CST: Central Standard Time
CST stands for Central Standard Time. It is UTC−6, 6 hours behind UTC.
In North America CST means Central Standard Time, UTC−6. Chicago uses it in winter only, but Mexico City and Saskatchewan stay on it all year, because neither changes its clocks.
The same three letters also stand for China Standard Time (UTC+8), 14 hours ahead, so add the city when the reader could be in Asia.
CST UTC−6
CST has more than one meaning. It can also mean China Standard Time (UTC+8). When it matters, write the city or the UTC offset instead.
Daylight saving time and CST
Places on CST that use daylight saving time switch to CDT (UTC−5) in summer, so writing "CST" during the summer is a common mistake.
Where CST is used
| City | When | Right now |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago United States | Standard time (winter) | |
| Mexico City Mexico | All year | |
| Regina Canada | All year |
Convert CST to other time zones
CST 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 CST | 12:00 CST | 17:00 CST | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your local time | ||||
| UTC Coordinated Universal Time · UTC+0 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 23:00 | |
| HST Hawaii Standard Time · UTC−10 | 05:00 | 08:00 | 13:00 | |
| PST Pacific Standard Time · UTC−8 | 07:00 | 10:00 | 15:00 | |
| MST Mountain Standard Time · UTC−7 | 08:00 | 11:00 | 16:00 | |
| EST Eastern Standard Time · UTC−5 | 10:00 | 13:00 | 18:00 | |
| BRT Brasília Time · UTC−3 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 20:00 | |
| GMT Greenwich Mean Time · UTC+0 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 23:00 | |
| CET Central European Time · UTC+1 | 16:00 | 19:00 | 00:00 +1 day | |
| EET Eastern European Time · UTC+2 | 17:00 | 20:00 | 01:00 +1 day | |
| GST Gulf Standard Time · UTC+4 | 19:00 | 22:00 | 03:00 +1 day | |
| IST India Standard Time · UTC+5:30 | 20:30 | 23:30 | 04:30 +1 day | |
| ICT Indochina Time · UTC+7 | 22:00 | 01:00 +1 day | 06:00 +1 day | |
| CST China Standard Time · UTC+8 | 23:00 | 02:00 +1 day | 07:00 +1 day | |
| JST Japan Standard Time · UTC+9 | 00:00 +1 day | 03:00 +1 day | 08:00 +1 day | |
| KST Korea Standard Time · UTC+9 | 00:00 +1 day | 03:00 +1 day | 08:00 +1 day | |
| AEST Australian Eastern Standard Time · UTC+10 | 01:00 +1 day | 04:00 +1 day | 09:00 +1 day | |
| NZST New Zealand Standard Time · UTC+12 | 03:00 +1 day | 06:00 +1 day | 11:00 +1 day |
Frequently asked questions
What does CST stand for?
CST stands for Central Standard Time. It is UTC−6, 6 hours behind UTC. The same letters are also used for China Standard Time (UTC+8), so check which one is meant.
How do I convert CST to UTC?
Add 6 hours. For example, 12:00 CST is 18:00 UTC.
Is CST the same as CDT?
No. CST is UTC−6 and CDT is UTC−5. CDT is the summer time of places that use CST in winter. Using the wrong one puts a meeting off by an hour.
Which cities use CST?
Chicago, Mexico City, Regina use CST.
Other time zone abbreviations
Why abbreviations cause mistakes, and safer ways to write a time: EST, CST, IST: why time zone abbreviations confuse.