How to convert Central Time to Eastern Time
- Enter the Central time in Time and set the Date.
- From starts on Central Time (Chicago, Dallas) and To on Eastern Time. Change either one if your city is elsewhere.
- Read the Eastern time, or switch Clock to 24-hour if you prefer.
Central to Eastern time table
Every 3 hours on July 15, 2026 (CDT to EDT). The same times apply in winter between CST and EST.
| Chicago | New York |
|---|---|
| 12:00 am | 1:00 am |
| 3:00 am | 4:00 am |
| 6:00 am | 7:00 am |
| 9:00 am | 10:00 am |
| 12:00 pm | 1:00 pm |
| 3:00 pm | 4:00 pm |
| 6:00 pm | 7:00 pm |
| 9:00 pm | 10:00 pm |
Calling the East Coast from Central Time
The East Coast is always the first to start and the first to stop. An 8 am Central call reaches New York at 9 am, the start of the working day, while 4 pm Central is already 5 pm Eastern. If you’re in Texas, Illinois or Minnesota and need a same-day reply from New York, ask before about 3 pm your time.
Times written as just CST or EST are often used loosely all year. In summer the clocks are really on CDT (UTC−5) and EDT (UTC−4), but the 1-hour gap doesn’t change.