Convert CST to EST
CST
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EST
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EST is 1 hour ahead of CST all year, because both zones change their clocks on the same dates. CST is US Central Time, CST at UTC−6 in winter and CDT at UTC−5 in summer. EST is US Eastern Time, EST at UTC−5 in winter and EDT at UTC−4 in summer. Paste a Unix timestamp, an ISO 8601 string or a plain date such as June 1 2026 3:00 pm and the converter shows that moment in both zones, with UTC and Unix time alongside.
CST to EST at a glance
| CST | EST, all year |
|---|---|
| 00:00 | 01:00 |
| 06:00 | 07:00 |
| 09:00 | 10:00 |
| 12:00 | 13:00 |
| 15:00 | 16:00 |
| 18:00 | 19:00 |
| 21:00 | 22:00 |
In 2026, clocks in both zones change on 8 March and 1 November.
Common questions
- What is the time difference between CST and EST?
- EST is 1 hour ahead of CST all year, because both zones change their clocks on the same dates. The table on this page lists common CST hours with their EST equivalents, and the converter gives the exact gap for any date you enter.
- What time is it in EST right now?
- The EST panel at the top of the page shows the current local time there, next to CST, so you can compare at a glance. The gap is the same whatever the date, so the reading never needs adjusting.
- How do I convert a specific CST time to EST?
- Type the CST time into the box and the panel shows the same moment in EST. For example, 09:00 in CST on 1 June 2026 is 10:00 the same day in EST. A time with no zone is read as CST on this page; the selector under the box switches that to EST or to your own zone, and a Unix number or an ISO 8601 string with an offset is always read as written.
- Does the CST to EST difference change with daylight saving time?
- Hardly. Both zones change their clocks on 8 March and 1 November in 2026, each at 2 a.m. local time, so apart from a couple of hours on those two nights the gap holds at 1 hour all year.