Skip to content
Timezone Prime

CST to EST converter

Convert Central Time (CST/CDT) to Eastern Time (EST/EDT), with daylight saving applied for the exact date you pick.

From

Tue, Oct 27

To

Tue, Oct 27 Same day

CDT 9 to 5 EDT 9 to 5

From zone
Central Daylight Time
Offset and clock
UTC−5 Daylight saving time
IANA name
America/Chicago
To zone
Eastern Daylight Time
Offset and clock
UTC−4 Daylight saving time
IANA name
America/New_York

EDT is 1 hour ahead of CDT.

Time difference
EDT is 1 hour ahead of CDT for most of the year (238 days in 2026). The gap is 2 hours for 0 days in 2026. The gap is 0 hours for 0 days in 2026.
Meeting window
Working days of 9 AM to 5 PM overlap from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM CDT, which is 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM EDT while CDT and EDT 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 Chicago to New York, Chicago to Toronto and Texas to New York.

Where CST and EST 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 Time
  • Eastern 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.
Chicago (CDT) New York (EDT) Working hours
12:00 AM 1:00 AM
1:00 AM 2:00 AM
2:00 AM 3:00 AM
3:00 AM 4:00 AM
4:00 AM 5:00 AM
5:00 AM 6:00 AM
6:00 AM 7:00 AM
7:00 AM 8:00 AM
8:00 AM 9:00 AM
9:00 AM 10:00 AM Both working
10:00 AM 11:00 AM Both working
11:00 AM 12:00 PM Both working
12:00 PM 1:00 PM Both working
1:00 PM 2:00 PM Both working
2:00 PM 3:00 PM Both working
3:00 PM 4:00 PM Both working
4:00 PM 5:00 PM
5:00 PM 6:00 PM
6:00 PM 7:00 PM
7:00 PM 8:00 PM
8:00 PM 9:00 PM
9:00 PM 10:00 PM
10:00 PM 11:00 PM
11:00 PM 12:00 AM next day

CST to EST conversion table

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

CST to EST conversion table
Central Time EDT or EST 1 h ahead, all year EDT 2 h ahead, 0 days in 2026
12:00 AM 1:00 AM2:00 AM
1:00 AM 2:00 AM3:00 AM
2:00 AM 3:00 AM4:00 AM
3:00 AM 4:00 AM5:00 AM
4:00 AM 5:00 AM6:00 AM
5:00 AM 6:00 AM7:00 AM
6:00 AM 7:00 AM8:00 AM
7:00 AM 8:00 AM9:00 AM
8:00 AM 9:00 AM10:00 AM
9:00 AM 10:00 AM11:00 AM
9:30 AM 10:30 AM11:30 AM
10:00 AM 11:00 AM12:00 PM
10:30 AM 11:30 AM12:30 PM
11:00 AM 12:00 PM1:00 PM
11:30 AM 12:30 PM1:30 PM
12:00 PM 1:00 PM2:00 PM
12:30 PM 1:30 PM2:30 PM
1:00 PM 2:00 PM3:00 PM
1:30 PM 2:30 PM3:30 PM
2:00 PM 3:00 PM4:00 PM
2:30 PM 3:30 PM4:30 PM
3:00 PM 4:00 PM5:00 PM
3:30 PM 4:30 PM5:30 PM
4:00 PM 5:00 PM6:00 PM
4:30 PM 5:30 PM6:30 PM
5:00 PM 6:00 PM7:00 PM
5:30 PM 6:30 PM7:30 PM
6:00 PM 7:00 PM8:00 PM
7:00 PM 8:00 PM9:00 PM
8:00 PM 9:00 PM10:00 PM
9:00 PM 10:00 PM11:00 PM
10:00 PM 11:00 PM12:00 AM (next day)
11:00 PM 12:00 AM (next day)1:00 AM (next day)

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 CST and EST
Dates CST EST Difference
Thu, Jan 1, 2026 until Sun, Mar 8, 2026 CST EST EST 1 h ahead
Sun, Mar 8, 2026 until Sun, Mar 8, 2026 CST EDT EDT 2 h ahead
Sun, Mar 8, 2026 until Sun, Nov 1, 2026 CDT EDT EDT 1 h ahead
Sun, Nov 1, 2026 until Sun, Nov 1, 2026 CDT EST Same time
Sun, Nov 1, 2026 until Sun, Mar 14, 2027 CST EST EST 1 h ahead
Sun, Mar 14, 2027 until Sun, Mar 14, 2027 CST EDT EDT 2 h ahead
Sun, Mar 14, 2027 until Sun, Nov 7, 2027 CDT EDT EDT 1 h ahead
Sun, Nov 7, 2027 until Sun, Nov 7, 2027 CDT EST Same time
Sun, Nov 7, 2027 until Sat, Jan 1, 2028 CST EST EST 1 h ahead

Upcoming clock changes

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

About the two zones

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).

Eastern Time (EST / EDT)

Eastern Time follows the clock in New York. It is Eastern Standard Time (EST, UTC−5) in winter and Eastern Daylight Time (EDT, UTC−4) from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November.

IANA zone
America/New_York
Offset
UTC−5 standard, UTC−4 daylight saving
Used in
the eastern United States and Canada
Major cities
New York, Toronto, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Miami, Boston

People often write EST all year round. Strictly, EST is only the winter offset; in summer the eastern US is on EDT. The converter follows the real New York clock for the date you pick.

CST and EST, answered

What is the time difference between CST and EST?

EDT is 1 hour ahead of CDT for most of the year (238 days in 2026). The gap is 2 hours for 0 days in 2026. The gap is 0 hours for 0 days in 2026.

How do I work out the time in New York from CST?

New York uses Eastern Time. EDT is 1 hour ahead of CDT for most of the year (238 days in 2026). The gap is 2 hours for 0 days in 2026. The gap is 0 hours for 0 days in 2026. Type any CST time into the CST to EST converter to see the New York time for any date.

What is 9:00 AM CST in EST?

9:00 AM CDT or CST is 10:00 AM EDT or EST for all year. 9:00 AM CST is 11:00 AM EDT for 0 days in 2026.

What is 12:00 PM CST in EST?

12:00 PM CDT or CST is 1:00 PM EDT or EST for all year. 12:00 PM CST is 2:00 PM EDT for 0 days in 2026.

What is 10:00 AM CST in EST?

10:00 AM CDT or CST is 11:00 AM EDT or EST for all year. 10:00 AM CST is 12:00 PM EDT for 0 days in 2026.

What is 5:00 PM CST in EST?

5:00 PM CDT or CST is 6:00 PM EDT or EST for all year. 5:00 PM CST is 7:00 PM EDT for 0 days in 2026.

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

Yes. EDT is 1 hour ahead of CDT for most of the year (238 days in 2026). The gap is 2 hours for 0 days in 2026. The gap is 0 hours for 0 days in 2026.

What is a good meeting time for CST and EST?

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

Does daylight saving time affect CST to EST?

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 Eastern Time.

Which CST does the CST to EST converter use?

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

Which EST does the CST to EST converter use?

People often write EST all year round. Strictly, EST is only the winter offset; in summer the eastern US is on EDT. The converter follows the real New York clock for the date you pick.