UTC vs CST
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is UTC+0 year-round. Central Time (US & Canada) (CST/CDT) is UTC−6 in winter and UTC−5 in summer.
Because Central Time (US & Canada) observes daylight saving and the other zone does not, the gap changes during the year: 6 hours behind in the northern winter and 5 hours behind in summer, with a few weeks in spring and autumn where it's an hour different again. The converter uses the exact rules for the date you choose.
UTC to CST conversion table
Summer (daylight saving) times, mid-July:
| UTC | CST/CDT |
|---|---|
| 12:00 AM | 7:00 PM (−1 day) |
| 6:00 AM | 1:00 AM |
| 8:00 AM | 3:00 AM |
| 9:00 AM | 4:00 AM |
| 10:00 AM | 5:00 AM |
| 12:00 PM | 7:00 AM |
| 2:00 PM | 9:00 AM |
| 3:00 PM | 10:00 AM |
| 5:00 PM | 12:00 PM |
| 6:00 PM | 1:00 PM |
| 8:00 PM | 3:00 PM |
| 10:00 PM | 5:00 PM |
Winter (standard) times, mid-January:
| UTC | CST |
|---|---|
| 12:00 AM | 6:00 PM (−1 day) |
| 6:00 AM | 12:00 AM |
| 8:00 AM | 2:00 AM |
| 9:00 AM | 3:00 AM |
| 10:00 AM | 4:00 AM |
| 12:00 PM | 6:00 AM |
| 2:00 PM | 8:00 AM |
| 3:00 PM | 9:00 AM |
| 5:00 PM | 11:00 AM |
| 6:00 PM | 12:00 PM |
| 8:00 PM | 2:00 PM |
| 10:00 PM | 4:00 PM |
Scheduling between UTC and CST
The working-day overlap is a few hours: morning in the zone that's behind matches afternoon in the zone that's ahead. For example, 9 AM UTC is 4:00 AM CST. Always write the city alongside the abbreviation in invites — several abbreviations (CST, IST, AST) are used by more than one region.
Related conversions
CST to EST · EST to CST · PST to CST · CST to PST · UTC to EST · EST to UTC · CST to UTC · UTC to MST · MST to UTC · UTC to PST · all zones