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TimezonePrime

MST to CST converter

Convert Mountain Time (MST/MDT) 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

MDT 9 to 5 CDT 9 to 5

From zone
Mountain Daylight Time
Offset and clock
UTC−6 Daylight saving time
IANA name
America/Denver
To zone
Central Daylight Time
Offset and clock
UTC−5 Daylight saving time
IANA name
America/Chicago

CDT is 1 hour ahead of MDT.

Time difference
CDT is 1 hour ahead of MDT 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 MDT, which is 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM CDT while MDT 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 Denver to Chicago, Denver to Texas and Arizona to Chicago.

Where MST 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.

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

Drag to pan. Ctrl and scroll, or pinch, to zoom.

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.
Denver (MDT) Chicago (CDT) 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

MST to CST conversion table

Every hour of the Mountain 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.

MST to CST conversion table
Mountain Time CDT or CST 1 h ahead, all year CDT 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 MST and CST
Dates MST CST Difference
Thu, Jan 1, 2026 until Sun, Mar 8, 2026 MST CST CST 1 h ahead
Sun, Mar 8, 2026 until Sun, Mar 8, 2026 MST CDT CDT 2 h ahead
Sun, Mar 8, 2026 until Sun, Nov 1, 2026 MDT CDT CDT 1 h ahead
Sun, Nov 1, 2026 until Sun, Nov 1, 2026 MDT CST Same time
Sun, Nov 1, 2026 until Sun, Mar 14, 2027 MST CST CST 1 h ahead
Sun, Mar 14, 2027 until Sun, Mar 14, 2027 MST CDT CDT 2 h ahead
Sun, Mar 14, 2027 until Sun, Nov 7, 2027 MDT CDT CDT 1 h ahead
Sun, Nov 7, 2027 until Sun, Nov 7, 2027 MDT CST Same time
Sun, Nov 7, 2027 until Sat, Jan 1, 2028 MST CST CST 1 h ahead

Upcoming clock changes

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

About the two zones

Mountain Time (MST / MDT)

Mountain Time follows the clock in Denver: Mountain Standard Time (MST, UTC−7) in winter and Mountain Daylight Time (MDT, UTC−6) during US daylight saving time.

IANA zone
America/Denver
Offset
UTC−7 standard, UTC−6 daylight saving
Used in
the mountain states of the US and parts of Canada
Major cities
Denver, Salt Lake City, Albuquerque, Calgary, Edmonton, Boise

Most of Arizona stays on MST all year and does not switch to MDT. For Phoenix, pick America/Phoenix in the converter.

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).

MST and CST, answered

What is the time difference between MST and CST?

CDT is 1 hour ahead of MDT 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 Chicago from MST?

Chicago uses Central Time. CDT is 1 hour ahead of MDT 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 MST time into the MST to CST converter to see the Chicago time for any date.

What is 9:00 AM MST in CST?

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

What is 12:00 PM MST in CST?

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

What is 10:00 AM MST in CST?

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

What is 5:00 PM MST in CST?

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

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

Yes. CDT is 1 hour ahead of MDT 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 MST and CST?

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

Does daylight saving time affect MST 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 MST does the MST to CST converter use?

Most of Arizona stays on MST all year and does not switch to MDT. For Phoenix, pick America/Phoenix in the converter.

Which CST does the MST 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 Mountain Time

To Central Time