UTC to CST / CDT Converter

Convert Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) to Central Time (CT). Chicago and the US Midwest observe CST (UTC−6) in winter and CDT (UTC−5) in summer.

LIVE CLOCK DST AWARE

Live Clocks

UTC (Coordinated Universal Time)

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CST / CDT (Chicago)

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Custom Time Converter

Enter a UTC date and time to see the equivalent Central Time (CST/CDT).

Central Time (CST/CDT)

24-Hour Reference Table

UTC midnight-to-midnight compared to Central Time. The offset shown reflects current CST/CDT status.

UTC Central Time (CST/CDT)

How It Works

Formula

CST = UTC − 6:00 (Nov - Mar)
CDT = UTC − 5:00 (Mar - Nov)

Example

12:00 PM UTC = 6:00 AM CST (winter) or 7:00 AM CDT (summer)

Daylight Saving Time Note

Central Time observes DST on the same schedule as Eastern and Pacific: clocks spring forward on the 2nd Sunday of March and fall back on the 1st Sunday of November. This converter automatically applies the correct offset based on the date you enter.

Frequently Asked Questions

CST (Central Standard Time) is UTC−6, used in the US Midwest from November to March. In summer it shifts to CDT (UTC−5).
Central Time is 6 hours behind UTC in winter (CST) and 5 hours behind in summer (CDT).
Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis, Kansas City, New Orleans, Winnipeg, and Mexico City all use Central Time.
UTC 12:00 = CST 6:00 AM (winter) or CDT 7:00 AM (summer).