Convert CST to PST Central Standard Time ↔ Pacific Standard Time Free Online Secure
Type a time in CST and read it in PST straight away. The offset is −2 h, the arithmetic wraps at midnight, and the answer says which day it lands on.
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Through the day — Convert CST to PST (Central Standard Time ↔ Pacific Standard Time)
| CST | PST |
|---|---|
| 00:00 | 22:00 |
| 03:00 | 01:00 |
| 06:00 | 04:00 |
| 09:00 | 07:00 |
| 12:00 | 10:00 |
| 15:00 | 13:00 |
| 18:00 | 16:00 |
| 21:00 | 19:00 |
Where these units come from
Until the middle of the nineteenth century every town kept its own noon, set by the sun overhead, and nobody minded that the next town was four minutes behind. Railways ended that: a timetable cannot be written for a hundred local noons. Britain put its railways on Greenwich time in 1847, and in 1884 the International Meridian Conference in Washington chose Greenwich as the prime meridian and sketched the twenty-four-hour scheme we still use. Greenwich Mean Time was the world's reference until 1972, when Coordinated Universal Time replaced it: UTC is kept by atomic clocks and tied back to the turning Earth by leap seconds. The abbreviations on this page name standard time — the winter setting — which is why each one is a fixed number of hours rather than something that drifts through the year.
Where you meet them
A time zone becomes real the moment two people in different places have to agree on one moment: a call between offices, a flight that lands before it took off, a market that opens while you are asleep, a deadline written in somebody else's afternoon. Server logs, train and flight schedules and anything stamped with a time are kept in UTC precisely so that the question can always be settled, no matter whose clock was on the wall.
Questions people ask
What about summer time?
The offsets here are standard-time offsets, the ones a zone keeps in winter. Where summer time is observed, the same places move one hour further on for part of the year and take a different name: Central European Time becomes Central European Summer Time, Eastern Standard Time becomes Eastern Daylight Time. The switching dates are not the same in every country, and the two hemispheres change in opposite months, so for a date inside a summer-time period add an hour to whichever side observes it.
Why isn't every difference a whole number of hours?
Because offsets are decided by governments, not by geometry. India is half an hour off the hour, at UTC+05:30; Nepal is three quarters, at UTC+05:45; the Chatham Islands are at UTC+12:45. Any of these can be changed by law, and several countries have moved their offset within living memory.
Is the answer exact?
Where both units are defined in terms of one another by whole numbers, yes — the page says so above the figure, and the only rounding is in how many digits are shown. Where the ratio has no finite decimal, the page shows twelve significant digits and says the relation is approximate rather than pretending otherwise.
Does anything I type leave my device?
No. The arithmetic runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded and there is no server to upload it to. Load the page once and it keeps working with the network switched off.
Texas and Chicago hours on a California clock
Polls in Texas close at 7:00 p.m. CT. A briefing at mission control in Houston starts at 10:00 a.m. CT. A football game in Chicago kicks off at 12:00 p.m. CT. Anyone in Los Angeles, San Francisco or Seattle wants to know what time it is for them at those moments, and the answer comes from a “convert CST to PST” calculation. The rule is one line: subtract two hours. 7:00 p.m. CST becomes 5:00 p.m. PST, 10:00 a.m. CST becomes 8:00 a.m. PST, and 01:00 CST slips back to the previous evening at 23:00 PST. The difference does not vary with the seasons, apart from two short stretches on Sundays.
The page starts from events in the middle of the continent as followed on the West Coast, then gives the rule, the tables and the two zones. Everything is calculated in the browser; no figure reaches a server.
Election night in Texas
When the polls close
In most of Texas the polls close at 7:00 p.m. CT, which is 5:00 p.m. PT. Viewers in California see the first results before they leave work.
Reading a table
A table of closing times in CT must be read two hours earlier on a Pacific clock. A “convert CST to PST” calculation done for each line avoids confusing the state’s hour with your own.
Mission control in Houston
The press briefings
A press briefing announced for 10:00 a.m. CT starts at 8:00 a.m. PT. Californians follow it in the first hour of the day, coffee in hand.
The launches
A launch from Florida at 3:00 p.m. EST, commented on from Houston, is at 2:00 p.m. CST and 12:00 p.m. PST. A “convert CST to PST” calculation shows which hour each team is reading.
Football in the Midwest
Sunday at noon
Sunday games at 12:00 p.m. CT start at 10:00 a.m. PT. Teams from Chicago to Kansas City often play at that hour, which leaves Californians with a free morning.
Friday nights in Texas
High-school games on Friday evenings, from 7:00 p.m. CT, start at 5:00 p.m. PT. Online streams reach California during working hours.
Baseball at Wrigley Field
Day games
Afternoon games, from 1:20 p.m. CT, start at 11:20 a.m. PT. Fans in California watch before lunch.
Evening games
A game at 7:05 p.m. CT starts at 5:05 p.m. PT and ends around 8:15 p.m. PT. A “convert CST to PST” calculation made in advance shows whether you can catch the last innings after work.
The Chicago markets, from open to close
Grain
The grain exchange opens at 8:30 a.m. CT, which is 6:30 a.m. PT, and closes at 1:20 p.m. CT, which is 11:20 a.m. PT. Californian traders who follow the market from dawn finish their day before lunch.
Sunday evening
Futures contracts reopen on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. CT, which is 3:00 p.m. PT. For the west of the continent, the trading week begins on Sunday afternoon.
El Grito in Mexico City, on Pacific time
The hour of the shout
On the evening of 15 September the crowd in the main square of the Mexican capital shouts at 11:00 p.m. local time. Mexico is on UTC−6 all year, while California in September is on PDT, UTC−7. The shout therefore reaches California at 10:00 p.m., one hour away, not two.
The winter gap
In winter, when California is on UTC−8, the gap to Mexico City is two hours again. A “convert CST to PST” calculation on the standard figure must be corrected by an hour in the warm months.
Tornado warnings
Local time of the bulletin
Tornado warnings are issued in the local time of the area concerned. A warning valid until 10:00 p.m. CT expires at 8:00 p.m. PT. A reader in the west following events on television subtracts two hours from each time in the bulletin.
Evacuations
An evacuation ordered “by 6:00 a.m. CT” ends at 4:00 a.m. PT. When the hour is critical, write it with the zone beside it.
How to convert CST to PST, step by step
Subtract two hours
CST is UTC−6 and PST is UTC−8, so the Pacific clock is two hours behind the Central one. Subtract 2 from the Central time on a 24-hour clock. If the result is negative, add 24 and go back one date. That happens only between 00:00 and 01:59 CST.
Eight pairs
00:30 CST is 22:30 PST the day before. 01:45 CST is 23:45 PST the day before. 06:00 CST is 04:00 PST. 09:15 CST is 07:15 PST. 12:00 CST is 10:00 PST. 15:30 CST is 13:30 PST. 19:00 CST is 17:00 PST. 23:45 CST is 21:45 PST. Only the first two cross into the previous date.
In the summer months
In summer, CDT against PDT is also two hours. 7:00 p.m. CDT is 5:00 p.m. PDT. The figure does not change; only the names of the clocks do.
The Pacific zone
Who keeps it
In winter UTC−8 is the time in California, Oregon, Washington state, nearly all of Nevada and British Columbia, as well as Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. In spring it rises to UTC−7 under the name PDT.
Why it concerns you
Film studios, technology firms and western ports keep their own clock, but they must follow the exchanges and networks of the east and the centre. A Californian therefore often has to convert CST to PST.
The Central zone
Where it applies
UTC−6 is the winter clock of the Midwest and the Gulf coast: Chicago, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Minneapolis, Nashville, the Canadian city of Winnipeg and the whole of Mexico. In the warm season the American states move to UTC−5 under the name CDT.
Exceptions
Mexico and the province of Saskatchewan do not change their clocks and stay on UTC−6. Against the Pacific they are two hours apart in winter and one in summer.
Two hours between dials
The working day
A Chicago office open from 09:00 to 17:00 works, on the Pacific clock, from 07:00 to 15:00; a Californian office open from 09:00 to 17:00 works, on the Central clock, from 11:00 to 19:00. The two days have six hours in common.
Who rings first
A call from Chicago at 8:00 a.m. CST rings at 6:00 a.m. PST, too early for many. One at 4:00 p.m. CST rings at 2:00 p.m. PST, in the middle of the afternoon.
By air
A plane taking off from Chicago at 07:00 CST and flying nearly four and a half hours comes down in Los Angeles at 11:30 CST, which is 09:30 PST. The ticket says 07:00 and 09:30, as though the flight lasted two and a half hours.
The festival in Austin
Morning talks
A presentation scheduled for 10:00 a.m. CT is at 8:00 a.m. PT. Virtual attendees from California join at the first hour of their working day.
Evening concerts
A concert that starts at 9:00 p.m. CT starts at 7:00 p.m. PT. A “convert CST to PST” calculation tells you at once whether you can arrive in time after work.
Dated examples
January
On Monday 26 January, 14:00 CST is 12:00 PST. Both regions are on standard time.
Early March
On Monday 2 March, 14:00 CST is still 12:00 PST. Nobody has moved a clock yet.
After the change
On Monday 9 March, 14:00 CDT is 12:00 PDT. Both moved to summer time on 8 March, so the gap stayed at two hours.
July and November
On Monday 27 July, 14:00 CDT is 12:00 PDT. On Monday 9 November, 14:00 CST is 12:00 PST, after the return to standard time on 1 November.
The two Sundays of unusual gaps
The first window, in March
The centre moves to summer time two hours ahead of the Pacific, each at 2:00 a.m. on its own clock. On 8 March, between 2:00 a.m. CST and 2:00 a.m. PST, the Chicago clock stands three hours ahead of the Californian one.
The second window, in November
On the return to standard time, on 1 November, the centre moves first. Between 2:00 a.m. CDT and 2:00 a.m. PDT, the two clocks are just one hour apart. For the rest of the year a “convert CST to PST” calculation gives two hours without exception.
Collaboration between offices
The joint meeting
A team with members in Chicago and San Francisco sets its morning meeting for 9:00 a.m. CT, which is 7:00 a.m. PT. That is very early for Californians, so many choose 10:00 a.m. CT, which is 8:00 a.m. PT.
The handover
At 5:00 p.m. CT the Chicago colleagues hand work to those in San Francisco, who are at 3:00 p.m. PT. The handover should be written down, so that it does not depend on a call.
World clocks from the centre
How to count west and east
From Central time subtract one hour for Mountain and two for Pacific. Add one hour for the east and six for London in winter. Alaska is three hours behind the centre and Hawaii four in winter.
One moment in four cities
When it is 12:00 in Chicago, it is 11:00 in Denver, 10:00 in Los Angeles and 13:00 in New York. An invitation that lists them all spares the reader any convert CST to PST.
Online classes between universities
Lesson time
A lesson scheduled for 11:00 a.m. CT is at 9:00 a.m. PT. Students in California start in the morning, those in the Midwest toward noon.
Submission deadlines
A deadline of 11:59 p.m. CST falls at 9:59 p.m. PST on the same day. A student in California who counts the deadline as midnight on their own clock thinks there are two hours left, although the deadline has passed.
New Year’s Eve between Dallas and San Francisco
The countdown
When the last seconds of the year are counted down in Dallas, it is 10:00 p.m. in San Francisco. Californians celebrate the new year two hours later.
The broadcasts
A midnight broadcast on Central time is seen in California at 10:00 p.m. A “convert CST to PST” calculation made beforehand shows whether it is worth waiting for the repeat.
Alaska and Hawaii, beyond the Pacific
Two more zones
When it is 12:00 CST it is 10:00 PST, 9:00 AKST in Anchorage and 8:00 HST in Honolulu. Hawaii does not change its clock, so in summer its gap to the centre grows by an hour, to five hours.
A common mistake
Anyone who assumes “Pacific time” covers Hawaii is out by two hours. A “convert CST to PST” calculation should always name the city, not just the zone.
Why the gap does not change in summer
Period by period
Both zones change their clocks together, so CST and PST stay 2 hours apart in every season; only the labels change, to CDT and PDT in summer.
How to apply it
For 2026 the dates are 29 March and 25 October in Europe and 8 March and 1 November in North America. Nothing about the sum changes with the season when you convert CST to PST.
A 24-hour lookup table
From CST to PST
00:00 CST becomes 22:00 PST (previous day). 01:00 CST becomes 23:00 PST (previous day). 02:00 CST becomes 00:00 PST. 03:00 CST becomes 01:00 PST. 04:00 CST becomes 02:00 PST. 05:00 CST becomes 03:00 PST. 06:00 CST becomes 04:00 PST. 07:00 CST becomes 05:00 PST. 08:00 CST becomes 06:00 PST. 09:00 CST becomes 07:00 PST. 10:00 CST becomes 08:00 PST. 11:00 CST becomes 09:00 PST. 12:00 CST becomes 10:00 PST. 13:00 CST becomes 11:00 PST. 14:00 CST becomes 12:00 PST. 15:00 CST becomes 13:00 PST. 16:00 CST becomes 14:00 PST. 17:00 CST becomes 15:00 PST. 18:00 CST becomes 16:00 PST. 19:00 CST becomes 17:00 PST. 20:00 CST becomes 18:00 PST. 21:00 CST becomes 19:00 PST. 22:00 CST becomes 20:00 PST. 23:00 CST becomes 21:00 PST.
What the table shows
On the left of each pair is a CST reading; on the right, the PST reading for the same moment, with the date change marked. The sums are the ones the calculator performs when you convert CST to PST. Minutes are not affected here. A different minute figure in an answer is a sign of a slip.
Readings at half past the hour
CST at :30 and the matching PST time
00:30 CST becomes 22:30 PST (previous day). 01:30 CST becomes 23:30 PST (previous day). 02:30 CST becomes 00:30 PST. 03:30 CST becomes 01:30 PST. 04:30 CST becomes 02:30 PST. 05:30 CST becomes 03:30 PST. 06:30 CST becomes 04:30 PST. 07:30 CST becomes 05:30 PST. 08:30 CST becomes 06:30 PST. 09:30 CST becomes 07:30 PST. 10:30 CST becomes 08:30 PST. 11:30 CST becomes 09:30 PST. 12:30 CST becomes 10:30 PST. 13:30 CST becomes 11:30 PST. 14:30 CST becomes 12:30 PST. 15:30 CST becomes 13:30 PST. 16:30 CST becomes 14:30 PST. 17:30 CST becomes 15:30 PST. 18:30 CST becomes 16:30 PST. 19:30 CST becomes 17:30 PST. 20:30 CST becomes 18:30 PST. 21:30 CST becomes 19:30 PST. 22:30 CST becomes 20:30 PST. 23:30 CST becomes 21:30 PST.
When to use it
Use these rows for events that begin on the half hour. They follow the same arithmetic as the whole-hour table and spare you another calculation.
Ten more examples
Awkward minutes from CST to PST
01:05 CST becomes 23:05 PST (previous day). 03:20 CST becomes 01:20 PST. 05:50 CST becomes 03:50 PST. 07:35 CST becomes 05:35 PST. 10:10 CST becomes 08:10 PST. 13:25 CST becomes 11:25 PST. 16:40 CST becomes 14:40 PST. 19:55 CST becomes 17:55 PST. 22:15 CST becomes 20:15 PST. 23:05 CST becomes 21:05 PST.
Checking your work
Compare your own answer with the pattern in these rows. Because the difference is a whole number of hours, the minutes in the answer are the same as in the question.
Is it morning or night there?
CST hours and the day in PST
06:00 CST becomes 04:00 PST (night). 08:00 CST becomes 06:00 PST (early morning). 10:00 CST becomes 08:00 PST (morning). 12:00 CST becomes 10:00 PST (morning). 14:00 CST becomes 12:00 PST (around midday). 16:00 CST becomes 14:00 PST (afternoon). 18:00 CST becomes 16:00 PST (afternoon). 20:00 CST becomes 18:00 PST (evening). 22:00 CST becomes 20:00 PST (evening).
A practical use
The list pairs a CST hour with its PST time and a plain word for the time of day. It tells you at once whether the person you call has had breakfast or gone to bed.
Checklist: how to convert CST to PST
Before the sum
Read the labels
Beware that CST is also China Standard Time (UTC+8) and Cuba Standard Time (UTC−5); this page uses the North American Central zone. Pacific Standard Time is UTC−8; the letters PST are also used for the Philippines and for Pakistan, which are not covered here.
Use a 24-hour clock
Write 4:30 p.m. as 16:30 and 12:00 a.m. as 00:00 before you start. For example, 09:15 CST becomes 07:15 PST.
Then
The operation
Subtract 2 hours. If the result passes midnight, correct the date: readings before 02:00 fall on the previous date.
A second example
An evening check: 22:40 CST gives 20:40 PST.
Common slips when you convert CST to PST
Adding instead of subtracting
PST is behind CST, so the answer should be smaller than the starting hour. A larger number means an addition slipped in.
Losing the date
Anything on the CST clock before 02:00 lands on the previous date. If the date stays put, the answer is a full day out.
Mixing up labels in summer
In summer the labels change to CDT and PDT, but the gap between the two clocks does not. The new names do not change the gap, so leave the sum alone.
Confusing the abbreviation
Outside North America, CST can point to China (UTC+8) or Cuba (UTC−5); this converter always means the Central zone of the USA, Canada and Mexico. PST can also mean Philippine Standard Time (UTC+8) or Pakistan Standard Time (UTC+5); here it is the North American Pacific zone.
Quick answers
How far apart are CST and PST?
2 hours, and PST is behind CST.
Which sum applies when I convert CST to PST?
Subtract 2 hours from the CST time, then fix the date if the result passes midnight.
What is 09:00 CST in PST?
07:00 PST.
Does the answer change during the year?
No. The relationship is the same all year.
Does the page keep what I type?
No. Nothing leaves the page.
More time zone converters
See also Convert CST to CET, Convert CST to UTC, Convert WET to PST, Convert IST to PST, Convert PST to IST, Convert EET to CST, Convert EET to PST, Convert GMT to CET, Convert EET to UTC. The opposite direction is Convert PST to CST.
To sum up: convert CST to PST by one rule (subtract 2 hours) and a glance at the calendar. The work is done on your device.