CST/CDT: Central Time
Central Time, UTC−5 right now. Used in US, Canada & Mexico. Clocks go back 1 hour on Sun, Nov 1, 2026.
CST · Central Time
CDT
Tuesday, October 27, 2026
UTC−5
- Abbreviation
- CST/CDT
- Full name
- Central Time
- UTC offset now
- UTC−5
- Standard time
- UTC−6
- Daylight time
- UTC−5
- Daylight saving
- Yes
- Reference zone
America/Chicago- Where
- US, Canada & Mexico
Daylight saving time in CST
DST started
Sun, Mar 8, 2026
Clocks went forward 1 hour
DST ends
Sun, Nov 1, 2026
Clocks go back 1 hour
Winter
UTC−6
CST
Summer
UTC−5
CDT
CST is the standard time; in summer the zone is on CDT, UTC−5. Clocks go back 1 hour on Sun, Nov 1, 2026.
Countries and cities on CST
Where Central Time is kept, with each country's largest cities in the zone. Open a city for its clock, sunrise and sunset, and the time difference to the rest of the world.
| City | Local time | Compared to CST |
|---|---|---|
| MexicoMexico City, Iztapalapa, Puebla | Tue 3:00 AM | −1h (behind) |
| United StatesChicago, Houston, San Antonio | Tue 4:00 AM | Same time |
| GuatemalaGuatemala City, Villa Nueva, Mixco | Tue 3:00 AM | −1h (behind) |
| HondurasTegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, Danlí | Tue 3:00 AM | −1h (behind) |
| NicaraguaManagua, León, Masaya | Tue 3:00 AM | −1h (behind) |
| CanadaWinnipeg, Saskatoon, Regina | Tue 4:00 AM | Same time |
| El SalvadorSan Salvador, Soyapango, San Miguel | Tue 3:00 AM | −1h (behind) |
| Costa RicaSan José, Limón, Alajuela | Tue 3:00 AM | −1h (behind) |
| BelizeBelize City, San Ignacio, San Pedro | Tue 3:00 AM | −1h (behind) |
Convert CST
- CST to EST
- EST to CST
- PST to CST
- UTC to CST
- CST to PST
- MST to CST
- CDT to EST
- CST to MST
- CDT to EDT
- GMT to CST
- PDT to CST
- EDT to CDT
- EDT to CST
- CST to IST
- IST to CST
- CST to UTC
- CET to CST
- CDT to PST
- CDT to CST
- CST to GMT
- UTC to CDT
- BST to CST
- KST to CST
- MDT to CST
- EST to CDT
- JST to CST
- CEST to CST
- CDT to UTC
- PDT to CDT
- CST to EDT
- PST to CDT
- CDT to PDT
- CDT to IST
- CST to PDT
- MDT to CDT
Frequently asked questions
The clock at the top of this page shows the current time in Central Time (CST, or CDT in summer), following the rules of the America/Chicago time zone. It is UTC−5 at the moment.
CST stands for Central Time. It is used in US, Canada & Mexico.
CST is UTC−6. During daylight saving time the same places are on CDT, UTC−5.
CST is the standard time; in summer the zone is on CDT, UTC−5. Clocks go back 1 hour on Sun, Nov 1, 2026.
Other time zones
- UTCThe world's reference time
- GMTUTC+0 all year
- EST/EDTUS & Canada
- MST/MDTUS & Canada
- PST/PDTUS & Canada
- AKST/AKDTAlaska
- HSTHawaii
- AST/ADTAtlantic Canada & the Caribbean
- NST/NDTNewfoundland
- GMT/BSTUnited Kingdom
- WET/WESTPortugal & the Canary Islands
- CET/CESTBerlin
- EET/EESTAthens
- MSKMoscow
- TRTTürkiye
- EATNairobi
- CATMaputo
- SASTSouth Africa
- WATLagos
- ASTSaudi Arabia
- GSTUAE & Oman
- IRSTIran
- PKTPakistan
- ISTIndia
- IST/IDTIsrael
- GMT/ISTIreland
- NPTNepal
- BSTBangladesh
- ICTThailand
- WIBJakarta
- CSTChina
- HKTHong Kong
- SGTSingapore
- MYTMalaysia
- PHTPhilippines
- AWSTPerth
- JSTJapan
- KSTSouth Korea
- ACST/ACDTAdelaide
- AEST/AEDTSydney
- NZST/NZDTNew Zealand
- BRTSão Paulo
- ARTArgentina
- CST/CDTCuba
- SSTAmerican Samoa
- AoEUTC−12 all year
Place data from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Times follow the IANA time zone database; sunrise and sunset are computed for the city's coordinates.