AM | 01:00 → 02:00 |
| 2:00 AM | 3:00 AM | 4:00 AM | 02:00 → 03:00 |
| 3:00 AM | 4:00 AM | 5:00 AM | 03:00 → 04:00 |
| 4:00 AM | 5:00 AM | 6:00 AM | 04:00 → 05:00 |
| 5:00 AM | 6:00 AM | 7:00 AM | 05:00 → 06:00 |
| 6:00 AM | 7:00 AM | 8:00 AM | 06:00 → 07:00 |
| 7:00 AM | 8:00 AM | 9:00 AM | 07:00 → 08:00 |
| 8:00 AM | 9:00 AM | 10:00 AM | 08:00 → 09:00 |
| 9:00 AM | 10:00 AM | 11:00 AM | 09:00 → 10:00 |
| 10:00 AM | 11:00 AM | 12:00 PM | 10:00 → 11:00 |
| 11:00 AM | 12:00 PM | 1:00 PM | 11:00 → 12:00 |
| 12:00 PM | 1:00 PM | 2:00 PM | 12:00 → 13:00 |
| 1:00 PM | 2:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 13:00 → 14:00 |
| 2:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 14:00 → 15:00 |
| 3:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 15:00 → 16:00 |
| 4:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 16:00 → 17:00 |
| 5:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 7:00 PM | 17:00 → 18:00 |
| 6:00 PM | 7:00 PM | 8:00 PM | 18:00 → 19:00 |
| 7:00 PM | 8:00 PM | 9:00 PM | 19:00 → 20:00 |
| 8:00 PM | 9:00 PM | 10:00 PM | 20:00 → 21:00 |
| 9:00 PM | 10:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 21:00 → 22:00 |
| 10:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 12:00 AM +1 day | 22:00 → 23:00 |
| 11:00 PM | 12:00 AM +1 day | 1:00 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 PDT hour.
The PDT times people look up most
| PDT | CST +1 h | CST +2 h |
|---|---|---|
| 12:00 PM | 1:00 PM | 2:00 PM |
| 1:00 AM | 2:00 AM | 3:00 AM |
| 1:00 PM | 2:00 PM | 3:00 PM |
| 11:43 PM | 12:43 AM +1 day | 1:43 AM +1 day |
| 8:00 PM | 9:00 PM | 10:00 PM |
| 10:00 AM | 11:00 AM | 12:00 PM |
| 10:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 12:00 AM +1 day |
Does the difference change during the year?
As written, no: PDT is always UTC−7 and CST is always UTC−6, so the gap is 1 hour on every date. But Los Angeles uses PDT only in summer and Chicago uses CST only in winter, and people often keep writing “PDT” when they mean the local time. Between the local clocks of Los Angeles and Chicago, the gap is 2 hours:
| From | What changes | Los Angeles | Chicago | CST vs PDT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | Start of the year | PST (UTC−8) | CST (UTC−6) | +2 h |
| March 8 | Los Angeles moves to PDT (UTC−7) | PDT (UTC−7) | CDT (UTC−5) | +2 h |
| November 1 | Los Angeles moves to PST (UTC−8) | PST (UTC−8) | CST (UTC−6) | +2 h |
| From | What changes | Los Angeles | Chicago | CST vs PDT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | Start of the year | PST (UTC−8) | CST (UTC−6) | +2 h |
| March 14 | Los Angeles moves to PDT (UTC−7) | PDT (UTC−7) | CDT (UTC−5) | +2 h |
| November 7 | Los Angeles moves to PST (UTC−8) | PST (UTC−8) | CST (UTC−6) | +2 h |
On the change nights themselves the two sides do not switch at the same instant. Each changes at its own local time, so for 2 hours in the early hours the gap between the local clocks is different: 3 h on Mar 14 and 1 h on Nov 7, 2027. That matters only for events scheduled in the middle of the night.
Converting PDT to CST by hand
With the fixed offsets, add 1 hour: 3:30 PM PDT is 4:30 PM CST.
With the +2 h gap (all year), add 2 hours: 3:30 PM PDT is 5:30 PM CST.
Going back from CST to PDT, do the opposite.
Where the PDT and CST working days overlap
PDT to CST (+1 h): Two 9:00–17:00 days share 7 hours: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM PDT, which is 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM CST.
+2 h (all through 2027): Two 9:00–17:00 days share 6 hours: 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM PDT, which is 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM CST.
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/Los_Angeles) rather than as a fixed offset.
What PDT and CST mean
Pacific Daylight Time
PDT is UTC−7, the summer time of the US West Coast, from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November. In winter Los Angeles and Seattle return to PST, UTC−8.
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.