CST to EST
Eastern Time is 1 hour ahead of Central Time. Enter a Central time to see what it is in the Eastern zone.
CST to EST in one line
Add 1 hour. 9:00 AM in Chicago is 10:00 AM in New York. Within the United States the gap is the same all year.
CST to EST conversion table
| Central Time | Eastern Time |
|---|---|
| 12:00 AM (midnight) | 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 |
| 10:00 AM | 11:00 AM |
| 11:00 AM | 12:00 PM |
| 12:00 PM (noon) | 1:00 PM |
| 1:00 PM | 2:00 PM |
| 2:00 PM | 3:00 PM |
| 3:00 PM | 4:00 PM |
| 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, CDT, EST and EDT
| Period | Central | Eastern | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard time, early November to mid March | CST, UTC−6 | EST, UTC−5 | 1 hour |
| Daylight time, mid March to early November | CDT, UTC−5 | EDT, UTC−4 | 1 hour |
In 2026, daylight time runs from Sunday 8 March to Sunday 1 November. In those months the proper names are CDT and EDT. Writing CT and ET avoids the question.
Places where “CST” does not follow the US clock
This is where Central Time catches people out. Not everywhere that uses CST changes its clocks.
- Mexico. Most of Mexico, including Mexico City, stopped changing clocks in 2022 and stays on CST all year. From March to November it is therefore 2 hours behind US Eastern Time, not 1.
- Saskatchewan, Canada. Most of the province keeps CST all year, so it is also 2 hours behind Eastern Time in summer.
- Central America. Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras and their neighbours are on UTC−6 all year.
The converter above is set to US Central Time (Chicago). For Mexico City, choose it from the list in the time zone converter.
Times people often need
| What | Central | Eastern |
|---|---|---|
| US stock markets open | 8:30 AM | 9:30 AM |
| US stock markets close | 3:00 PM | 4:00 PM |
| Evening TV listed as “8/7c” | 7:00 PM | 8:00 PM |
| A noon deadline in New York | 11:00 AM | 12:00 noon |
“8/7c” on a TV schedule means 8 PM Eastern and 7 PM Central. The programme goes out to both zones at the same moment.
States split between the two zones
Five states have areas in each zone, so check the city, not the state: Florida (the western Panhandle is Central), Tennessee (Nashville and Memphis are Central, Knoxville is Eastern), Kentucky (Louisville is Eastern, the west is Central), Indiana (mostly Eastern, with corners near Chicago and Evansville on Central) and Michigan (four counties bordering Wisconsin are Central).
For Pacific Time, see PST to EST.
Questions
How many hours ahead is EST of CST?
One. US Eastern Time is 1 hour ahead of US Central Time throughout the year.
What is 9 AM CST in EST?
10:00 AM Eastern.
What does 8/7c mean?
8 PM Eastern, 7 PM Central. Because the zones are an hour apart, a programme shown at the same moment starts at 8 on the East Coast and 7 in the Central zone.
Is Texas on CST?
Almost all of it. Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio are on Central Time. The far western corner around El Paso is on Mountain Time.
Why is Mexico City 2 hours behind New York in summer?
Mexico stopped using daylight saving time in 2022 and stays on CST all year. When the US moves to daylight time in March, the gap grows from 1 hour to 2.