The region for CST is currently observing Daylight Saving Time . The current time zone is CDT. Please see the correct page here: Current Time in CDT . The standard time for the Central Time Zone in North America, covering parts of Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Central America. During summer, many areas switch to Central Daylight Time (CDT, UTC-05:00). UTC Offset: -06:00 Current time shown is based on the representative IANA zone: America/Chicago Countries in the CST Time Zone Largest Cities in the CST Time Zone 🇲🇽 Mexico City, Mexico 🇬🇹 Guatemala City, Guatemala 🇺🇸 Chicago, United States 🇺🇸 Houston, United States 🇲🇽 Iztapalapa, Mexico 🇲🇽 León de los Aldama, Mexico 🇲🇽 Puebla, Mexico 🇲🇽 Ecatepec de Morelos, Mexico 🇲🇽 Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico 🇲🇽 Zapopan, Mexico 🇺🇸 San Antonio, United States 🇲🇽 Guadalajara, Mexico 🇺🇸 Dallas, United States 🇲🇽 Mérida, Mexico 🇲🇽 Gustavo Adolfo Madero, Mexico 🇭🇳 Tegucigalpa, Honduras 🇲🇽 Monterrey, Mexico 🇲🇽 Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl, Mexico 🇳🇮 Managua, Nicaragua 🇺🇸 Austin, United States 🇲🇽 Chihuahua, Mexico 🇺🇸 Fort Worth, United States 🇭🇳 San Pedro Sula, Honduras 🇲🇽 Naucalpan de Juárez, Mexico 🇨🇦 Winnipeg, Canada 🇲🇽 Morelia, Mexico 🇲🇽 Torreón, Mexico 🇲🇽 Álvaro Obregón, Mexico 🇲🇽 San Luis Potosí, Mexico 🇲🇽 Aguascalientes, Mexico 🇲🇽 Saltillo, Mexico 🇺🇸 Nashville, United States 🇺🇸 Oklahoma City, United States 🇲🇽 Guadalupe, Mexico 🇲🇽 Acapulco de Juárez, Mexico 🇲🇽 Tlalnepantla, Mexico 🇺🇸 New South Memphis, United States 🇺🇸 Memphis, United States 🇲🇽 Coyoacán, Mexico 🇬🇹 Villa Nueva, Guatemala 🇲🇽 Santa María Chimalhuacán, Mexico 🇲🇽 Tuxtla, Mexico 🇺🇸 Milwaukee, United States 🇲🇽 Reynosa, Mexico 🇲🇽 Tlaquepaque, Mexico 🇲🇽 Tlalpan, Mexico 🇸🇻 San Salvador, El Salvador 🇲🇽 Cuauhtémoc, Mexico 🇲🇽 Victoria de Durango, Mexico 🇲🇽 Toluca, Mexico Other Time Zones with the same UTC -06:00 MDT (Mountain Daylight Time) IANA Time Zones in CST America/Bahia_Banderas (UTC −06:00) America/Belize (UTC −06:00) America/Chicago (UTC −06:00) America/Chihuahua (UTC −06:00) America/Costa_Rica (UTC −06:00) America/El_Salvador (UTC −06:00) America/Guatemala (UTC −06:00) America/Indiana/Knox (UTC −06:00) America/Indiana/Tell_City (UTC −06:00) America/Knox_IN (UTC −06:00) America/Managua (UTC −06:00) America/Matamoros (UTC −06:00) America/Menominee (UTC −06:00) America/Merida (UTC −06:00) America/Mexico_City (UTC −06:00) America/Monterrey (UTC −06:00) America/North_Dakota/Beulah (UTC −06:00) America/North_Dakota/Center (UTC −06:00) America/North_Dakota/New_Salem (UTC −06:00) America/Ojinaga (UTC −06:00)

America/Rainy_River (UTC −06:00) America/Rankin_Inlet (UTC −06:00) America/Regina (UTC −06:00) America/Resolute (UTC −06:00) America/Swift_Current (UTC −06:00) America/Tegucigalpa (UTC −06:00) America/Winnipeg (UTC −06:00) Canada/Central (UTC −06:00) Canada/Saskatchewan (UTC −06:00) CST6CDT (UTC −06:00) Mexico/General (UTC −06:00) US/Central (UTC −06:00) US/Indiana-Starke (UTC −06:00) Central Standard Time (CST): A Comprehensive Guide Central Standard Time (CST) is a time zone observed across central North America and parts of Central America, with a standard UTC offset of -06:00. The abbreviation CST stands for Central Standard Time, used during the non-daylight-saving period. Many regions within this zone shift to Central Daylight Time (CDT, UTC-05:00) in summer. This article details the coverage, daylight-saving practices, and practical business-hour guidance for CST. Standard Offset and Daylight Saving CST is UTC-06:00 year-round in zones that do not observe daylight saving time (DST). Where DST is observed, clocks spring forward to CDT (UTC-05:00) on the second Sunday of March and fall back to CST on the first Sunday of November. Not all regions in this zone use DST; for example, Saskatchewan ( Canada ) and most of Mexico’s central zone (except the northern border strip) stay on CST year-round. Geographic Coverage CST covers a vast area including parts of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and all of Belize, Costa Rica , El Salvador , Guatemala , Honduras, and Nicaragua. Key IANA time zones include America/Chicago , America/Mexico_City , America/Regina , America/Guatemala , and America/Managua . Major cities: Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Winnipeg, Mexico City , Guatemala City , San Salvador , Managua, and Belize City. Neighboring Zones East of CST is Eastern Standard Time (EST, UTC-05:00) in the US and Canada, and Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) in summer. West is Mountain Standard Time (MST, UTC-07:00). South of the US border, CST aligns with the Central America zones, but note that Panama and Colombia use EST (UTC-05:00) year-round. In Mexico, the northern border cities (e.g., Matamoros, Ojinaga) observe DST in sync with the US, while the rest of central Mexico stays on CST year-round. Daylight Saving Practices In the United States and Canada, DST is observed: clocks advance to CDT (UTC-05:00) in spring and revert to CST in fall. In Mexico, most of the country (including Mexico City) does not observe DST as of 2023; only the northern border municipalities (e.g., in Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas) still use DST to align with the US. In Central America, none of the countries observe DST, so they remain on CST year-round. Business Hours Guidance When scheduling across CST, note the following: Standard business hours (9:00 AM to 5:00 PM CST) correspond to 15:00 to 23:00 UTC. During DST, the same local times are 14:00 to 22:00 UTC. For calls between CST and EST, add one hour (EST is UTC-05:00). For MST, subtract one hour. For Pacific Standard Time (PST, UTC-08:00), subtract two hours. In Central America, where no DST is observed, the offset remains UTC-06:00 year-round. Be mindful of DST transitions in the US and Canada, which occur on different dates than European DST changes. Key IANA Zones and Their DST Status America/Chicago : Observes DST (CDT in summer). America/Mexico_City : No DST (year-round CST). America/Regina : No DST (year-round CST). America/Guatemala : No DST (year-round CST). America/Managua : No DST (year-round CST). America/Matamoros : Observes DST (CDT in summer). America/Ojinaga : Observes DST (CDT in summer). Frequently Asked Questions Central Standard Time is UTC-06:00. During daylight saving time, it becomes Central Daylight Time (CDT) at UTC-05:00. No, as of 2023 most of Mexico, including Mexico City , does not observe daylight saving time and stays on CST year-round. States fully or partially in CST include Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky (western part), Louisiana, Michigan (Upper Peninsula), Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska (eastern part), North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota (eastern part), Tennessee (western and middle), Texas, and Wisconsin. The exact county boundaries are defined by IANA zones like America/Chicago . No, CST is the standard time (UTC-06:00) used in autumn and winter, while CDT is the daylight saving time (UTC-05:00) used in spring and summer in regions that observe DST. Eastern Standard Time (EST) is UTC-05:00, which is one hour ahead of CST (UTC-06:00). During DST, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) is UTC-04:00, still one hour ahead of CDT. Yes, parts of Canada , including Manitoba, most of Saskatchewan (year-round CST), and parts of Ontario (northwestern) and Nunavut, observe CST. Saskatchewan does not observe DST. 🧰 Convert Time in CST to Other Time Zones Use these time zone converters to instantly find the time in another location when it's a specific time in CST. Simply click one of the converter links to see a live conversion. CST to AEST Converter CST to AST Converter CST to CET Converter CST to EST Converter CST to HKT Converter CST to IST Converter CST to JST Converter CST to KST Converter CST to MST converter CST to NZST Converter CST to PHT Converter CST to PKT Converter CST to PST Converter CST to PT Converter CST to SAST Converter CST to SGT Converter CST to UTC Converter CST to WIB Converter 🧰 Convert Time to CST from Other Time Zones Trying to find the best time to schedule something in CST? Use these reverse converters to see what the time will be here based on the time in another location. BST to CST Converter CDT to CST Converter CEST to CST Converter CET to CST Converter EDT to CST converter EST to CST Converter ET to CST Converter GMT to CST Converter HST to CST Converter IST to CST Converter JST to CST Converter KST to CST Converter MST to CST Converter PDT to CST Converter PST to CST Converter PT to CST Converter UTC to CST Converter