From
EST / EDT
Time Converter
EST to CST Time Converter
Convert Eastern Time to Central Time with a live clock and clean permalinks.
To
CST / CDT
When it is 7:30 AM in Eastern Time, it is 6:30 AM in Central Time.
EST to CST at a glance
Central Time is 1 hour behind Eastern Time. If someone gives you a time in Eastern Time, move the clock by 1 hour to read it in Central Time. A 9:00 AM start in New York becomes 8:00 AM in Chicago.
What Eastern Time covers
Eastern Time is the main clock for New York, Washington, Toronto, and many large business hubs on the east side of North America. It is widely used for finance, media, and US-facing business operations.
What Central Time covers
Central Time is the working clock for a large part of the US and Canada. Cities like Chicago, Dallas, and Houston use it. It is often the middle ground when teams need to coordinate between the east coast and the west coast.
Quick answers
What is the time difference between EST and CST?
Central Time is 1 hour behind Eastern Time.
What happens to a 3:00 PM meeting in EST?
It lands at 2:00 PM in CST.
Does daylight saving time matter for EST to CST?
Eastern Time and Central Time are shown using the offsets that are active right now, so the result already reflects any daylight saving change in effect today.