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BlogHow it works

PST to CST Converter

Pick a Pacific time to see the Central Time in Chicago, Dallas, Houston or Minneapolis. Both zones change clocks on the same dates, so the gap stays at two hours.

Pacific Time

PSTPacific Time

CSTCentral Time

––:––

PST to CST in short

  1. 1Central Time is 2 hours ahead of Pacific Time all year.
  2. 2Both zones switch on the same Sundays in March and November.
  3. 3A Los Angeles 9:00 AM start is 11:00 AM in Chicago.
  4. 4The Chicago workday ends at 3:00 PM Pacific.

Pacific to Central hour table

PST timeCST/CDT time
12:00 AM2:00 AM
1:00 AM3:00 AM
2:00 AM4:00 AM
3:00 AM5:00 AM
4:00 AM6:00 AM
5:00 AM7:00 AM
6:00 AM8:00 AM
7:00 AM9:00 AM
8:00 AM10:00 AM
9:00 AM11:00 AM
10:00 AM12:00 PM
11:00 AM1:00 PM
12:00 PM2:00 PM
1:00 PM3:00 PM
2:00 PM4:00 PM
3:00 PM5:00 PM
4:00 PM6:00 PM
5:00 PM7:00 PM
6:00 PM8:00 PM
7:00 PM9:00 PM
8:00 PM10:00 PM
9:00 PM11:00 PM
10:00 PM12:00 AM+1 next day
11:00 PM1:00 AM+1 next day
Each Pacific hour with the Central time two hours later. Late-evening Pacific rows are already the next day in Chicago (+1).

Same rules, two hours apart

Pacific Time is UTC−8 in winter and UTC−7 in summer. Central Time is UTC−6 and UTC−5. Both follow the federal daylight saving schedule overseen by the US Department of Transportation, so for nearly every hour of the year the difference is exactly two hours.

The exception lasts two hours on each change night, because every zone switches at 2:00 AM local time. Central changes first, so the gap is briefly 3 hours in March and 1 hour in November. It does not affect any normal meeting. For a TV broadcast, a conference call or a delivery window, simply add two hours to the Pacific time, or take two away from the Central time.

Where Central Time is used

The Central zone covers the middle of the country, from Minnesota and Wisconsin down through Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma and Louisiana to most of Texas. Several states are split with Eastern or Mountain Time, including Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Kansas and Nebraska, so check the city for border areas.

The live Houston and Seattle clocks show both sides. Going the other way, use CST to PST; for New York, see PST to EST.

PST to CST questions

How many hours ahead of Pacific Time is Central Time?

Central Time is 2 hours ahead of Pacific Time, in winter and in summer.

What is 10:00 AM PST in CST?

10:00 AM in Los Angeles is 12:00 PM (noon) in Chicago.

When does the Pacific–Central gap change?

Only for about two hours on each clock-change night. Chicago switches at 2:00 AM Central, two hours before Los Angeles switches at 2:00 AM Pacific.

Is Texas on Central Time?

Most of Texas is, including Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin. El Paso and the far west of the state use Mountain Time.

What is 6:00 PM in Chicago in California?

It is 4:00 PM in California.