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Timezone Prime

CST to CET converter

Convert Central Time (CST/CDT) to Central European Time (CET/CEST), with daylight saving applied for the exact date you pick.

From

Tue, Oct 27

To

Tue, Oct 27 Same day

CDT 9 to 5 CET 9 to 5

From zone
Central Daylight Time
Offset and clock
UTC−5 Daylight saving time
IANA name
America/Chicago
To zone
Central European Standard Time
Offset and clock
UTC+1 Standard time
IANA name
Europe/Berlin

CET is 6 hours ahead of CDT.

Time difference
CEST is 7 hours ahead of CDT for most of the year (210 days in 2026). The gap is 6 hours for about 4 weeks in 2026.
Meeting window
Working days of 9 AM to 5 PM overlap from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM CDT, which is 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM CEST while CDT and CEST apply.
Daylight saving
Both zones change their clocks, on the dates listed below, so the gap can shift during the year.

The same conversion works for every city on these clocks, such as Chicago to Germany, Chicago to Berlin and Texas to Germany.

Where CST and CET apply

Shaded areas follow the official zone boundaries, so a country split across zones is split here too. Hover or tap a region for its local time.

  • Central Time
  • Central European Time
  • Same UTC offset right now, different zone rules

Drag to pan. Ctrl and scroll, or pinch, to zoom. Boundaries: timezone-boundary-builder, © OpenStreetMap contributors

Hour by hour

Every hour of Tuesday, October 27, 2026, side by side. Days with a clock change show 23 or 25 rows.

Shaded rows fall inside working hours in both places.

Hourly comparison of the two time zones. Choose a time to load it in the converter.
Chicago (CDT) Berlin (CET) Working hours
12:00 AM 6:00 AM
1:00 AM 7:00 AM
2:00 AM 8:00 AM
3:00 AM 9:00 AM
4:00 AM 10:00 AM
5:00 AM 11:00 AM
6:00 AM 12:00 PM
7:00 AM 1:00 PM
8:00 AM 2:00 PM
9:00 AM 3:00 PM Both working
10:00 AM 4:00 PM Both working
11:00 AM 5:00 PM
12:00 PM 6:00 PM
1:00 PM 7:00 PM
2:00 PM 8:00 PM
3:00 PM 9:00 PM
4:00 PM 10:00 PM
5:00 PM 11:00 PM
6:00 PM 12:00 AM next day
7:00 PM 1:00 AM next day
8:00 PM 2:00 AM next day
9:00 PM 3:00 AM next day
10:00 PM 4:00 AM next day
11:00 PM 5:00 AM next day

CST to CET conversion table

Every hour of the Central Time day, plus the common half hours, and their CET equivalents. The second column covers the part of the year when the clocks are on a different gap.

CST to CET conversion table
Central Time CEST or CET 7 h ahead, most of the year (337 days in 2026) CET 6 h ahead, about 4 weeks in 2026
12:00 AM 7:00 AM6:00 AM
1:00 AM 8:00 AM7:00 AM
2:00 AM 9:00 AM8:00 AM
3:00 AM 10:00 AM9:00 AM
4:00 AM 11:00 AM10:00 AM
5:00 AM 12:00 PM11:00 AM
6:00 AM 1:00 PM12:00 PM
7:00 AM 2:00 PM1:00 PM
8:00 AM 3:00 PM2:00 PM
9:00 AM 4:00 PM3:00 PM
9:30 AM 4:30 PM3:30 PM
10:00 AM 5:00 PM4:00 PM
10:30 AM 5:30 PM4:30 PM
11:00 AM 6:00 PM5:00 PM
11:30 AM 6:30 PM5:30 PM
12:00 PM 7:00 PM6:00 PM
12:30 PM 7:30 PM6:30 PM
1:00 PM 8:00 PM7:00 PM
1:30 PM 8:30 PM7:30 PM
2:00 PM 9:00 PM8:00 PM
2:30 PM 9:30 PM8:30 PM
3:00 PM 10:00 PM9:00 PM
3:30 PM 10:30 PM9:30 PM
4:00 PM 11:00 PM10:00 PM
4:30 PM 11:30 PM10:30 PM
5:00 PM 12:00 AM (next day)11:00 PM
5:30 PM 12:30 AM (next day)11:30 PM
6:00 PM 1:00 AM (next day)12:00 AM (next day)
7:00 PM 2:00 AM (next day)1:00 AM (next day)
8:00 PM 3:00 AM (next day)2:00 AM (next day)
9:00 PM 4:00 AM (next day)3:00 AM (next day)
10:00 PM 5:00 AM (next day)4:00 AM (next day)
11:00 PM 6:00 AM (next day)5:00 AM (next day)

How the gap changes in 2026 and 2027

Each row is a stretch of days with one constant difference, split at every clock change.

Time difference periods between CST and CET
Dates CST CET Difference
Thu, Jan 1, 2026 until Sun, Mar 8, 2026 CST CET CET 7 h ahead
Sun, Mar 8, 2026 until Sun, Mar 29, 2026 CDT CET CET 6 h ahead
Sun, Mar 29, 2026 until Sun, Oct 25, 2026 CDT CEST CEST 7 h ahead
Sun, Oct 25, 2026 until Sun, Nov 1, 2026 CDT CET CET 6 h ahead
Sun, Nov 1, 2026 until Sun, Mar 14, 2027 CST CET CET 7 h ahead
Sun, Mar 14, 2027 until Sun, Mar 28, 2027 CDT CET CET 6 h ahead
Sun, Mar 28, 2027 until Sun, Oct 31, 2027 CDT CEST CEST 7 h ahead
Sun, Oct 31, 2027 until Sun, Nov 7, 2027 CDT CET CET 6 h ahead
Sun, Nov 7, 2027 until Sat, Jan 1, 2028 CST CET CET 7 h ahead

Upcoming clock changes

  1. Central Time Sunday, November 1, 2026: at 2:00 AM clocks go back 1 hour to 1:00 AM
  2. Central Time Sunday, March 14, 2027: at 2:00 AM clocks go forward 1 hour to 3:00 AM
  3. Central European Time Sunday, March 28, 2027: at 2:00 AM clocks go forward 1 hour to 3:00 AM
  4. Central European Time Sunday, October 31, 2027: at 3:00 AM clocks go back 1 hour to 2:00 AM
  5. Central Time Sunday, November 7, 2027: at 2:00 AM clocks go back 1 hour to 1:00 AM
  6. Central Time Sunday, March 12, 2028: at 2:00 AM clocks go forward 1 hour to 3:00 AM
  7. Central European Time Sunday, March 26, 2028: at 2:00 AM clocks go forward 1 hour to 3:00 AM

About the two zones

Central Time (CST / CDT)

Central Time follows the clock in Chicago: Central Standard Time (CST, UTC−6) in winter and Central Daylight Time (CDT, UTC−5) during US daylight saving time.

IANA zone
America/Chicago
Offset
UTC−6 standard, UTC−5 daylight saving
Used in
the central United States and parts of Canada
Major cities
Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Minneapolis, Winnipeg, New Orleans

CST is also used for China Standard Time (UTC+8) and Cuba Standard Time. Here CST means US Central Time (America/Chicago).

Central European Time (CET / CEST)

Central European Time is UTC+1 in winter and Central European Summer Time (CEST, UTC+2) from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October.

IANA zone
Europe/Berlin
Offset
UTC+1 standard, UTC+2 daylight saving
Used in
most of continental Europe
Major cities
Berlin, Paris, Madrid, Rome, Amsterdam, Warsaw

CST and CET, answered

What is the time difference between CST and CET?

CEST is 7 hours ahead of CDT for most of the year (210 days in 2026). The gap is 6 hours for about 4 weeks in 2026.

How do I work out the time in Germany from CST?

Germany uses Central European Time. CEST is 7 hours ahead of CDT for most of the year (210 days in 2026). The gap is 6 hours for about 4 weeks in 2026. Type any CST time into the CST to CET converter to see the Germany time for any date.

What is 9:00 AM CST in CET?

9:00 AM CDT or CST is 4:00 PM CEST or CET for most of the year (337 days in 2026). 9:00 AM CDT is 3:00 PM CET for about 4 weeks in 2026.

What is 12:00 PM CST in CET?

12:00 PM CDT or CST is 7:00 PM CEST or CET for most of the year (337 days in 2026). 12:00 PM CDT is 6:00 PM CET for about 4 weeks in 2026.

What is 10:00 AM CST in CET?

10:00 AM CDT or CST is 5:00 PM CEST or CET for most of the year (337 days in 2026). 10:00 AM CDT is 4:00 PM CET for about 4 weeks in 2026.

What is 5:00 PM CST in CET?

5:00 PM CDT or CST is 12:00 AM (next day) CEST or CET for most of the year (337 days in 2026). 5:00 PM CDT is 11:00 PM CET for about 4 weeks in 2026.

Is CET ahead of CST, and by how many hours?

Yes. CEST is 7 hours ahead of CDT for most of the year (210 days in 2026). The gap is 6 hours for about 4 weeks in 2026.

What is a good meeting time for CST and CET?

Working days of 9 AM to 5 PM overlap from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM CDT, which is 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM CEST while CDT and CEST apply.

Does daylight saving time affect CST to CET?

Both zones change their clocks, on their own dates, so the gap can shift during the year. The next change is on Sunday, November 1, 2026 in Central Time.

Which CST does the CST to CET converter use?

CST is also used for China Standard Time (UTC+8) and Cuba Standard Time. Here CST means US Central Time (America/Chicago).

Related conversions

From Central Time

To Central European Time