Convert PST to CST Pacific Standard Time ↔ Central Standard Time Free Online Secure
Type a time in PST and read it in CST 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 PST to CST (Pacific Standard Time ↔ Central Standard Time)
| PST | CST |
|---|---|
| 00:00 | 02:00 |
| 03:00 | 05:00 |
| 06:00 | 08:00 |
| 09:00 | 11:00 |
| 12:00 | 14:00 |
| 15:00 | 17:00 |
| 18:00 | 20:00 |
| 21:00 | 23:00 |
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.
Two hours between the Pacific and the heartland
A start-up in San Francisco sets its morning call for 9:00 a.m. PT. A Lakers game tips off at 7:30 p.m. PT. A product presentation in Cupertino begins at 10:00 a.m. PT. A reader in Chicago, Dallas or Houston wants to know what the clock says at home at those moments, and the answer comes from a “convert PST to CST” calculation. The rule is brief: add two hours. 9:00 a.m. PST becomes 11:00 CST, 7:30 p.m. PST becomes 21:30 CST, and 10:30 p.m. PST passes midnight to reach 00:30 CST on the following date. Both regions go onto summer time on the same day, so the two-hour figure holds all year, apart from two short Sunday windows explained below.
The sections that follow give the rule, the tables, a portrait of each zone and examples from technology, sport, travel, weather and holidays. The calculation takes place in your browser, and no figure is sent to a server.
How to convert PST to CST
Add two hours
Pacific Standard Time is UTC−8 and Central Standard Time is UTC−6. The Chicago clock stands two hours ahead of the Los Angeles one. Take the Pacific time on a 24-hour clock and add 2. If the result passes 24:00, subtract 24 and move to the next day. That happens only for times from 22:00 onward.
Eight values to check
04:30 PST is 06:30 CST. 07:00 PST is 09:00 CST. 09:00 PST is 11:00 CST. 12:00 PST is 14:00 CST. 15:30 PST is 17:30 CST. 20:00 PST is 22:00 CST. 22:00 PST is 00:00 CST the next day. 23:15 PST is 01:15 CST the next day. The last two roll over to the next date.
In summer
In summer, PDT against CDT is still two hours. 10:00 a.m. PDT is 12:00 p.m. CDT. The figure stays put; only the labels on the clocks change.
Pacific time
Where it applies
Pacific Standard Time, UTC−8, is the winter clock of California, Oregon, Washington, most of Nevada, British Columbia and Baja California. In summer PDT, UTC−7, is used. American notices simply write “PT”.
Who sets its rhythm
Film studios, technology companies, ports and the big aerospace firms of the north-west plan their day on this clock. They often seem three hours behind the east and two behind the centre.
Central time
Who uses it
Central Standard Time, UTC−6, is the winter clock of Chicago, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Minneapolis, Nashville, Winnipeg and Mexico. In summer the American states move to CDT, UTC−5.
Exceptions
Mexico has not changed its clocks since 2022 and stays on UTC−6 all year. Against the Pacific its gap is two hours in winter and one hour in summer. The Canadian province of Saskatchewan also stays on UTC−6.
Two hours between the dials
The working day
A working day in California from 09:00 to 17:00 is 11:00 to 19:00 on the Central clock. A day in Chicago from 09:00 to 17:00 is 07:00 to 15:00 on the Pacific one. The overlap is six hours, from 09:00 to 15:00 PST, which is 11:00 to 17:00 CST.
Who picks up first
An office in Texas calling California at 8:00 a.m. CST reaches it at 6:00 a.m. PST, too early for many. A call from California at 4:00 p.m. PST reaches Chicago at 6:00 p.m. CST, as colleagues head home. The best shared window is between 9:00 and 12:00 PST.
By air
A flight from Los Angeles to Chicago that leaves at 08:00 PST and takes nearly four hours lands at 12:00 PST, which is 14:00 CST. The ticket reads 08:00 and 14:00, so it looks like a six-hour flight, although the sky is crossed in four.
Developer team meetings
The daily sync
Teams with members in San Francisco and Austin set the morning sync for 9:00 a.m. PT, which is 11:00 a.m. CT. For the Texans it is nearly lunchtime, for the Californians the start of the day.
Releases
A release scheduled for 10:00 a.m. PT, before lunch in the west, is at 12:00 p.m. CT, right at lunch in the centre. A “convert PST to CST” calculation for each release shows who follows it over a meal.
Basketball and baseball from California
Evening games
A basketball game that tips off at 7:30 p.m. PT tips off at 9:30 p.m. CT and ends near midnight in the centre. A baseball game at 7:10 p.m. PT is at 9:10 p.m. CT.
Weekend afternoons
Saturday games at 1:00 p.m. PT start at 3:00 p.m. CT. Fans in the Midwest watch two hours after the Californians.
Flights between the West Coast and the Midwest
The morning flight
A flight from San Francisco to Chicago that leaves at 06:30 PST and takes just under four and a half hours lands at 11:00 PST, which is 13:00 CST. Travellers reach the afternoon meeting.
The evening flight
A flight from Chicago to Seattle that leaves at 17:00 CST and takes about four hours lands at 21:00 CST, which is 19:00 PST. A “convert PST to CST” calculation done in advance shows how much time is left for dinner.
California elections as seen from Texas
When polls close
In California the polls close at 8:00 p.m. PT, which is 10:00 p.m. CT. Viewers in Texas reach the first projections for the state toward the end of the evening.
Reading a table
A table of closing times in PT must be read two hours later on a Central clock. Anyone with a “convert PST to CST” calculation to hand does not confuse the state’s time with their own.
Tijuana and Mexico City
Two Mexican cities, two clocks
Tijuana follows Pacific time, while Mexico City sits on UTC−6 all year. In winter the gap between them is two hours, as between California and Texas. In summer, when Tijuana moves to UTC−7, the gap shrinks to one hour.
An example
A call from Tijuana at 10:00 a.m. in January reaches Mexico City at 12:00. In July the same call reaches it at 11:00. A “convert PST to CST” calculation based on the two-hour figure has to be corrected for the Mexican cities in the warm months.
Launches and limited offers
The launch hour
An online shop in California announces an offer that begins at 12:00 noon PT. For a buyer in Chicago that is 2:00 p.m. CT. Someone who logs in at 12:00 CT thinking the offer has started still has two hours to wait.
The end of the offer
An offer that ends at 11:59 p.m. PT ends at 1:59 a.m. CT the next day. A customer in Texas who thinks the offer runs “until midnight” on their own clock actually has two hours more.
Music festivals on a live stream
The main stage
At a California festival the headline act takes the stage at 9:00 p.m. PT. A viewer in Nashville sees it at 11:00 p.m. CT, after a late dinner.
The afternoon schedule
A band booked for 2:30 p.m. PT plays at 4:30 p.m. CT. Anyone who wants to catch several acts notes the times on their own clock, not the stage’s.
Weather and alerts from the Pacific coast
Storm warnings
A warning valid until 6:00 p.m. PT expires at 8:00 p.m. CT. Readers in the centre who follow western storms must add two hours to every time in the bulletin.
Wildfires
A morning bulletin on a fire published at 8:00 a.m. PT is from 10:00 a.m. CT. The evening one, from 5:00 p.m. PT, is from 7:00 p.m. CT.
Online classes between universities
Class time
A lesson scheduled for 8:00 a.m. PT is at 10:00 a.m. CT. Students in California log in early in the morning, those in Illinois in mid-morning.
Submission deadlines
A deadline of 11:59 p.m. PST falls at 1:59 a.m. CST the next day. A student in Texas who submits at 1:30 a.m. CST thinks they are late, but in California it is 11:30 p.m., so they met the deadline.
Dated examples
January
On Thursday 22 January, 10:00 PST is 12:00 CST. Both regions are on standard time.
March
On Thursday 5 March, 10:00 PST is 12:00 CST. On Thursday 12 March, after the 8 March move to summer time, 10:00 PDT is 12:00 CDT. The gap did not change.
August
On Thursday 20 August, 10:00 PDT is 12:00 CDT. The labels are summer ones; the figure is the same.
November
On Thursday 12 November, 10:00 PST is 12:00 CST. Both returned to standard time on 1 November.
The changeover Sundays
Two windows of two hours
Each zone changes its clock at 2:00 a.m. on its own dial, so the centre and the Pacific do not make the jump at the same instant. On 8 March, for two hours between 2:00 a.m. CST and 2:00 a.m. PST, the gap is three hours, because the centre is already on CDT. On 1 November, also for two hours, between 2:00 a.m. CDT and 2:00 a.m. PDT, the gap is one hour.
A safety rule
When you schedule something on such a night, write the full date and the city. For the rest of the year a “convert PST to CST” calculation gives two hours without exception.
Christmas and New Year between two zones
The evening meal
Families who phone each other at Christmas should remember that 6:00 p.m. in California is 8:00 p.m. in Texas. Children in Texas go to bed earlier than those in California.
New Year’s Eve
The new year arrives in Texas two hours earlier. When the last seconds are counted down in Dallas, it is only 10:00 p.m. in California. A “convert PST to CST” calculation made in good time shows when to start the live stream.
The four zones, seen from the west
The ladder eastward
From Pacific time add one hour for Mountain, two for Central and three for Eastern. Alaska is one hour behind California and Hawaii two in winter.
One moment in four cities
When it is 9:00 a.m. in Los Angeles, it is 10:00 a.m. in Denver, 11:00 a.m. in Chicago and 12:00 p.m. in New York. An invitation that lists all four spares the reader any convert PST to CST.
The Chicago marathon, seen from California
The early start
The Chicago marathon starts at 7:30 a.m. CT, which is 5:30 a.m. PT. Californians who want to watch it live get up before sunrise.
The finish
A runner on a four-hour pace crosses the line at 11:30 a.m. CT, which is 9:30 a.m. PT. A “convert PST to CST” calculation made beforehand shows when to open the broadcast.
Clock changes: what they do to the gap
The 2026 calendar
Because PST and CST follow the same calendar, the gap of 2 hours does not move; in summer they are called PDT and CDT.
In practice
The 2026 changes: Europe on 29 March and 25 October, North America on 8 March and 1 November. Nothing about the sum changes with the season when you convert PST to CST.
Hour-by-hour conversion chart
PST to CST, every hour
00:00 PST becomes 02:00 CST. 01:00 PST becomes 03:00 CST. 02:00 PST becomes 04:00 CST. 03:00 PST becomes 05:00 CST. 04:00 PST becomes 06:00 CST. 05:00 PST becomes 07:00 CST. 06:00 PST becomes 08:00 CST. 07:00 PST becomes 09:00 CST. 08:00 PST becomes 10:00 CST. 09:00 PST becomes 11:00 CST. 10:00 PST becomes 12:00 CST. 11:00 PST becomes 13:00 CST. 12:00 PST becomes 14:00 CST. 13:00 PST becomes 15:00 CST. 14:00 PST becomes 16:00 CST. 15:00 PST becomes 17:00 CST. 16:00 PST becomes 18:00 CST. 17:00 PST becomes 19:00 CST. 18:00 PST becomes 20:00 CST. 19:00 PST becomes 21:00 CST. 20:00 PST becomes 22:00 CST. 21:00 PST becomes 23:00 CST. 22:00 PST becomes 00:00 CST (next day). 23:00 PST becomes 01:00 CST (next day).
A short guide
Each entry converts one full hour from PST to CST, flagging any change of date. If you only need to convert PST to CST once, the form above is quicker; for many readings, keep this chart at hand. Minutes are not affected here. A different minute figure in an answer is a sign of a slip.
Thirty minutes past, hour by hour
PST into CST
00:30 PST becomes 02:30 CST. 01:30 PST becomes 03:30 CST. 02:30 PST becomes 04:30 CST. 03:30 PST becomes 05:30 CST. 04:30 PST becomes 06:30 CST. 05:30 PST becomes 07:30 CST. 06:30 PST becomes 08:30 CST. 07:30 PST becomes 09:30 CST. 08:30 PST becomes 10:30 CST. 09:30 PST becomes 11:30 CST. 10:30 PST becomes 12:30 CST. 11:30 PST becomes 13:30 CST. 12:30 PST becomes 14:30 CST. 13:30 PST becomes 15:30 CST. 14:30 PST becomes 16:30 CST. 15:30 PST becomes 17:30 CST. 16:30 PST becomes 18:30 CST. 17:30 PST becomes 19:30 CST. 18:30 PST becomes 20:30 CST. 19:30 PST becomes 21:30 CST. 20:30 PST becomes 22:30 CST. 21:30 PST becomes 23:30 CST. 22:30 PST becomes 00:30 CST (next day). 23:30 PST becomes 01:30 CST (next day).
Short explanation
Calls, flights and jobs frequently sit at half past. The list covers all twenty-four of them, which is handy if you have to convert PST to CST for a long timetable.
Ten readings with minutes
Examples from PST to CST
01:05 PST becomes 03:05 CST. 03:20 PST becomes 05:20 CST. 05:50 PST becomes 07:50 CST. 07:35 PST becomes 09:35 CST. 10:10 PST becomes 12:10 CST. 13:25 PST becomes 15:25 CST. 16:40 PST becomes 18:40 CST. 19:55 PST becomes 21:55 CST. 22:15 PST becomes 00:15 CST (next day). 23:05 PST becomes 01:05 CST (next day).
What to notice
These are less round examples, with minutes. With a whole-hour offset the minutes are untouched; if they differ in your result, the input was misread.
The rhythm of the day in CST
Even-numbered PST hours seen from CST
06:00 PST becomes 08:00 CST (morning). 08:00 PST becomes 10:00 CST (morning). 10:00 PST becomes 12:00 CST (around midday). 12:00 PST becomes 14:00 CST (afternoon). 14:00 PST becomes 16:00 CST (afternoon). 16:00 PST becomes 18:00 CST (evening). 18:00 PST becomes 20:00 CST (evening). 20:00 PST becomes 22:00 CST (night). 22:00 PST becomes 00:00 CST (night).
Reading the labels
For every second hour of the PST day the list gives the CST time and a word for the part of the day there. Use it to decide whether a request to convert PST to CST gives a polite hour.
A quick routine to convert PST to CST
Before the sum
Check the zone names
Do not confuse PST with Philippine or Pakistan time; this converter means the Pacific coast of North America. CST can also mean China Standard Time (UTC+8) or Cuba Standard Time (UTC−5); here it is the North American Central zone.
Use a 24-hour clock
The 24-hour clock avoids a.m. and p.m. slips, so rewrite 4:30 p.m. as 16:30 before anything else. For example, 09:15 PST becomes 11:15 CST.
Finishing
The operation
Add 2 hours. If the result passes midnight, correct the date: readings from 22:00 fall on the next date.
A second example
An evening check: 22:40 PST gives 00:40 CST (next day).
Mistakes when you convert PST to CST
Subtracting instead of adding
CST is in front of PST: expect a bigger number, not a smaller one.
Losing the date
PST readings from 22:00 fall on the next date. Keeping the original date produces a one-day error.
Mixing up labels in summer
Summer renames the zones PDT and CDT without moving them apart. The new names do not change the gap, so leave the sum alone.
Confusing the abbreviation
Pacific Standard Time is UTC−8; the letters PST are also used for the Philippines and for Pakistan, which are not covered here. Check which CST is meant: China and Cuba use the same letters, but here it is America’s Central Standard Time at UTC−6.
Frequently asked questions
How far apart are PST and CST?
2 hours, and CST is ahead of PST.
Which sum applies when I convert PST to CST?
Add 2 hours to the PST time, then fix the date if the result passes midnight.
What is 09:00 PST in CST?
11:00 CST.
Is the gap the same in every month?
Yes, it is the same in every month.
Is the time I enter sent anywhere?
No. The calculation runs in your browser.
Related conversions
Related pages: Convert PST to IST, Convert PST to WET, Convert WET to CST, Convert CET to CST, Convert CST to UTC, Convert EET to PST, Convert EET to EST, Convert UTC to EST, Convert UTC to GMT. For the reverse direction, open Convert CST to PST.
In brief, to convert PST to CST you add 2 hours, mind the date change and keep an eye on the date.