Eastern Standard Time (est) is used in USA. The IANA timezone identifier is America/New_York.

Central Standard Time (cst) is used in USA. The IANA timezone identifier is America/Chicago.

EST to CST Time Converter

Eastern Standard Time → Central Standard Time

EST = UTC-4CST = UTC-5

⚠️ CST is ambiguous — on this page it means Central Standard Time. It also refers to:

EST → China Standard Time (Beijing) ↗EST → Cuba Standard Time (Havana) ↗

ClockinSync

BASE

09:00

Work Clients Team +

00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

CST (Chicago)

USA · -1h🔔 Public Holiday in 6d — Independence Day

08:00

London

United Kingdom · +5h

14:00

Tokyo

Japan · +13h

22:00

Dubai

United Arab Emirates · +8h

17:00

Sydney

Australia · +14h

23:00

Time difference: EST (New York) and CST (Chicago)

EST (New York) is 1 hour ahead of CST (Chicago). Midday in EST (New York) lines up with 11:00 in CST (Chicago).

EST (New York) observes America/New_York and CST (Chicago) observes America/Chicago — a 1 hour gap between them.

Business hours comparison

There is a 7-hour window each day where both EST (New York) and CST (Chicago) are within standard business hours (09:00–17:00).

00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

EST (New York)

CST (Chicago)

Overlap (7h)

Optimal meeting slots

EST (New York) and CST (Chicago) share 7 hours of business hours overlap daily. Showing the 3 most balanced slots — see the time table below for the full window.

10:00 New York / 09:00 Chicago✓ Both working

11:00 New York / 10:00 Chicago✓ Both working

12:00 New York / 11:00 Chicago✓ Both working

Assumes a standard 9 AM–5 PM workday in each location's local timezone.

Upcoming public holidays

⚡ Watch out — upcoming holidays on both sides. Verify availability in advance.

EST (New York)7 holidays

Jul 3Independence DaySOON

Sep 7Labour Day

Oct 12Columbus Day

Oct 12Indigenous Peoples' Day

Nov 11Veterans Day

CST (Chicago)7 holidays

Jul 3Independence DaySOON

Sep 7Labour Day

Oct 12Columbus Day

Oct 12Indigenous Peoples' Day

Nov 11Veterans Day

How to work with EST (New York) and CST (Chicago) time zones

Coordinating between EST (New York) (USA) and CST (Chicago) (USA) means working around a 1-hour time difference. The 7-hour overlap window gives both teams a natural slot for real-time collaboration without anyone working outside normal hours.

💡 How to schedule across these time zones

✅

Schedule at 10:00–11:00 (EST (New York)) for a 09:00–10:00 slot in CST (Chicago) — the sweet spot where both teams are working.

✅

Schedule at 11:00–12:00 (EST (New York)) for a 10:00–11:00 slot in CST (Chicago) — the sweet spot where both teams are working.

✅

Schedule at 12:00–13:00 (EST (New York)) for a 11:00–12:00 slot in CST (Chicago) — the sweet spot where both teams are working.

Recurring meetings are particularly vulnerable to DST shifts. The ClockinSync Chrome Extension alerts you before the offset changes.

Install ClockinSync Free →

Drag the slider at the top to convert any EST (New York) time instantly. You can also type natural language like "3pm", "15:00", or a location name to get an immediate answer.

EST (New York) ↔ CST (Chicago)

7h of business hours overlap daily (09:00–17:00)

EST (New York)

CST (Chicago)

00:00

23:00-1d

01:00

00:00

02:00

01:00

03:00

02:00

04:00

03:00

05:00

04:00

06:00

05:00

07:00

06:00

08:00

07:00

09:00Working

08:00off

10:00Working

09:00Working

11:00Working

10:00Working

12:00Working

11:00Working

13:00Working

12:00Working

14:00Working

13:00Working

15:00Working

14:00Working

16:00Working

15:00Working

17:00

16:00Working

18:00

17:00

19:00

18:00

20:00

19:00

21:00

20:00

22:00

21:00

23:00

22:00

Working hours: 09:00–17:00 local. Green = both working. Purple = one side only.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between est and cst?

Eastern Standard Time (est) is UTC-4 and Central Standard Time (cst) is UTC-5. The difference between them is 1 hours.

Where is est used?

Eastern Standard Time (est) is used in USA and surrounding regions. The IANA timezone identifier is America/New_York.

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.

How do I convert est to cst?

Use the interactive converter above. Drag the time slider to any est time and the cst equivalent updates instantly. You can also type a time like "3pm" or "15:00" in the input bar.

Popular EST conversions

EST → London EST → Tokyo EST → Dubai EST → Sydney EST → Paris EST → Berlin EST → Singapore EST → Los Angeles EST → Toronto EST → Mumbai

Popular CST conversions

London → CST New York → CST Tokyo → CST Dubai → CST Sydney → CST Paris → CST Berlin → CST Singapore → CST Los Angeles → CST Toronto → CST