MeetingTimePro

CST to EST converter

Central Time to Eastern Time. EST is 1 h ahead of CST all year.

From

CST · Chicago CDT · UTC−5

  • EST · New YorkEDT · UTC−4 · 1 h ahead
    10:00Mon, Sep 28
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The gap between CST and EST

2026CST clocksEST clocksDifference
JanuaryCST UTC−6EST UTC−51 h ahead
JulyCDT UTC−5EDT UTC−41 h ahead

Neither clock changes relative to the other, so this gap holds all year.

Convert the other way: EST to CST · Plan a meeting across more places

CST to EST time table

Every hour of the CST day and the matching EST time, for a mid-January and a mid-July date (they are identical, since the gap never changes).

CSTEST · January
12:00 AM1:00 AM
1:00 AM2:00 AM
2:00 AM3:00 AM
3:00 AM4:00 AM
4:00 AM5:00 AM
5:00 AM6:00 AM
6:00 AM7:00 AM
7:00 AM8:00 AM
8:00 AM9:00 AM
9:00 AM10:00 AM
10:00 AM11:00 AM
11:00 AM12:00 PM
12:00 PM1:00 PM
1:00 PM2:00 PM
2:00 PM3:00 PM
3:00 PM4:00 PM
4:00 PM5:00 PM
5:00 PM6:00 PM
6:00 PM7:00 PM
7:00 PM8:00 PM
8:00 PM9:00 PM
9:00 PM10:00 PM
10:00 PM11:00 PM
11:00 PM12:00 AM (+1 day)

About these two clocks

CST — Central Time. Used in Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Mexico City is separate. CST is the winter name; in summer the same clocks run on CDT (UTC−5). Conversions here follow the clocks.

EST — Eastern Time. Used in New York, Toronto, Miami, Atlanta. Strictly, EST is the winter name; from March to November the same clocks show EDT (UTC−4). This page follows the clocks, so summer dates use EDT.

All figures on this page come from the IANA time zone database (the same data your phone and laptop use), evaluated for the date in question. Abbreviations are ambiguous — “IST” also means Irish or Israel Standard Time, and “CST” is China Standard Time in Asia — so this page uses America/Chicago and America/New_York explicitly.

Questions people ask

How many hours ahead or behind is EST compared with CST?

EST is 1 h ahead of CST all year, because the offset between the two clocks does not change.

What is 9 am CST in EST?

On a January date, 9:00 am CST is 10:00 AM EST. Use the converter above for any other date.

Which cities use CST?

Central Time (CST) is used in Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Mexico City is separate. CST is the winter name; in summer the same clocks run on CDT (UTC−5). Conversions here follow the clocks.

Which cities use EST?

Eastern Time (EST) is used in New York, Toronto, Miami, Atlanta. Strictly, EST is the winter name; from March to November the same clocks show EDT (UTC−4). This page follows the clocks, so summer dates use EDT.

When is a good time for a CST–EST call?

Look for the hours where both columns in the table fall between about 8 am and 6 pm. If none exist, the meeting planner on our home page shows the least-bad options and lets you share a link that converts for every attendee.

Related conversions

UTC to ESTPST to ESTIST to ESTCST to ISTGMT to ESTMST to ESTCST to PSTCET to ESTBST to ESTJST to EST