CET to CST Time Converter
Convert Central European Time to Central Time (US). Right now, CET is 7 hours ahead of CST.
Time Zone Converter
Click any hour to see what it lands on in every city. The first row's hours run 12am to 11pm — every other row is its local time at the same instant.
When it's this time in Paris:
| Paris | Chicago |
|---|---|
| 6:00 AM | 11:00 PM |
| 9:00 AM | 2:00 AM |
| 12:00 PM | 5:00 AM |
| 3:00 PM | 8:00 AM |
| 6:00 PM | 11:00 AM |
| 9:00 PM | 2:00 PM |
About CET and CST
CET (Central European Time) covers Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Croatia and is anchored to the IANA zone Europe/Paris. It observes daylight saving time, so the offset shifts by one hour twice a year.
CST (Central Time (US)) covers USA and Mexico via America/Chicago. It observes daylight saving time, so the gap between these two zones shifts twice a year.
Because at least one of these zones uses DST, the time difference between CET and CST is not constant — it shifts by an hour during the spring and autumn DST transitions. The hour grid below recomputes the difference for any specific date you click, using the IANA rules baked into your browser.
FAQ
- How many hours difference between CET and CST?
- Right now, CET is 7 hours ahead of CST. Because at least one of these zones observes daylight saving time, the gap shifts by an hour twice a year (spring and autumn). The hour grid above recomputes correctly for any specific date.
- What time is 9 AM CET in CST?
- 9 AM CET (Paris) is 2:00 AM CST (Chicago) today. Click any cell in the grid above to convert other times — the math handles DST and half-hour offsets correctly.
- Does CET observe daylight saving time?
- Yes. Central European Time shifts forward by one hour in the spring and back in the autumn. The exact dates depend on the country's rules — the IANA timezone database tracks them all and updates automatically.
- What's the IANA timezone identifier for CET and CST?
- CET → Europe/Paris. CST → America/Chicago. We use IANA identifiers (not GMT offsets) as the source of truth so historical and future dates remain accurate, including across DST changes and political timezone shifts.
- Where can I see the overlap between CET and CST working hours?
- Click "Working hrs" in the toolbar above to highlight hours where all selected cities have overlapping business hours. The amber highlight shows which columns work for scheduling meetings across time zones.
- Which countries use CET and CST?
- CET (Central European Time) is used in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Croatia. CST (Central Time (US)) is used in USA and Mexico. If you're converting time between any of these countries, this is the right page.