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BlogHow it works

CST to PST Converter

Choose a date and a time in Chicago, Dallas, Houston or Minneapolis and see the time in Los Angeles, San Francisco or Seattle. Both zones change clocks together, so it is two hours earlier on the coast.

Central Time

CSTCentral Time

PSTPacific Time

––:––

−2 h

Pacific Time is two hours behind Central Time

CST (UTC−6) to PST (UTC−8) in winter, CDT (UTC−5) to PDT (UTC−7) in summer.

Central and Pacific side by side

CST timePST/PDT time
12:00 AM10:00 PM−1 previous day
1:00 AM11:00 PM−1 previous day
2:00 AM12:00 AM
3:00 AM1:00 AM
4:00 AM2:00 AM
5:00 AM3:00 AM
6:00 AM4:00 AM
7:00 AM5:00 AM
8:00 AM6:00 AM
9:00 AM7:00 AM
10:00 AM8:00 AM
11:00 AM9:00 AM
12:00 PM10:00 AM
1:00 PM11:00 AM
2:00 PM12:00 PM
3:00 PM1:00 PM
4:00 PM2:00 PM
5:00 PM3:00 PM
6:00 PM4:00 PM
7:00 PM5:00 PM
8:00 PM6:00 PM
9:00 PM7:00 PM
10:00 PM8:00 PM
11:00 PM9:00 PM
Central hours on the left, Pacific times across. Times marked −1 are still on the previous day on the coast.

Serving both time zones from the middle

A business day in Chicago starts while the West Coast is asleep. At 8:00 AM Central it is 6:00 AM in Seattle, so most Central offices hold their West Coast calls after lunch. The other side of that coin is a longer day: a support team in Dallas that answers until 5:00 PM Pacific is working until 7:00 PM local time.

Many companies in the middle of the country publish hours in both zones, for example 8:00 AM–6:00 PM CT / 6:00 AM–4:00 PM PT, which avoids the two-hour mental math for customers.

Quick checks for coast-to-middle planning

  • Morning in Chicago is too early for California
  • 1:00 PM Central = 11:00 AM Pacific
  • Write CT and PT if the season is unclear
  • Las Vegas and Seattle are on Pacific
  • Arizona matches Pacific in summer
  • Late-night TV runs one hour earlier in Central

Why the gap stays at two hours

Every US zone that observes daylight saving changes on the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November, at 2:00 AM local time, under rules the US Department of Transportation administers. Central changes two hours before Pacific does, so on those two nights the gap is briefly three hours or one hour; by breakfast it is back to two.

Live clocks for Houston and Seattle show both zones now, and CST to MST covers the zone in between.

CST to PST questions

How many hours behind Central Time is Pacific Time?

Two hours. 11:00 AM in Dallas is 9:00 AM in Los Angeles in winter (CST/PST) and in summer (CDT/PDT).

What is 5:00 PM CST in PST?

3:00 PM PST. The same applies in summer: 5:00 PM CDT is 3:00 PM PDT.

Until what Central time can I reach a California office?

If the office closes at 5:00 PM Pacific, you can call until 7:00 PM Central.

Is Las Vegas on Pacific Time?

Yes. Nevada is on Pacific Time and uses daylight saving, so Las Vegas is also two hours behind Chicago.