Time zone converter

CST to UTC

On Oct 23, 2026, Coordinated Universal Time is 5 hours ahead of Central Time: 9:00 AM CDT is 2:00 PM UTC. The gap changes during the year because of daylight saving time; the dates are below.

Central Time
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Current time in Central Time
Coordinated Universal Time
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Current time in Coordinated Universal Time
Pick a date and time to convert.

UTC vs CST over the next 12 months

PeriodUTC isExample
Oct 23, 2026 to Nov 1, 20265 hours ahead9:00 AM CDT = 2:00 PM UTC
Nov 1, 2026 to Mar 14, 20276 hours ahead9:00 AM CST = 3:00 PM UTC
Mar 14, 2027 onwards5 hours ahead9:00 AM CDT = 2:00 PM UTC

CST to UTC conversion table

Every hour of a weekday around Oct 23, 2026, in both zones.

Central TimeCoordinated Universal Time
12:00 AM5:00 AM
1:00 AM6:00 AM
2:00 AM7:00 AM
3:00 AM8:00 AM
4:00 AM9:00 AM
5:00 AM10:00 AM
6:00 AM11:00 AM
7:00 AM12:00 PM
8:00 AM1:00 PM
9:00 AM2:00 PM
10:00 AM3:00 PM
11:00 AM4:00 PM
12:00 PM5:00 PM
1:00 PM6:00 PM
2:00 PM7:00 PM
3:00 PM8:00 PM
4:00 PM9:00 PM
5:00 PM10:00 PM
6:00 PM11:00 PM
7:00 PM12:00 AM (next day)
8:00 PM1:00 AM (next day)
9:00 PM2:00 AM (next day)
10:00 PM3:00 AM (next day)
11:00 PM4:00 AM (next day)

Best time for a meeting

Normal 9-to-5 working hours overlap for 3 hours on a weekday: 9:00 AM–12:00 PM CDT, which is 2:00 PM–5:00 PM UTC.

Comparing more than two places? The meeting planner lines up working hours for up to six cities.

Daylight saving time

Central Time (CST/CDT)

  • Nov 1, 2026: clocks go back 1 hour at 2:00 AM (UTC−5 → UTC−6)
  • Mar 14, 2027: clocks go forward 1 hour at 2:00 AM (UTC−6 → UTC−5)

Where these clocks are used

  • Central Time (CST/CDT): Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Winnipeg. IANA zone America/Chicago.
  • Coordinated Universal Time (UTC): servers, aviation and logs worldwide; the same clock as GMT. IANA zone Etc/UTC.

Questions

What time is it in UTC when it is 9 AM CST?

On Oct 23, 2026, 9:00 AM CDT is 2:00 PM UTC. On other dates the answer can shift by an hour because of daylight saving time; the table of periods on this page gives each one.

How many hours ahead of CST is UTC?

It depends on the date. Oct 23, 2026 to Nov 1, 2026: UTC is 5 hours ahead. Nov 1, 2026 to Mar 14, 2027: UTC is 6 hours ahead. Mar 14, 2027 onwards: UTC is 5 hours ahead.

Do CST and UTC observe daylight saving time?

Central Time switches to CDT (UTC−5) in summer and back to CST (UTC−6) in winter. Coordinated Universal Time stays on UTC±0 all year.

What is the best time for a meeting between CST and UTC?

Normal 9-to-5 working hours overlap for 3 hours on a weekday: 9:00 AM–12:00 PM CDT, which is 2:00 PM–5:00 PM UTC.

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Related conversions

Computed from the IANA time zone database on Oct 23, 2026. Live clocks and the converter use your browser's copy of the same data.