CET: Central European Time
CET stands for Central European Time. It is UTC+1, 1 hour ahead of UTC.
Central European Time is the winter time of most of the European Union, from Spain to Poland. On the last Sunday in March these countries move to CEST (UTC+2) and return on the last Sunday in October.
Spain uses CET even though most of the country lies west of the Greenwich meridian, a choice that dates from 1940. That is why sunrise and sunset in Madrid come late by the clock.
CET UTC+1
Daylight saving time and CET
Places on CET that use daylight saving time switch to CEST (UTC+2) in summer, so writing "CET" during the summer is a common mistake.
Where CET is used
| City | When | Right now |
|---|---|---|
| Paris France | Standard time (winter) | |
| Madrid Spain | Standard time (winter) | |
| Berlin Germany | Standard time (winter) | |
| Rome Italy | Standard time (winter) | |
| Amsterdam Netherlands | Standard time (winter) | |
| Vienna Austria | Standard time (winter) | |
| Zurich Switzerland | Standard time (winter) | |
| Brussels Belgium | Standard time (winter) | |
| Stockholm Sweden | Standard time (winter) | |
| Oslo Norway | Standard time (winter) | |
| Copenhagen Denmark | Standard time (winter) | |
| Warsaw Poland | Standard time (winter) | |
| Prague Czechia | Standard time (winter) | |
| Budapest Hungary | Standard time (winter) | |
| Algiers Algeria | All year | |
| Tunis Tunisia | All year |
Convert CET to other time zones
CET is a fixed offset, so these conversions are the same on every date. Use the last column to convert any time.
| Time zone | 09:00 CET | 12:00 CET | 17:00 CET | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your local time | ||||
| UTC Coordinated Universal Time · UTC+0 | 08:00 | 11:00 | 16:00 | |
| HST Hawaii Standard Time · UTC−10 | 22:00 −1 day | 01:00 | 06:00 | |
| PST Pacific Standard Time · UTC−8 | 00:00 | 03:00 | 08:00 | |
| MST Mountain Standard Time · UTC−7 | 01:00 | 04:00 | 09:00 | |
| CST Central Standard Time · UTC−6 | 02:00 | 05:00 | 10:00 | |
| EST Eastern Standard Time · UTC−5 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 11:00 | |
| BRT Brasília Time · UTC−3 | 05:00 | 08:00 | 13:00 | |
| GMT Greenwich Mean Time · UTC+0 | 08:00 | 11:00 | 16:00 | |
| EET Eastern European Time · UTC+2 | 10:00 | 13:00 | 18:00 | |
| GST Gulf Standard Time · UTC+4 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 20:00 | |
| IST India Standard Time · UTC+5:30 | 13:30 | 16:30 | 21:30 | |
| ICT Indochina Time · UTC+7 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 23:00 | |
| CST China Standard Time · UTC+8 | 16:00 | 19:00 | 00:00 +1 day | |
| JST Japan Standard Time · UTC+9 | 17:00 | 20:00 | 01:00 +1 day | |
| KST Korea Standard Time · UTC+9 | 17:00 | 20:00 | 01:00 +1 day | |
| AEST Australian Eastern Standard Time · UTC+10 | 18:00 | 21:00 | 02:00 +1 day | |
| NZST New Zealand Standard Time · UTC+12 | 20:00 | 23:00 | 04:00 +1 day |
Frequently asked questions
What does CET stand for?
CET stands for Central European Time. It is UTC+1, 1 hour ahead of UTC.
How do I convert CET to UTC?
Subtract 1 hour. For example, 12:00 CET is 11:00 UTC.
Is CET the same as CEST?
No. CET is UTC+1 and CEST is UTC+2. CEST is the summer time of places that use CET in winter. Using the wrong one puts a meeting off by an hour.
Which cities use CET?
Paris, Madrid, Berlin, Rome, Amsterdam, Vienna, Zurich, Brussels, Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen, Warsaw, Prague, Budapest, Algiers, Tunis use CET.
Other time zone abbreviations
Why abbreviations cause mistakes, and safer ways to write a time: EST, CST, IST: why time zone abbreviations confuse.