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Timezone Prime

CET to CST converter

Convert Central European Time (CET/CEST) to Central Time (CST/CDT), with daylight saving applied for the exact date you pick.

From

Tue, Oct 27

To

Tue, Oct 27 Same day

CET 9 to 5 CDT 9 to 5

From zone
Central European Standard Time
Offset and clock
UTC+1 Standard time
IANA name
Europe/Berlin
To zone
Central Daylight Time
Offset and clock
UTC−5 Daylight saving time
IANA name
America/Chicago

CDT is 6 hours behind CET.

Time difference
CDT is 7 hours behind CEST for most of the year (210 days in 2026). The gap is 6 hours for about 4 weeks in 2026.
Meeting window
Working days of 9 AM to 5 PM overlap from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM CEST, which is 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM CDT while CEST and CDT apply.
Daylight saving
Both zones change their clocks, on the dates listed below, so the gap can shift during the year.

The same conversion works for every city on these clocks, such as Germany to Chicago, Germany to Texas and Berlin to Chicago.

Where CET and CST apply

Shaded areas follow the official zone boundaries, so a country split across zones is split here too. Hover or tap a region for its local time.

  • Central European Time
  • Central Time
  • Same UTC offset right now, different zone rules

Drag to pan. Ctrl and scroll, or pinch, to zoom. Boundaries: timezone-boundary-builder, © OpenStreetMap contributors

Hour by hour

Every hour of Tuesday, October 27, 2026, side by side. Days with a clock change show 23 or 25 rows.

Shaded rows fall inside working hours in both places.

Hourly comparison of the two time zones. Choose a time to load it in the converter.
Berlin (CET) Chicago (CDT) Working hours
12:00 AM 6:00 PM previous day
1:00 AM 7:00 PM previous day
2:00 AM 8:00 PM previous day
3:00 AM 9:00 PM previous day
4:00 AM 10:00 PM previous day
5:00 AM 11:00 PM previous day
6:00 AM 12:00 AM
7:00 AM 1:00 AM
8:00 AM 2:00 AM
9:00 AM 3:00 AM
10:00 AM 4:00 AM
11:00 AM 5:00 AM
12:00 PM 6:00 AM
1:00 PM 7:00 AM
2:00 PM 8:00 AM
3:00 PM 9:00 AM Both working
4:00 PM 10:00 AM Both working
5:00 PM 11:00 AM
6:00 PM 12:00 PM
7:00 PM 1:00 PM
8:00 PM 2:00 PM
9:00 PM 3:00 PM
10:00 PM 4:00 PM
11:00 PM 5:00 PM

CET to CST conversion table

Every hour of the Central European Time day, plus the common half hours, and their CST equivalents. The second column covers the part of the year when the clocks are on a different gap.

CET to CST conversion table
Central European Time CDT or CST 7 h behind, most of the year (337 days in 2026) CDT 6 h behind, about 4 weeks in 2026
12:00 AM 5:00 PM (previous day)6:00 PM (previous day)
1:00 AM 6:00 PM (previous day)7:00 PM (previous day)
2:00 AM 7:00 PM (previous day)8:00 PM (previous day)
3:00 AM 8:00 PM (previous day)9:00 PM (previous day)
4:00 AM 9:00 PM (previous day)10:00 PM (previous day)
5:00 AM 10:00 PM (previous day)11:00 PM (previous day)
6:00 AM 11:00 PM (previous day)12:00 AM
7:00 AM 12:00 AM1:00 AM
8:00 AM 1:00 AM2:00 AM
9:00 AM 2:00 AM3:00 AM
9:30 AM 2:30 AM3:30 AM
10:00 AM 3:00 AM4:00 AM
10:30 AM 3:30 AM4:30 AM
11:00 AM 4:00 AM5:00 AM
11:30 AM 4:30 AM5:30 AM
12:00 PM 5:00 AM6:00 AM
12:30 PM 5:30 AM6:30 AM
1:00 PM 6:00 AM7:00 AM
1:30 PM 6:30 AM7:30 AM
2:00 PM 7:00 AM8:00 AM
2:30 PM 7:30 AM8:30 AM
3:00 PM 8:00 AM9:00 AM
3:30 PM 8:30 AM9:30 AM
4:00 PM 9:00 AM10:00 AM
4:30 PM 9:30 AM10:30 AM
5:00 PM 10:00 AM11:00 AM
5:30 PM 10:30 AM11:30 AM
6:00 PM 11:00 AM12:00 PM
7:00 PM 12:00 PM1:00 PM
8:00 PM 1:00 PM2:00 PM
9:00 PM 2:00 PM3:00 PM
10:00 PM 3:00 PM4:00 PM
11:00 PM 4:00 PM5:00 PM

How the gap changes in 2026 and 2027

Each row is a stretch of days with one constant difference, split at every clock change.

Time difference periods between CET and CST
Dates CET CST Difference
Thu, Jan 1, 2026 until Sun, Mar 8, 2026 CET CST CST 7 h behind
Sun, Mar 8, 2026 until Sun, Mar 29, 2026 CET CDT CDT 6 h behind
Sun, Mar 29, 2026 until Sun, Oct 25, 2026 CEST CDT CDT 7 h behind
Sun, Oct 25, 2026 until Sun, Nov 1, 2026 CET CDT CDT 6 h behind
Sun, Nov 1, 2026 until Sun, Mar 14, 2027 CET CST CST 7 h behind
Sun, Mar 14, 2027 until Sun, Mar 28, 2027 CET CDT CDT 6 h behind
Sun, Mar 28, 2027 until Sun, Oct 31, 2027 CEST CDT CDT 7 h behind
Sun, Oct 31, 2027 until Sun, Nov 7, 2027 CET CDT CDT 6 h behind
Sun, Nov 7, 2027 until Sat, Jan 1, 2028 CET CST CST 7 h behind

Upcoming clock changes

  1. Central Time Sunday, November 1, 2026: at 2:00 AM clocks go back 1 hour to 1:00 AM
  2. Central Time Sunday, March 14, 2027: at 2:00 AM clocks go forward 1 hour to 3:00 AM
  3. Central European Time Sunday, March 28, 2027: at 2:00 AM clocks go forward 1 hour to 3:00 AM
  4. Central European Time Sunday, October 31, 2027: at 3:00 AM clocks go back 1 hour to 2:00 AM
  5. Central Time Sunday, November 7, 2027: at 2:00 AM clocks go back 1 hour to 1:00 AM
  6. Central Time Sunday, March 12, 2028: at 2:00 AM clocks go forward 1 hour to 3:00 AM
  7. Central European Time Sunday, March 26, 2028: at 2:00 AM clocks go forward 1 hour to 3:00 AM

About the two zones

Central European Time (CET / CEST)

Central European Time is UTC+1 in winter and Central European Summer Time (CEST, UTC+2) from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October.

IANA zone
Europe/Berlin
Offset
UTC+1 standard, UTC+2 daylight saving
Used in
most of continental Europe
Major cities
Berlin, Paris, Madrid, Rome, Amsterdam, Warsaw

Central Time (CST / CDT)

Central Time follows the clock in Chicago: Central Standard Time (CST, UTC−6) in winter and Central Daylight Time (CDT, UTC−5) during US daylight saving time.

IANA zone
America/Chicago
Offset
UTC−6 standard, UTC−5 daylight saving
Used in
the central United States and parts of Canada
Major cities
Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Minneapolis, Winnipeg, New Orleans

CST is also used for China Standard Time (UTC+8) and Cuba Standard Time. Here CST means US Central Time (America/Chicago).

CET and CST, answered

What is the time difference between CET and CST?

CDT is 7 hours behind CEST for most of the year (210 days in 2026). The gap is 6 hours for about 4 weeks in 2026.

How do I work out the time in Chicago from CET?

Chicago uses Central Time. CDT is 7 hours behind CEST for most of the year (210 days in 2026). The gap is 6 hours for about 4 weeks in 2026. Type any CET time into the CET to CST converter to see the Chicago time for any date.

What is 9:00 AM CET in CST?

9:00 AM CEST or CET is 2:00 AM CDT or CST for most of the year (337 days in 2026). 9:00 AM CET is 3:00 AM CDT for about 4 weeks in 2026.

What is 12:00 PM CET in CST?

12:00 PM CEST or CET is 5:00 AM CDT or CST for most of the year (337 days in 2026). 12:00 PM CET is 6:00 AM CDT for about 4 weeks in 2026.

What is 10:00 AM CET in CST?

10:00 AM CEST or CET is 3:00 AM CDT or CST for most of the year (337 days in 2026). 10:00 AM CET is 4:00 AM CDT for about 4 weeks in 2026.

What is 5:00 PM CET in CST?

5:00 PM CEST or CET is 10:00 AM CDT or CST for most of the year (337 days in 2026). 5:00 PM CET is 11:00 AM CDT for about 4 weeks in 2026.

Is CST ahead of CET, and by how many hours?

No, CST is behind CET. CDT is 7 hours behind CEST for most of the year (210 days in 2026). The gap is 6 hours for about 4 weeks in 2026.

What is a good meeting time for CET and CST?

Working days of 9 AM to 5 PM overlap from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM CEST, which is 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM CDT while CEST and CDT apply.

Does daylight saving time affect CET to CST?

Both zones change their clocks, on their own dates, so the gap can shift during the year. The next change is on Sunday, November 1, 2026 in Central Time.

Which CST does the CET to CST converter use?

CST is also used for China Standard Time (UTC+8) and Cuba Standard Time. Here CST means US Central Time (America/Chicago).

Related conversions

From Central European Time

To Central Time