EST to CST Converter – Eastern Time to Central Time
12:00 PM EST = 11:00 AM CST
When it is noon Eastern Time (EST), it is 11:00 AM CST (Thu) in Central Time. The difference is −1 hours in January and −1 hours in July.
Step by step
- Find the time difference: CST is −1 hours relative to EST (January).
- Add or subtract that many hours from the EST time.
- Check daylight saving: in July the difference is −1 hours.
- If the result passes midnight, the date changes too.
Hour by hour (January): 12:00 AM EST → 11:00 PM CST (Wed); 3:00 AM EST → 2:00 AM CST (Thu); 6:00 AM EST → 5:00 AM CST (Thu); 8:00 AM EST → 7:00 AM CST (Thu); 9:00 AM EST → 8:00 AM CST (Thu); 12:00 PM EST → 11:00 AM CST (Thu); 3:00 PM EST → 2:00 PM CST (Thu); 5:00 PM EST → 4:00 PM CST (Thu); 6:00 PM EST → 5:00 PM CST (Thu); 9:00 PM EST → 8:00 PM CST (Thu). During daylight saving time, EST becomes EDT and CST becomes CDT.
Details
- EST zone
- Eastern Time (America/New_York)
- CST zone
- Central Time (America/Chicago)
- Difference in winter
- −1 hours
- Difference in summer
- −1 hours
- 9 AM EST is
- 8:00 AM CST (Thu)
- 5 PM EST is
- 4:00 PM CST (Thu)
How it works
Time zones are offsets from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Many people say “EST” or “PST” all year, but strictly EST and PST are standard time; during US daylight saving time (second Sunday in March to first Sunday in November) clocks use EDT and PDT. Countries such as Pakistan, India and Japan do not use daylight saving time, so their difference from US time changes twice a year. The converter above uses the official time zone database, so it is correct for any date.
Nearby values
| Conversion | Time difference |
|---|---|
| EST to PST | −3 hours (winter) / −3 hours (summer) |
| PST to EST | +3 hours (winter) / +3 hours (summer) |
| EST to CST | −1 hours (winter) / −1 hours (summer) |
| CST to EST | +1 hours (winter) / +1 hours (summer) |
| CST to PST | −2 hours (winter) / −2 hours (summer) |
| PST to CST | +2 hours (winter) / +2 hours (summer) |
| EST to MST | −2 hours (winter) / −2 hours (summer) |
| MST to EST | +2 hours (winter) / +2 hours (summer) |
| MST to PST | −1 hours (winter) / −1 hours (summer) |
Related conversions
Frequently asked questions
What time is it in CST when it is noon EST?
11:00 AM CST (Thu) in winter.
How many hours difference is EST to CST?
−1 hours in January and −1 hours in July.
What is 9 AM EST in CST?
8:00 AM CST (Thu) (winter).
Does EST to CST change with daylight saving?
No — the difference stays the same all year.