CST to UTC converter
UTC never changes for daylight saving time, but Central Time does, so the gap moves by an hour twice a year. The table below always shows the right one for your date.
Convert Central Standard Time (CST) to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) for any date and time.
UTC is 5 hours ahead of Central Time from March to November, and 6 hours ahead the rest of the year.
Right now Central Time is on CDT (UTC−5) and UTC is UTC+0. Central Time switches back to standard time on 1 November 2026.
US clocks go back on 1 November 2026. From then, UTC is 6 hours ahead of CST.
9:00 am to 5:00 pm CDT is 2:00 pm to 10:00 pm UTC.
- 8:00 am CDT is 1:00 pm UTC
- 9:00 am CDT is 2:00 pm UTC
- 10:00 am CDT is 3:00 pm UTC
- 12:00 pm CDT is 5:00 pm UTC
- 3:00 pm CDT is 8:00 pm UTC
- 5:00 pm CDT is 10:00 pm UTC
Hours in Central Time, Fri, Oct 23
Central Time
US, Canada & Mexico
Fri, Oct 23
CDT · UTC−5ReferenceOutside working hoursCoordinated Universal Time
The world's reference time, UTC+0 all year
Fri, Oct 23
UTC · UTC+0+5h from Central TimeWorking hours
Best time to meet: 9:00 AM–12:00 PM in Central Time on Fri, Oct 23, when everyone is inside working hours.
Book a meeting in this windowWorking hours: 9:00 AM–5:00 PM, Monday to FridayEveryone at work
CST to UTC conversion table
Every hour of the day in CDT, converted to UTC. Shaded cells are working hours (9:00 am to 5:00 pm); green rows are working hours in both zones.
| CDT / CST | UTC (with CDT)Until 1 November 2026; From 14 March 2027 | UTC (with CST)1 November 2026 to 14 March 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 12:00 am | 5:00 am UTC | 6:00 am UTC |
| 1:00 am | 6:00 am UTC | 7:00 am UTC |
| 2:00 am | 7:00 am UTC | 8:00 am UTC |
| 3:00 am | 8:00 am UTC | 9:00 am UTC |
| 4:00 am | 9:00 am UTC | 10:00 am UTC |
| 5:00 am | 10:00 am UTC | 11:00 am UTC |
| 6:00 am | 11:00 am UTC | 12:00 pm UTC |
| 7:00 am | 12:00 pm UTC | 1:00 pm UTC |
| 8:00 am | 1:00 pm UTC | 2:00 pm UTC |
| 9:00 am | 2:00 pm UTC | 3:00 pm UTC |
| 10:00 am | 3:00 pm UTC | 4:00 pm UTC |
| 11:00 am | 4:00 pm UTC | 5:00 pm UTC |
| 12:00 pm | 5:00 pm UTC | 6:00 pm UTC |
| 1:00 pm | 6:00 pm UTC | 7:00 pm UTC |
| 2:00 pm | 7:00 pm UTC | 8:00 pm UTC |
| 3:00 pm | 8:00 pm UTC | 9:00 pm UTC |
| 4:00 pm | 9:00 pm UTC | 10:00 pm UTC |
| 5:00 pm | 10:00 pm UTC | 11:00 pm UTC |
| 6:00 pm | 11:00 pm UTC | 12:00 am UTC(next day) |
| 7:00 pm | 12:00 am UTC(next day) | 1:00 am UTC(next day) |
| 8:00 pm | 1:00 am UTC(next day) | 2:00 am UTC(next day) |
| 9:00 pm | 2:00 am UTC(next day) | 3:00 am UTC(next day) |
| 10:00 pm | 3:00 am UTC(next day) | 4:00 am UTC(next day) |
| 11:00 pm | 4:00 am UTC(next day) | 5:00 am UTC(next day) |
Best times to meet
Your working hours overlap for 3 hours, from 9:00 am CDT (2:00 pm UTC) to 12:00 pm CDT (5:00 pm UTC). That's the best window for a meeting.
About these time zones
CST: Central Standard Time
Central Standard Time is UTC−6. CST is also used for China Standard Time (UTC+8) and Cuba Standard Time (UTC−5). This page converts North American Central Time.
Texas, Illinois, Minnesota, Louisiana and most of the Midwest and South, plus Manitoba in Canada. Saskatchewan and most of Mexico stay on CST all year. CT is the short form for the whole zone.
Most places on Central Time are on CDT (UTC−5) right now, not CST. People still say "CST" all year, so the times on this page follow the clocks and show CDT until 1 November 2026.
UTC: Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is UTC+0.
The world's reference time. Every other zone is defined as an offset from UTC, and it never changes for daylight saving time. Servers, aviation and international deadlines use it.
How the difference changes
Right now UTC is 5 hours ahead of CDT. From 1 November 2026, when US clocks go back, the difference becomes 6 hours. From 14 March 2027, when US clocks go forward, the difference becomes 5 hours.