CST: Central Time
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CST: Central Time
CST stands for Central Time, used in United States and Canada. It runs UTC-6 (CST) in the northern winter and UTC-5 (CDT) in summer, because the clocks change for daylight saving time.
CST also abbreviates China Standard Time (UTC+8) and Cuba Standard Time (UTC-5). These pages use the North American meaning.
Current CST time
Local times come from your browser's IANA time zone data.
CST time compared with UTC
CST runs UTC-6 in January and UTC-5 in July. When it is 12:00 UTC the clock in CST reads 06:00 in January and 07:00 in July.
| UTC | CST in January | CST in July |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00 | 18:00 previous day | 19:00 previous day |
| 03:00 | 21:00 previous day | 22:00 previous day |
| 06:00 | 00:00 | 01:00 |
| 09:00 | 03:00 | 04:00 |
| 12:00 | 06:00 | 07:00 |
| 15:00 | 09:00 | 10:00 |
| 18:00 | 12:00 | 13:00 |
| 21:00 | 15:00 | 16:00 |
When the clocks change in the CST zone
Clocks in the CST zone change twice a year for daylight saving time. Each row gives the date, the reading the clock shows as it changes, and what it jumps to.
| Date | Change | Clocks | New offset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, March 8, 2026 | Forward one hour | 02:00 to 03:00 | UTC-5 |
| Sunday, November 1, 2026 | Back one hour | 02:00 to 01:00 | UTC-6 |
| Sunday, March 14, 2027 | Forward one hour | 02:00 to 03:00 | UTC-5 |
| Sunday, November 7, 2027 | Back one hour | 02:00 to 01:00 | UTC-6 |
Computed from the IANA time zone database, the same source your operating system uses. Dates in future years follow the rules in force today; daylight saving law is set by governments and does change, sometimes at a few months' notice.
Cities that keep CST
These places run on CST: Central Time, the IANA zone behind CST. Each links to its own live clock.
Chicago, Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, Nashville, Oklahoma City, New South Memphis, Memphis, Milwaukee.
Convert CST to another zone
CST to PSTCST to MSTCST to ESTCST to HSTCST to GMTCST to UTCCST to BSTCST to CET
Common questions about CST
What does CST stand for?
CST is Central Time, the civil time used in United States and Canada. On this site it resolves to the IANA time zone CST: Central Time, which is what your operating system and browser use to work out the actual offset on any given date.
What is CST in UTC?
CST is UTC-6 during the standard-time part of the year and UTC-5 while daylight saving is in effect. The table above converts every UTC hour both ways.
Does CST mean anything else?
CST also abbreviates China Standard Time (UTC+8) and Cuba Standard Time (UTC-5). These pages use the North American meaning.