EST to CST converter
When it's 9:00 am in New York, it's 8:00 am in Chicago. Your 9-to-5 working days overlap for 7 hours, so there's room for a meeting most days.
Convert Eastern Standard Time (EST) to Central Standard Time (CST) for any date and time.
Central Time is 1 hour behind Eastern Time all year.
Right now Eastern Time is on EDT (UTC−4) and Central Time is on CDT (UTC−5). Both switch back to standard time on 1 November 2026.
US clocks go back on 1 November 2026. From then, CST is still 1 hour behind EST.
9:00 am to 5:00 pm EST is 8:00 am to 4:00 pm CST.
- 8:00 am EST is 7:00 am CST
- 9:00 am EST is 8:00 am CST
- 10:00 am EST is 9:00 am CST
- 12:00 pm EST is 11:00 am CST
- 3:00 pm EST is 2:00 pm CST
- 5:00 pm EST is 4:00 pm CST
Hours in Eastern Time, Fri, Oct 23
Eastern Time
US & Canada
Fri, Oct 23
EDT · UTC−4ReferenceOutside working hoursCentral Time
US, Canada & Mexico
Fri, Oct 23
CDT · UTC−5−1h from Eastern TimeOutside working hours
Best time to meet: 10:00 AM–5:00 PM in Eastern 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
EST to CST conversion table
Every hour of the day in EST, converted to CST. Shaded cells are working hours (9:00 am to 5:00 pm); green rows are working hours in both zones.
| EST | CST |
|---|---|
| 12:00 am EST | 11:00 pm CST(day before) |
| 1:00 am EST | 12:00 am CST |
| 2:00 am EST | 1:00 am CST |
| 3:00 am EST | 2:00 am CST |
| 4:00 am EST | 3:00 am CST |
| 5:00 am EST | 4:00 am CST |
| 6:00 am EST | 5:00 am CST |
| 7:00 am EST | 6:00 am CST |
| 8:00 am EST | 7:00 am CST |
| 9:00 am EST | 8:00 am CST |
| 10:00 am EST | 9:00 am CST |
| 11:00 am EST | 10:00 am CST |
| 12:00 pm EST | 11:00 am CST |
| 1:00 pm EST | 12:00 pm CST |
| 2:00 pm EST | 1:00 pm CST |
| 3:00 pm EST | 2:00 pm CST |
| 4:00 pm EST | 3:00 pm CST |
| 5:00 pm EST | 4:00 pm CST |
| 6:00 pm EST | 5:00 pm CST |
| 7:00 pm EST | 6:00 pm CST |
| 8:00 pm EST | 7:00 pm CST |
| 9:00 pm EST | 8:00 pm CST |
| 10:00 pm EST | 9:00 pm CST |
| 11:00 pm EST | 10:00 pm CST |
Best times to meet
Your working hours overlap for 7 hours, from 10:00 am EST (9:00 am CST) to 5:00 pm EST (4:00 pm CST). That's the best window for a meeting.
About these time zones
EST: Eastern Standard Time
Eastern Standard Time is UTC−5.
New York, Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Ohio, Michigan and the rest of the East Coast, plus Ontario and Quebec in Canada. Panama, Jamaica and Cancún stay on EST all year. ET is the short form for the whole zone.
Most places on Eastern Time are on EDT (UTC−4) right now, not EST. People still say "EST" all year, so the times on this page follow the clocks and show EDT until 1 November 2026.
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.
How the difference changes
Both zones change their clocks on the same dates (next on 1 November 2026), so the difference stays 1 hour all year.