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BlogHow it works

UTC to CST Converter

Enter a date and a UTC time to read it in Central Time, the zone of Chicago, Dallas, Houston and Minneapolis. The converter applies CST or CDT for that date.

Coordinated Universal Time

UTCCoordinated Universal Time

CSTCentral Time

––:––

How do I turn UTC into Central Time?

Subtract 6 hours while Chicago is on CST and 5 hours while it is on CDT. If the result is before midnight, it falls on the previous day.

UTC
fixed reference
CST
UTC−6, winter
CDT
UTC−5, summer

UTC to Central Time table

UTC timeUTC · CSTUTC · CDT
12:00 AM6:00 PM−1 previous day7:00 PM−1 previous day
1:00 AM7:00 PM−1 previous day8:00 PM−1 previous day
2:00 AM8:00 PM−1 previous day9:00 PM−1 previous day
3:00 AM9:00 PM−1 previous day10:00 PM−1 previous day
4:00 AM10:00 PM−1 previous day11:00 PM−1 previous day
5:00 AM11:00 PM−1 previous day12:00 AM
6:00 AM12:00 AM1:00 AM
7:00 AM1:00 AM2:00 AM
8:00 AM2:00 AM3:00 AM
9:00 AM3:00 AM4:00 AM
10:00 AM4:00 AM5:00 AM
11:00 AM5:00 AM6:00 AM
12:00 PM6:00 AM7:00 AM
1:00 PM7:00 AM8:00 AM
2:00 PM8:00 AM9:00 AM
3:00 PM9:00 AM10:00 AM
4:00 PM10:00 AM11:00 AM
5:00 PM11:00 AM12:00 PM
6:00 PM12:00 PM1:00 PM
7:00 PM1:00 PM2:00 PM
8:00 PM2:00 PM3:00 PM
9:00 PM3:00 PM4:00 PM
10:00 PM4:00 PM5:00 PM
11:00 PM5:00 PM6:00 PM
Each UTC hour with the Central time in both seasons. UTC hours before 06:00 (05:00 in summer) are on the previous day in Chicago.

Reading Z times in the Midwest

UTC appears wherever people in different places need one shared clock. Aviation weather reports, marine forecasts, satellite passes and ham radio schedules all use it, usually with a Z after the time: 1800Z means 18:00 UTC. In Chicago that is 12:00 PM in winter and 1:00 PM in summer.

The scale itself is kept by the BIPM from atomic clocks around the world and does not observe daylight saving, so only the Central side shifts.

  • −6 hCST from UTC, November–March
  • −5 hCDT from UTC, March–November
  • 1800Z12:00 PM CST / 1:00 PM CDT

When the offset switches

Central Time moves to CDT at 2:00 AM local time on the second Sunday of March, which is 08:00 UTC, and back to CST at 2:00 AM CDT on the first Sunday of November, which is 07:00 UTC. The US Department of Transportation oversees the rules. The list below shows the exact periods.

  1. Jan 1, 2026 – Mar 8, 2026UTC UTC+0 · CST UTC−6Difference: −6 h
  2. Mar 8, 2026 – Nov 1, 2026UTC UTC+0 · CDT UTC−5Difference: −5 h
  3. Nov 1, 2026 – Mar 14, 2027UTC UTC+0 · CST UTC−6Difference: −6 h
  4. Mar 14, 2027 – Nov 7, 2027UTC UTC+0 · CDT UTC−5Difference: −5 h
  5. Nov 7, 2027 – Dec 31, 2027UTC UTC+0 · CST UTC−6Difference: −6 h

Offsets in 2026 – 2027, from the IANA time zone data in your browser's engine

The live Houston clock shows Central Time now, and Chicago, Dallas and Minneapolis read the same. For the reverse sum, see CST to GMT.

UTC to CST questions

How many hours behind UTC is Central Time?

Central Standard Time is 6 hours behind UTC, from early November to mid-March. Central Daylight Time is 5 hours behind UTC for the rest of the year.

What is 12:00 UTC in Chicago?

12:00 UTC is 6:00 AM CST in winter and 7:00 AM CDT in summer.

What is 00:00 UTC in Central Time?

Midnight UTC is 6:00 PM CST or 7:00 PM CDT on the previous day.

Why do weather and aviation reports use UTC?

So that pilots, forecasters and radio operators in different zones read one clock. Reports mark these times with a Z, for Zulu.

Is CST ever written as UTC−6 in summer?

It should not be. In summer Chicago is on CDT, UTC−5. A summer time labeled CST is usually a local time written with the wrong abbreviation.