EST to CST

EST to CST in one line

Subtract 1 hour. 10:00 AM in New York is 9:00 AM in Chicago. The gap is the same all year, because both zones change their clocks on the same nights.

EST to CST conversion table

What “8/7c” means

Television listings in the United States often give a time as “8/7c”. It means 8:00 PM Eastern, 7:00 PM Central. The programme is sent out once and both zones see it at the same moment, an hour apart on the clock. If you are in the Central zone, read the second number.

Working across the two zones

With only an hour between them, the two zones share almost the whole working day. The traps are at the edges: a 9:00 AM Eastern meeting is 8:00 AM Central, and a 5:00 PM Central deadline is 6:00 PM Eastern. Stock markets, which run on Eastern Time, open at 8:30 AM Central and close at 3:00 PM Central.

Where the line runs

Eastern Time: the East Coast, plus most of Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky's eastern half, eastern Tennessee and nearly all of Florida. Central Time: Chicago, Texas except its far west, the Mississippi valley, most of the Great Plains, western Tennessee and the Florida Panhandle west of the Apalachicola River.

Several states are split between the two, including Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. If a place is near the line, check the city in the time zone converter.

EST, EDT, CST and CDT

In 2026, daylight time in the United States runs from Sunday 8 March to Sunday 1 November. In those months the correct names are EDT and CDT. The difference stays at one hour.

To go the other way, use CST to EST.

Questions

Is CST one hour behind EST?

Yes. Central Time is 1 hour behind Eastern Time all year.

What is 9 AM EST in CST?

8:00 AM.

What is 3 PM EST in CST?

2:00 PM.

What is 8 PM EST in CST?

7:00 PM.

Is Texas on Central Time?

Almost all of it. El Paso and the far western corner of Texas use Mountain Time.

Last reviewed 10 October 2026.