No overlap — one side will join outside working hours
CST (Chicago)
AST (Riyadh)
00:00
08:00
01:00
09:00Working
02:00
10:00Working
03:00
11:00Working
04:00
12:00Working
05:00
13:00Working
06:00
14:00Working
07:00
15:00Working
08:00
16:00Working
09:00Working
17:00off
10:00Working
18:00off
11:00Working
19:00off
12:00Working
20:00off
13:00Working
21:00off
14:00Working
22:00off
15:00Working
23:00off
16:00Working
00:00+1doff
17:00
01:00+1d
18:00
02:00+1d
19:00
03:00+1d
20:00
04:00+1d
21:00
05:00+1d
22:00
06:00+1d
23:00
07:00+1d
Working hours: 09:00–17:00 local. Green = both working.Purple = one side only.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between cst and ast?
Central Standard Time (cst) is UTC-5 and Arabia Standard Time (ast) is UTC+3. The difference between them is 8 hours.
Where is cst used?
Central Standard Time (cst) is used in USA and surrounding regions. The IANA timezone identifier is America/Chicago. Note: cst is ambiguous and may refer to other timezones.
Where is ast used?
Arabia Standard Time (ast) is used in Saudi Arabia and surrounding regions. The IANA timezone identifier is Asia/Riyadh. Note: ast is ambiguous and may refer to other timezones.
How do I convert cst to ast?
Use the interactive converter above. Drag the time slider to any cst time and the ast equivalent updates instantly. You can also type a time like "3pm" or "15:00" in the input bar.
CST (Chicago) is 8 hours behind AST (Riyadh). When CST (Chicago) clocks hit noon, AST (Riyadh) reads 20:00.
CST (Chicago) is in the America/Chicago timezone. AST (Riyadh) is in Asia/Riyadh. The difference is 8 hours.
Daily overlap window
CST (Chicago) and AST (Riyadh) have no shared working hours under a standard 9:00–17:00 schedule. One side will always need to join at an off-hour.
When to schedule across time zones
Since CST (Chicago) and AST (Riyadh) don't share working hours, these are the most practical options available.
08:00 Chicago / 16:00 Riyadh⚡ One side off-hours
⚠️ 1h before working hours in Chicago
09:00 Chicago / 17:00 Riyadh⚡ One side off-hours
⚠️ 1h after working hours in Riyadh
07:00 Chicago / 15:00 Riyadh⚡ One side off-hours
⚠️ 2h before working hours in Chicago
Based on standard 09:00–17:00 working hours in each location's local time.
Holiday calendar for both locations
CST (Chicago)8 holidays
Jun 19Juneteenth National Independence DaySOON
Jul 3Independence Day
Sep 7Labour Day
Oct 12Columbus Day
Oct 12Indigenous Peoples' Day
AST (Riyadh)
No upcoming public holidays this year.
Working across CST (Chicago) and AST (Riyadh)
Coordinating between CST (Chicago) (USA) and AST (Riyadh) (Saudi Arabia) means working around a 8-hour time difference. Since standard business hours don't naturally overlap, meetings usually require one side to shift slightly outside their normal working day.
💡 Best practice for cross-timezone meetings
⚡
When CST (Chicago) is at 08:00, AST (Riyadh) reads 16:00 — 1h before working hours in Chicago.
⚡
When CST (Chicago) is at 09:00, AST (Riyadh) reads 17:00 — 1h after working hours in Riyadh.
⚡
When CST (Chicago) is at 07:00, AST (Riyadh) reads 15:00 — 2h before working hours in Chicago.
Since there is no natural overlap, the options above represent the most balanced compromise, minimizing out-of-hours inconvenience for both sides.
DST transitions can silently shift your meeting times by an hour. The ClockinSync Chrome Extension tracks these changes automatically so you never get caught off guard.
Use the time slider above to find the exact equivalent time for any moment in CST (Chicago). The input bar accepts natural language like "3pm", "15:30", or "9am Rome" for instant conversions.