Convert EST to CST
EST
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CST
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CST is 1 hour behind EST all year, because both zones change their clocks on the same dates. EST is US Eastern Time, EST at UTC−5 in winter and EDT at UTC−4 in summer. CST is US Central Time, CST at UTC−6 in winter and CDT at UTC−5 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.
EST to CST at a glance
| EST | CST, all year |
|---|---|
| 00:00 | 23:00 -1d |
| 06:00 | 05:00 |
| 09:00 | 08:00 |
| 12:00 | 11:00 |
| 15:00 | 14:00 |
| 18:00 | 17:00 |
| 21:00 | 20:00 |
In 2026, clocks in both zones change on 8 March and 1 November.
Common questions
- What is the time difference between EST and CST?
- CST is 1 hour behind EST all year, because both zones change their clocks on the same dates. The table on this page lists common EST hours with their CST equivalents, and the converter gives the exact gap for any date you enter.
- What time is it in CST right now?
- The CST panel at the top of the page shows the current local time there, next to EST, 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 EST time to CST?
- Type the EST time into the box and the panel shows the same moment in CST. For example, 09:00 in EST on 1 June 2026 is 08:00 the same day in CST. A time with no zone is read as EST on this page; the selector under the box switches that to CST or to your own zone, and a Unix number or an ISO 8601 string with an offset is always read as written.
- Does the EST to CST 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.